Verdict
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is a compact and smart way to print lots of black or colour pages in a home or small office. While we don’t love its new control system, HP has got the essentials bang on: it’s fast and produces great prints. While bigger and more business-focused than most home users will want, this is a strong colour laser for those who print in a hurry, and don’t mind paying a little more to buy and run a printer.
-
Fast black and colour prints -
Comparatively smart and compact -
Very high print quality
-
Could prove expensive to run
Key Features
-
Review Price: £293 -
A colour laser printer
This laser printer can turn out up to 33 black or colour pages per minute. It can print on both sides of each page, too. -
Choose your connection
The LaserJet Pro 4202dw connects to a wired or wireless network, so it’s suitable for an office, or use in a busy home.
Introduction
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is a colour laser printer aimed at small offices, at workgroups in bigger businesses, or even a very busy home. It’s a single-function device, meaning it’s all about printing – there’s no inbuilt scanner for photocopies, faxing or other work.
Laser printers are always bigger and significantly heavier than the inkjet equivalent, and that’s definitely the case here: the 4202dw tips the scales at 16.3 kilos. That said, it’s quite an attractive device, with HP’s signature blue front panel helping it stand out from the ranks of black or cream alternatives.
This printer is built for fairly large volumes. HP says it can handle a huge maximum duty of 50,000 pages per month, with a lifetime durability of 100,000 prints. Clearly that’s overkill for the typical home, but it’s reassuring if you run a club or a business and you know you’ll need to print a lot. You shouldn’t have to wait too long either, as the HP Color LaserJet 4202dw is rated at 33 pages per minute (ppm) in black or colour.
Design and Features
- Smart design
- Strong features
- Annoying controls
HP has given up localising to British English, so ‘Color’ LaserJet Pro 4202dw it is. I like this printer’s appearance; its blue front panel is a hallmark of HP’s enterprise printers, and a welcome splash of colour on a device that – let’s face it – would hardly set the heart pounding otherwise.
The 4202dw’s strong specifications go beyond fast speeds and good durability. It has automatic duplex (double-sided) printing, helping you save paper or just produce professional-looking documents and handouts. Concealed behind the blue panel you’ll find both a 250-sheet paper tray…
…and a 50-sheet multipurpose feed – useful if you want to keep a stock of plain and headed paper without having to keep unloading and reloading.
Connectivity is excellent, with a USB port for direct connection to a single PC, and both wired and wireless networking making it easy to share among users. On the top panel there’s also a USB host port, used for direct prints from an inserted thumb drive. That’s helpful if you have visitors who might want to print, or if you want to stand over the printer while you print off a batch of payslips or other confidential documents.
The Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw uses a new menu system that pairs a push/twist control wheel with a decent sized backlit mono display. Unfortunately I found this disappointing and even a bit annoying in practice. As you’d expect, you twist the wheel to navigate the printer’s various menus, and press it to select options. However, the large text and long menus mean lots of scrolling, and the wheel doesn’t feel like a precision implement. I couldn’t always see the connection between how fast I spun and how quickly the menu focus moved – when I had far to go it was too slow, and yet it often seemed too sensitive and unpredictable for small steps.
It’s worth mentioning that, unlike some other laser printers, this one doesn’t have any vents at either side. That gives it a clean look, but also means you can work it back into a narrower space – you just need access at the front and top, with a little ventilation space to the rear. It comes already fitted with consumables rated for a fair 1,200 black or 1,000 colour pages, so there’s not much physical setup to do.
Laser printers seem to be losing their running costs battle with inkjets, and unfortunately the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is no exception. It takes a consumable each for black, cyan, magenta and yellow printing, with the standard replacements good for only 2,000 black pages, or 1,800 in colour. Using the best prices I could find online this worked out at 3.9p per black page, and a whopping 19.7p for a full colour (black, cyan, magenta and yellow) page.
Happily, things are better with the high-capacity supplies. They’re good for 7,500 black or 5,500 colour pages, and work out at a 12.4p per full-colour page. That’s actually not bad for a colour laser, but many cartridge-based inkjets cost less, while a refillable inkjet would be around 10 times cheaper to run.
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw supports wireless networks in the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, but it didn’t get on well with my usually rock-solid mesh system. HP’s PC driver setup program couldn’t find the printer; I had to enter its IP (network) address manually. Even then, the driver lost touch with it whenever it went into power saving mode, which quickly proved impractical. I ended up starting again with a wired connection to my router.
Print speed and quality
- Fast printing across the board
- Strong print quality
Printers never reach their rated speeds on our benchmarks, which include the extra time taken by the host PC to prepare and transfer the print job – a more realistic measure of real-world performance. Even so, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw got close. It needed just 11 seconds to print the first page of our text test, finishing all five sheets in 20 seconds – a 15.0 pages per minute (ppm) performance. This increased to 24.9ppm over 20 pages, and 30.0ppm on a 50-page document.
It was much the same story for colour prints, with a first page taking 14 seconds, but five prints completing at 14.3ppm. The printer reached 25.0ppm over 20 colour pages. Like most laser printers, the 4202dw prints at half the speed when you select maximum print quality in the driver, but it still delivered an A4 photo in just 22 seconds.
Text quality is always strong in laser printers, and this one was no exception. I looked at print samples using an eye glass, and even when magnified, text looked crisp and free of jagged edges.
I can’t always say the same for graphics, but here the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is one of the best lasers I’ve tested. It delivered punchy illustrations and cartoons, mastered colour text, and even did a great job on photos. While some lasers leave tell-tale patterns, or struggle to cope with smooth shade transitions, this one took everything in its stride. My only slight complaint was that colours were perhaps a little too rich, leaving everything looking just a touch serious – personally I’d prefer a slightly more saturated, brighter bias.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want high quality in a hurry
Not many printers can deliver this combination of quality and speed. If that’s what you need, this is a great choice.
Don’t buy if you need low-cost printing
This printer’s running costs will add up. If you’ll print a lot, and you don’t have a big budget, opt for a refillable inkjet to pay less overall.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to speed and quality, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw absolutely nails it. I haven’t tested many printers (even the very best printers) with better output quality, and while I have tested faster lasers, this one is very impressive at the price. If that’s what you want, this is an excellent choice.
Things aren’t quite so straightforward once you bring cost of ownership into the equation. While the 4202dw is competitively priced, and not unreasonably expensive on modest print volumes, you’ll run up big costs if you do print a lot.
As an illustration, a box (2,500 pages) of paper might cost just £20 to buy, but it might total £310 to use if you printed every page in colour – worth bearing in mind if you aren’t working with a big budget.
FAQs
It’s a colour laser printer, capable of up to 33 pages per minute and duplex (double-sided) printing. It supports wired and wireless networks, and direct printing via a USB host port.
‘D’ is for duplex – automatic double-sided printing – and ‘W’ is for Wi-Fi support. You’ll find that most manufacturers tend to use the same system. ‘N’ usually means wired networking, while ‘F’ probably means fax.
Test Data
| HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw | |
|---|---|
| Energy consumption | 550 Watts |
| Printing A4 mono speed (single page) | 11 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (5 pages) | 20 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (20 pages) | 49 sec |
| Printing A4 colour speed (single page) | 14 sec |
| Printing A4 colour speed (5 pages) | 21 sec |
| Printing A4 colour speed (20 pages) | 48 sec |
Full Specs
| HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £293 |
| USA RRP | Unavailable |
| EU RRP | €287 |
| CA RRP | Unavailable |
| AUD RRP | Unavailable |
| Manufacturer | HP |
| Quiet Mark Accredited | No |
| Size (Dimensions) | 421 x 427 x 288 MM |
| Weight | 16.33 KG |
| ASIN | B0C6FPJKGG |
| Release Date | 2026 |
| First Reviewed Date | 08/02/2026 |
| Model Number | 4RA88F |
| Model Variants | 4201dw (US market model) |
| Ports | USB, gigabit Ethernet, USB host |
| Connectivity | 802.11b/g/n, 802.3az Wi-Fi |
| Ink Cartridge support | HP 220A series, HP 220X series |
| Printer Type | Colour |
| Ink Type | Cartridge |
Verdict
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is a compact and smart way to print lots of black or colour pages in a home or small office. While we don’t love its new control system, HP has got the essentials bang on: it’s fast and produces great prints. While bigger and more business-focused than most home users will want, this is a strong colour laser for those who print in a hurry, and don’t mind paying a little more to buy and run a printer.
-
Fast black and colour prints -
Comparatively smart and compact -
Very high print quality
-
Could prove expensive to run
Key Features
-
Review Price: £293 -
A colour laser printer
This laser printer can turn out up to 33 black or colour pages per minute. It can print on both sides of each page, too. -
Choose your connection
The LaserJet Pro 4202dw connects to a wired or wireless network, so it’s suitable for an office, or use in a busy home.
Introduction
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is a colour laser printer aimed at small offices, at workgroups in bigger businesses, or even a very busy home. It’s a single-function device, meaning it’s all about printing – there’s no inbuilt scanner for photocopies, faxing or other work.
Laser printers are always bigger and significantly heavier than the inkjet equivalent, and that’s definitely the case here: the 4202dw tips the scales at 16.3 kilos. That said, it’s quite an attractive device, with HP’s signature blue front panel helping it stand out from the ranks of black or cream alternatives.
This printer is built for fairly large volumes. HP says it can handle a huge maximum duty of 50,000 pages per month, with a lifetime durability of 100,000 prints. Clearly that’s overkill for the typical home, but it’s reassuring if you run a club or a business and you know you’ll need to print a lot. You shouldn’t have to wait too long either, as the HP Color LaserJet 4202dw is rated at 33 pages per minute (ppm) in black or colour.
Design and Features
- Smart design
- Strong features
- Annoying controls
HP has given up localising to British English, so ‘Color’ LaserJet Pro 4202dw it is. I like this printer’s appearance; its blue front panel is a hallmark of HP’s enterprise printers, and a welcome splash of colour on a device that – let’s face it – would hardly set the heart pounding otherwise.
The 4202dw’s strong specifications go beyond fast speeds and good durability. It has automatic duplex (double-sided) printing, helping you save paper or just produce professional-looking documents and handouts. Concealed behind the blue panel you’ll find both a 250-sheet paper tray…
…and a 50-sheet multipurpose feed – useful if you want to keep a stock of plain and headed paper without having to keep unloading and reloading.
Connectivity is excellent, with a USB port for direct connection to a single PC, and both wired and wireless networking making it easy to share among users. On the top panel there’s also a USB host port, used for direct prints from an inserted thumb drive. That’s helpful if you have visitors who might want to print, or if you want to stand over the printer while you print off a batch of payslips or other confidential documents.
The Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw uses a new menu system that pairs a push/twist control wheel with a decent sized backlit mono display. Unfortunately I found this disappointing and even a bit annoying in practice. As you’d expect, you twist the wheel to navigate the printer’s various menus, and press it to select options. However, the large text and long menus mean lots of scrolling, and the wheel doesn’t feel like a precision implement. I couldn’t always see the connection between how fast I spun and how quickly the menu focus moved – when I had far to go it was too slow, and yet it often seemed too sensitive and unpredictable for small steps.
It’s worth mentioning that, unlike some other laser printers, this one doesn’t have any vents at either side. That gives it a clean look, but also means you can work it back into a narrower space – you just need access at the front and top, with a little ventilation space to the rear. It comes already fitted with consumables rated for a fair 1,200 black or 1,000 colour pages, so there’s not much physical setup to do.
Laser printers seem to be losing their running costs battle with inkjets, and unfortunately the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is no exception. It takes a consumable each for black, cyan, magenta and yellow printing, with the standard replacements good for only 2,000 black pages, or 1,800 in colour. Using the best prices I could find online this worked out at 3.9p per black page, and a whopping 19.7p for a full colour (black, cyan, magenta and yellow) page.
Happily, things are better with the high-capacity supplies. They’re good for 7,500 black or 5,500 colour pages, and work out at a 12.4p per full-colour page. That’s actually not bad for a colour laser, but many cartridge-based inkjets cost less, while a refillable inkjet would be around 10 times cheaper to run.
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw supports wireless networks in the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, but it didn’t get on well with my usually rock-solid mesh system. HP’s PC driver setup program couldn’t find the printer; I had to enter its IP (network) address manually. Even then, the driver lost touch with it whenever it went into power saving mode, which quickly proved impractical. I ended up starting again with a wired connection to my router.
Print speed and quality
- Fast printing across the board
- Strong print quality
Printers never reach their rated speeds on our benchmarks, which include the extra time taken by the host PC to prepare and transfer the print job – a more realistic measure of real-world performance. Even so, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw got close. It needed just 11 seconds to print the first page of our text test, finishing all five sheets in 20 seconds – a 15.0 pages per minute (ppm) performance. This increased to 24.9ppm over 20 pages, and 30.0ppm on a 50-page document.
It was much the same story for colour prints, with a first page taking 14 seconds, but five prints completing at 14.3ppm. The printer reached 25.0ppm over 20 colour pages. Like most laser printers, the 4202dw prints at half the speed when you select maximum print quality in the driver, but it still delivered an A4 photo in just 22 seconds.
Text quality is always strong in laser printers, and this one was no exception. I looked at print samples using an eye glass, and even when magnified, text looked crisp and free of jagged edges.
I can’t always say the same for graphics, but here the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw is one of the best lasers I’ve tested. It delivered punchy illustrations and cartoons, mastered colour text, and even did a great job on photos. While some lasers leave tell-tale patterns, or struggle to cope with smooth shade transitions, this one took everything in its stride. My only slight complaint was that colours were perhaps a little too rich, leaving everything looking just a touch serious – personally I’d prefer a slightly more saturated, brighter bias.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want high quality in a hurry
Not many printers can deliver this combination of quality and speed. If that’s what you need, this is a great choice.
Don’t buy if you need low-cost printing
This printer’s running costs will add up. If you’ll print a lot, and you don’t have a big budget, opt for a refillable inkjet to pay less overall.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to speed and quality, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw absolutely nails it. I haven’t tested many printers (even the very best printers) with better output quality, and while I have tested faster lasers, this one is very impressive at the price. If that’s what you want, this is an excellent choice.
Things aren’t quite so straightforward once you bring cost of ownership into the equation. While the 4202dw is competitively priced, and not unreasonably expensive on modest print volumes, you’ll run up big costs if you do print a lot.
As an illustration, a box (2,500 pages) of paper might cost just £20 to buy, but it might total £310 to use if you printed every page in colour – worth bearing in mind if you aren’t working with a big budget.
FAQs
It’s a colour laser printer, capable of up to 33 pages per minute and duplex (double-sided) printing. It supports wired and wireless networks, and direct printing via a USB host port.
‘D’ is for duplex – automatic double-sided printing – and ‘W’ is for Wi-Fi support. You’ll find that most manufacturers tend to use the same system. ‘N’ usually means wired networking, while ‘F’ probably means fax.
Test Data
| HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw | |
|---|---|
| Energy consumption | 550 Watts |
| Printing A4 mono speed (single page) | 11 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (5 pages) | 20 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (20 pages) | 49 sec |
| Printing A4 colour speed (single page) | 14 sec |
| Printing A4 colour speed (5 pages) | 21 sec |
| Printing A4 colour speed (20 pages) | 48 sec |
Full Specs
| HP Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £293 |
| USA RRP | Unavailable |
| EU RRP | €287 |
| CA RRP | Unavailable |
| AUD RRP | Unavailable |
| Manufacturer | HP |
| Quiet Mark Accredited | No |
| Size (Dimensions) | 421 x 427 x 288 MM |
| Weight | 16.33 KG |
| ASIN | B0C6FPJKGG |
| Release Date | 2026 |
| First Reviewed Date | 08/02/2026 |
| Model Number | 4RA88F |
| Model Variants | 4201dw (US market model) |
| Ports | USB, gigabit Ethernet, USB host |
| Connectivity | 802.11b/g/n, 802.3az Wi-Fi |
| Ink Cartridge support | HP 220A series, HP 220X series |
| Printer Type | Colour |
| Ink Type | Cartridge |
