The HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn are both Ethernet equipped network laser printers with respectable performance specifications and only one difference between the two: The HP Laser Jet 5100dtn model comes equipped with automatic duplexing hardware incorporated into the unit and the The HP Laser Jet 5100tn does not. With a duplexor entirely optional buyers can choose whether they spend the money on the double sided print feature or not. Extensive paper storage expandability options further the HP Laser Jet 5100 series’ customizability, making it adjustable to suit any reasonable demand set.
With a 22 page per minute print speed, the HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn are completely up to par with current standards for monochrome laser speed. Built in network connectivity via Ethernet makes the units accessible to an entire office or network ready household and, with huge paper storage capacities, the units operate with limited downtime even under the stress of constant network use.
Standard paper handling comes in the form of three individual trays. A 250 sheet tray comes stock with all 5100 series units, and an additional 500 sheet tray is included as well with the HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn units. A 100 sheet multi purpose tray is useful for adding that small boost in standard paper storage, or for automatically printing to special media types such as card stock, transparencies, or envelopes. With up to four total paper trays possible, even the fully loaded HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn models can support one additional tray.
While the HP Laser Jet 5100dtn comes equipped with the duplexing feature which adds the capacity for automatic double sided printing, the other 5100 models do not. They are, however, upgradable with an external duplex option that snaps in exactly like an additional paper tray, directly to the bottom of the unit and, when duplexing is implemented, additional memory upgrades are recommended.
Thanks to a surprisingly adequate amount of open memory slots, the HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn models are extremely versatile in memory expansion possibilities. Three built in DIMM slots are complimented by two additional EIO interface slots for maximum expandability options. While the HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn come standard with 32 MBs of RAM, and the HP Laser Jet 5100 with 16 MBs, all models have a total memory cap that is not to exceed 192 MBs.
The HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn’s maximum monthly duty cycles are actually incredibly high, making them optimal for constant network usage. Up to 65,000 pages a month maximum can be pumped out these machines, meaning even the highest output requirements should execute without incident.
Money saving features such as a power save setting cut back on overall energy costs while remaining well within Engergy Star standards. An HP Economode reduces toner usage by a significant fifty percent, cutting toner usage and costs in half, though HP does not recommend full time usage of the setting due to its taxing nature. A reasonable price tag helps as well in making the HP Laser Jet 5100dtn and 5100tn printers viable options for the small office.
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