HP LaserJet Pro M404dn
VS.
HP LaserJet MFP M234dw
Last updated September 2023
HP LaserJet Pro M404dn
9.2
HP LaserJet MFP M234dw
8.5
Do NOT expect any useful support from HP when reporting errors.
November 25, 2020
The HP Laser Jet Pro M404dn Prints great... lousy software... little or no good technical support from HP. Before purchasing this product did research. We checked drivers for it on HP's website. We also downloaded the User's Guide and checked supported Operating Systems. They provide drivers for just about every Windows O/S that would still be in use, including all variants of Windows 2008 R2. We still have one of these and this is where the printer is going to be defined and shared by other hosts. That server will not be migrated up for at lease one more year so it has to work. When we received the printer, we installed it as a network printer locally on a Windows 10 system... it worked. We then uninstalled it from the windows 10 system and installed it as a network printer locally to a Windows 2008 R2 server and it installed fine. We set up a share for it and installed it using the share to other hosts (Windows 10 and Windows 7). They printed to it just fine through the Windows 2008 R2 server. We also tried it on a XP system, where we would expect it to fail and it did, but it failed "cleanly" like it was suppose to. Then we tried to print a document (test page) from the Windows 2008 R2 server itself. It placed the report in the print spool, and indicated the job completed (in the queue... out of the queue, no errors). At the printer, the printer startup but no pages came out. OK, we have two bugs here. First when the report was released to the printer, it behaved as any print job would that was successful (no error). The job was removed from the print spool queue. This is a very serious problem. Second, the job did not print at all. The printer started up but no output. This is an annoyance, I wanted a report and did not get one. Called HP Support to open a case for this issue. I was on the phone for two hours the first day and another hour the second day... what a waste of time. HP told me to use the PostScript driver (I already tried it), it did not work. With the tech on the phone I tried every driver they had on their website for Windows 2008 R2... none worked. HP end up saying even though it says it is supported in the User's Guide, and drivers exist for it on their website, they do not support it. They referred me to an obscure document that does not have it listed. Even though 2008 R2 is past Microsoft support, which occurred on January 14, 2020, the printer has been out for over a year before that. People were running 2008 R2 then, and some are still today. It appears that HP has no interest in fixing programming errors in their drivers, or at least that is how their support staff presents their solutions. So, I would throw this printer in the trash, except I like the printer and it works on other hosts connected to it. So, it you expect some kind of useful support other than how to turn the device on, FORGET HP. It still is a good printer, so if you do not mind basically supporting it yourself, and do not have a problem with their documentation saying it supports something, and having technical support say it really does hot support it, than this is a good printer. After this experience I doubt I will not be buying any more HP products for myself any time soon.
Fairly simple install if you use ethernet
August 16, 2023
Some HP printers require the user to install using their smart app for installation. I was able to connect via ethernet, pressed the i button to print the information page that has the ip address, then I typed in the ip into the web browser to manage it. I went to System > Administration and checked for updates since mine did not have the most recent 20230307 firmware. The firmware has "dynamic security measures" which will block non-HP cartridges unless it has HP chip or circuitry. I went to HP's website and downloaded the Feb 8, 2023 Full 188MB driver. During the software installation the screen went blank, so I let it sit for several minutes to no avail. Eventually I clicked the X to cancel, but it offered a link to install the driver, and the install was successful. I completed a scan using the HP scan app and printed a test page. Print jobs seem fast, and the printer itself is a relatively compact design. Overall this is a fantastic all-in-one laser that gives the user the ability to do a conventional install without the added hassles of HP smart.
