PRINTING. The HP Color laserJet Pro MFP M180nw prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. Its text quality is Excellent, as we've come to expect from a laser printer. Text printing was very quick, 10.7 pages per minute, costing 2.4 cents per page. It prints color graphics such as charts and web pages beautifully, in presentation-quality, with no noticeable defects, at 4.3 pages per minute, costing 18.9 cents per page. It prints photos poorly, like early color laser printers. Unlike most color printers, it can't print borderless photos. If the black ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining color ink. The capacity of the main paper tray is 150 sheets, a typical size.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning performance was Very Good, fine for general-purpose scanning. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.6 x 8.5 inches (letter size). Copying performance was Very Good, suitable for most purposes. Includes OCR (optical character recognition) software, useful for making scanned documents editable in a word processor program.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a 2.4-inch monochrome display screen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router either wirelessly with WiFi or with an Ethernet cable. Apple AirPrint is built in, to print wirelessly from Apple devices via your local network. You can also install HP's app on your smart phone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network. You can also print an email remotely by forwarding it directly to this printer.
COST OF OWNERSHIP AND TONER. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $240, cheap for an all-in-one color laser printer. Printing uses up toner. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. This printer uses 4 cartridges. The HP toner cartridges used in testing were the 204A BK, 204A C, 204A M and 204A Y. At the time, their prices were $35 for black and $57 (each) for the other three. We estimate the toner cartridges to last an extraordinarily long time — around 25 months — following a typical printing schedule. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $461, low for a color laser. The estimated yearly cost is $110, also low for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $571, $682 and $792 respectively.
PRINTER FIRMWARE. Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing.
SOFTWARE. The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 8.0.1329.4742.
ABOUT THE TONER CARTRIDGES, SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE. Our test results are valid only for the HP-brand toner cartridges, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the HP printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or HP's website for further guidance. Try searching online.
