Verdict
The HP LaserJet M234dw is small, smart and has most of the home basics covered. It’s easy to use, and surprisingly quick – especially when churning out page after page of black text. The results aren’t bad, either, particularly if you’re hoping to scan office documents. All in all this is a fast and capable mono multifunction for the price.
-
Compact -
Very fast text printing -
Excellent document scan quality
-
Dark graphical prints and copies -
Expensive to run
Key Features
-
Review Price: £130 -
A three-in-one mono MFP
This multifunction peripheral can print, scan or copy. Its laser printer can only produce black and white prints, but you can scan in full colour. -
Network and convenience features
This MFP can connect to a wired or wireless home network. It can also print to both sides of every page, saving paper and producing professional-looking results.
Introduction
If you’re after luscious colour prints, look away now: the HP LaserJet M234dw is a mono laser multifunction peripheral (MFP), so it can only print in black and white. If that’s not a deal breaker, however, stay tuned: this compact device has many strengths.
As a three-in-one, the MF234dw can print, scan and make copies. That makes it ideal for light office work, or for rapid text printing for the home. While it’s quite well specified for the price, it’s missing an automatic document feeder (ADF), which means it can’t automatically make multi-page copies or scans. There’s no fax modem, either, although when was the last time you needed to send or receive one?
Design and Features
- Compact and smart
- Good features for the price
- Not so cheap to run
The HP LaserJet M234dw is aimed squarely at micro offices, and home workers who might also benefit from having a rapid mono printer in the house. It’s a compact design, significantly smaller and lighter than MFPs aimed at full-on office use, but it’s still bigger – and particularly it’s taller – than a typical inkjet multifunction.
Laser printers are never pretty, but there’s nothing much wrong with the way the M234dw looks. In the base there’s a simple 150-sheet paper tray that sticks out of the front – at least it has a dust cover to keep the paper stack clean.
Near the top of the printer body you’ll find a 100-sheet paper output. You’ll need to remember to extend this when printing and, like the input, it projects a bit from the front of the device.
This MFP’s final obvious feature is the scanner on top. Manufacturers often make a dog’s dinner of adding scanners to their mono laser printers, but this one’s nicely integrated – HP has even curved the edges of the control panel so it looks like it’s an extension of the scanner lid. Perhaps I’m obsessive, but this MFP has one of my favourite features: there’s no plastic lip along two sides of the scanner glass, so you can simply slide any original off without needing to scrabble around for an edge.
It’s a shame there’s no ADF here, but at this price there’s not much to complain about. The HP LaserJet M234dw supports both wired and wireless networks, so you can either plug it into a spare port on your router, or just connect it via Wi-Fi. It’s also great to have duplex (double-sided) printing: it saves paper, but it can also help make longer documents and print outs seem more professional.
As I mentioned, the printer only delivers black text or graphics, which also limits you to mono copies. The scanner works in full colour at up to 600 dots per inch (dpi) – plenty detailed enough for office and light creative jobs, but short of the 1,200 or 2,400dpi you might need for very detailed work.
HP likes to keep its laser devices simple: the LaserJet M234dw has just one consumable to worry about, combining toner with an imaging drum used to help create the page. The one that comes in the box is rated for around 700 pages, which is much more than you’d get on arrival from a standard cartridge-based inkjet. When it’s done you can replace it with a high-yield option rated for 2,400 pages, or the standard, 1,100-page item.
I always work out running costs based on high-yield consumables, as they invariably offer the best value. Here, the 2,400-page consumable works out at 2.9p per page, which is expensive, but not quite as outrageous as it might sound. Cheap printers nearly always cost more to run, and this MFP isn’t the worst. That said, the costs will mount up with heavy use, so this device is perhaps best for people who won’t print in huge volumes. If you’ll print a lot, consider a refillable inkjet like the Brother DCP-T580DW to keep the costs right down.
Print speed and quality
- Very fast text printing
- Great print and scan quality
- Photocopies and graphics prints a bit dark
HP rates this printer at 29 pages per minute (ppm), which is almost ridiculously fast at this price. Nevertheless, even fast mono lasers sometimes fall well short of their rated speeds on our tests, particularly on shorter documents where the time it takes my host PC to prepare and send the job has a proportionately bigger impact. Here, the result was nuanced – the M234dw was outstanding on some documents, while just swift on others.
Like other HP lasers, this is a fast starter – even if it had been sitting idle for some time before use it could wake up and deliver a first page of text within eight seconds of me clicking Print. Over five pages it reached just 16.7ppm, but it got up to 21.4ppm over 20 pages. I gave it a chance to stretch its legs on a 50-page document, which it flew through at 27.3ppm – that’s really impressive at this price.
As always, graphical prints were slower, but the HP LaserJet M234dw still managed a rapid 24.0ppm over 20 pages. It was also fairly quick when duplex printing, delivering a 20-side document on 10 pages in 100 seconds, a rate of 12.0 images (sides) per minute. A single mono photo took 21 seconds.
Laser printers typically excel at black text, and the M234dw is no exception; its prints were essentially perfect, even down to tiny five-point fonts. What they’re not so good at is graphics, and true to expectations this MFP struggled with certain subjects. It generally reproduced cartoons and illustrations quite well, but darker areas of an original tended to come out even darker, with a loss of detail. This was also a problem in photocopies, although these certainly weren’t bad – and they took only 11 seconds.
I’m not the biggest fan of HP’s scan interface, which manages to be both oversimplified and confusing at once, but you’d get used to it in regular use. This scanner can preview a document in 18 seconds and, if you’re working at 200 or 300dpi, there’s no need to rescan if you’re happy with what you see. At the maximum 600dpi there is a rescan once you’ve accepted the preview, but I timed it at a reasonable 35 seconds when scanning a 6×4″ (15x10cm) photo.
This MFP produced impressive everyday document scans, with excellent sharpness and exposure. I wasn’t expecting to be as impressed with scanned photos, which HP devices tend to sharpen, leaving them looking artificial and odd when you zoom in on the details. I’m delighted to report there was no such issue here. Photo scans were sharp, and true to the original, although the scanner couldn’t capture subtle differences in the very darkest shades.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want a good MFP and fast text
HP’s LaserJet M234dw prints fast black text, and it’s a quick scanner and copier too. It’s a good choice if you need basic office features or fast text printing in the home.
Don’t buy if you need colour, or high-volume
A mono-only printer won’t suit everyone. This MFP also has higher than ideal running costs, so with heavy use it could work out expensive.
Final Thoughts
I’m quite impressed with HP’s LaserJet Pro M234dw. It’s really fast for the money, and my test results were generally good. This MFP is small enough to fit on a desk, or possibly even a large shelf, and with just one consumable it should be reasonably easy to maintain and live with. I’m particularly happy that this MFP didn’t do anything weird to my photo scans, and that it’s easy to retrieve documents after scanning them without fumbling around, or accidentally bending a corner back.
My only real complaint is about those running costs – 2.9p per page would add up quickly, totalling nearly £35 per year if you print 100 pages a month. This is normally the point where I’d explain that you could reduce the costs by subscribing to HP’s Instant Ink service, but unfortunately the M234dw isn’t supported. That’s a shame, but this MFP is still a good choice if you’re set on a mono laser multifunction.
How We Test
FAQs
Welcome to printerspeak, a strange language in which ‘D’ almost always means a printer has duplex (double-sided) print capability. ‘W’ usually means wireless networking, while ‘N’ means a wired connection. If you see an ‘F’ it typically means fax.
Some manufacturers go further; Brother, for example, uses ‘J’ for its inkjets, ‘L’ for lasers, and ‘T’ for a refillable ink tank device. It’s always best to double-check you’re getting what you expect, though.
No, they’re here for the long run. HP has dropped the e-series of printers, which required an always-on internet connection, in response to consumer backlash.
Test Data
| HP LaserJet M234dw | |
|---|---|
| Energy consumption | 477 Watts |
| Printing A4 mono speed (single page) | 9 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (5 pages) | 18 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (20 pages) | 56 sec |
| Scanning speed test (single page) | 18 sec |
Full Specs
| HP LaserJet M234dw Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £130 |
| USA RRP | $209 |
| EU RRP | €178 |
| CA RRP | CA$260 |
| AUD RRP | Unavailable |
| Manufacturer | HP |
| Quiet Mark Accredited | No |
| Size (Dimensions) | 368 x 299 x 242 MM |
| Weight | 7.6 KG |
| ASIN | B08XNJ23VY |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 11/12/2025 |
| Model Number | 6GW99F#B19 |
| Ports | Gigabit Ethernet, USB |
| Connectivity | 802.11b/g/n (dual band) |
| Ink Cartridge support | HP 135A Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge (1,100 pages), OR HP 135X Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge (2,400 pages) |
| Printer Type | Monochrome |
| Scanner? | Yes |
| Ink Type | Cartridge |
Verdict
The HP LaserJet M234dw is small, smart and has most of the home basics covered. It’s easy to use, and surprisingly quick – especially when churning out page after page of black text. The results aren’t bad, either, particularly if you’re hoping to scan office documents. All in all this is a fast and capable mono multifunction for the price.
-
Compact -
Very fast text printing -
Excellent document scan quality
-
Dark graphical prints and copies -
Expensive to run
Key Features
-
Review Price: £130 -
A three-in-one mono MFP
This multifunction peripheral can print, scan or copy. Its laser printer can only produce black and white prints, but you can scan in full colour. -
Network and convenience features
This MFP can connect to a wired or wireless home network. It can also print to both sides of every page, saving paper and producing professional-looking results.
Introduction
If you’re after luscious colour prints, look away now: the HP LaserJet M234dw is a mono laser multifunction peripheral (MFP), so it can only print in black and white. If that’s not a deal breaker, however, stay tuned: this compact device has many strengths.
As a three-in-one, the MF234dw can print, scan and make copies. That makes it ideal for light office work, or for rapid text printing for the home. While it’s quite well specified for the price, it’s missing an automatic document feeder (ADF), which means it can’t automatically make multi-page copies or scans. There’s no fax modem, either, although when was the last time you needed to send or receive one?
Design and Features
- Compact and smart
- Good features for the price
- Not so cheap to run
The HP LaserJet M234dw is aimed squarely at micro offices, and home workers who might also benefit from having a rapid mono printer in the house. It’s a compact design, significantly smaller and lighter than MFPs aimed at full-on office use, but it’s still bigger – and particularly it’s taller – than a typical inkjet multifunction.
Laser printers are never pretty, but there’s nothing much wrong with the way the M234dw looks. In the base there’s a simple 150-sheet paper tray that sticks out of the front – at least it has a dust cover to keep the paper stack clean.
Near the top of the printer body you’ll find a 100-sheet paper output. You’ll need to remember to extend this when printing and, like the input, it projects a bit from the front of the device.
This MFP’s final obvious feature is the scanner on top. Manufacturers often make a dog’s dinner of adding scanners to their mono laser printers, but this one’s nicely integrated – HP has even curved the edges of the control panel so it looks like it’s an extension of the scanner lid. Perhaps I’m obsessive, but this MFP has one of my favourite features: there’s no plastic lip along two sides of the scanner glass, so you can simply slide any original off without needing to scrabble around for an edge.
It’s a shame there’s no ADF here, but at this price there’s not much to complain about. The HP LaserJet M234dw supports both wired and wireless networks, so you can either plug it into a spare port on your router, or just connect it via Wi-Fi. It’s also great to have duplex (double-sided) printing: it saves paper, but it can also help make longer documents and print outs seem more professional.
As I mentioned, the printer only delivers black text or graphics, which also limits you to mono copies. The scanner works in full colour at up to 600 dots per inch (dpi) – plenty detailed enough for office and light creative jobs, but short of the 1,200 or 2,400dpi you might need for very detailed work.
HP likes to keep its laser devices simple: the LaserJet M234dw has just one consumable to worry about, combining toner with an imaging drum used to help create the page. The one that comes in the box is rated for around 700 pages, which is much more than you’d get on arrival from a standard cartridge-based inkjet. When it’s done you can replace it with a high-yield option rated for 2,400 pages, or the standard, 1,100-page item.
I always work out running costs based on high-yield consumables, as they invariably offer the best value. Here, the 2,400-page consumable works out at 2.9p per page, which is expensive, but not quite as outrageous as it might sound. Cheap printers nearly always cost more to run, and this MFP isn’t the worst. That said, the costs will mount up with heavy use, so this device is perhaps best for people who won’t print in huge volumes. If you’ll print a lot, consider a refillable inkjet like the Brother DCP-T580DW to keep the costs right down.
Print speed and quality
- Very fast text printing
- Great print and scan quality
- Photocopies and graphics prints a bit dark
HP rates this printer at 29 pages per minute (ppm), which is almost ridiculously fast at this price. Nevertheless, even fast mono lasers sometimes fall well short of their rated speeds on our tests, particularly on shorter documents where the time it takes my host PC to prepare and send the job has a proportionately bigger impact. Here, the result was nuanced – the M234dw was outstanding on some documents, while just swift on others.
Like other HP lasers, this is a fast starter – even if it had been sitting idle for some time before use it could wake up and deliver a first page of text within eight seconds of me clicking Print. Over five pages it reached just 16.7ppm, but it got up to 21.4ppm over 20 pages. I gave it a chance to stretch its legs on a 50-page document, which it flew through at 27.3ppm – that’s really impressive at this price.
As always, graphical prints were slower, but the HP LaserJet M234dw still managed a rapid 24.0ppm over 20 pages. It was also fairly quick when duplex printing, delivering a 20-side document on 10 pages in 100 seconds, a rate of 12.0 images (sides) per minute. A single mono photo took 21 seconds.
Laser printers typically excel at black text, and the M234dw is no exception; its prints were essentially perfect, even down to tiny five-point fonts. What they’re not so good at is graphics, and true to expectations this MFP struggled with certain subjects. It generally reproduced cartoons and illustrations quite well, but darker areas of an original tended to come out even darker, with a loss of detail. This was also a problem in photocopies, although these certainly weren’t bad – and they took only 11 seconds.
I’m not the biggest fan of HP’s scan interface, which manages to be both oversimplified and confusing at once, but you’d get used to it in regular use. This scanner can preview a document in 18 seconds and, if you’re working at 200 or 300dpi, there’s no need to rescan if you’re happy with what you see. At the maximum 600dpi there is a rescan once you’ve accepted the preview, but I timed it at a reasonable 35 seconds when scanning a 6×4″ (15x10cm) photo.
This MFP produced impressive everyday document scans, with excellent sharpness and exposure. I wasn’t expecting to be as impressed with scanned photos, which HP devices tend to sharpen, leaving them looking artificial and odd when you zoom in on the details. I’m delighted to report there was no such issue here. Photo scans were sharp, and true to the original, although the scanner couldn’t capture subtle differences in the very darkest shades.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want a good MFP and fast text
HP’s LaserJet M234dw prints fast black text, and it’s a quick scanner and copier too. It’s a good choice if you need basic office features or fast text printing in the home.
Don’t buy if you need colour, or high-volume
A mono-only printer won’t suit everyone. This MFP also has higher than ideal running costs, so with heavy use it could work out expensive.
Final Thoughts
I’m quite impressed with HP’s LaserJet Pro M234dw. It’s really fast for the money, and my test results were generally good. This MFP is small enough to fit on a desk, or possibly even a large shelf, and with just one consumable it should be reasonably easy to maintain and live with. I’m particularly happy that this MFP didn’t do anything weird to my photo scans, and that it’s easy to retrieve documents after scanning them without fumbling around, or accidentally bending a corner back.
My only real complaint is about those running costs – 2.9p per page would add up quickly, totalling nearly £35 per year if you print 100 pages a month. This is normally the point where I’d explain that you could reduce the costs by subscribing to HP’s Instant Ink service, but unfortunately the M234dw isn’t supported. That’s a shame, but this MFP is still a good choice if you’re set on a mono laser multifunction.
How We Test
FAQs
Welcome to printerspeak, a strange language in which ‘D’ almost always means a printer has duplex (double-sided) print capability. ‘W’ usually means wireless networking, while ‘N’ means a wired connection. If you see an ‘F’ it typically means fax.
Some manufacturers go further; Brother, for example, uses ‘J’ for its inkjets, ‘L’ for lasers, and ‘T’ for a refillable ink tank device. It’s always best to double-check you’re getting what you expect, though.
No, they’re here for the long run. HP has dropped the e-series of printers, which required an always-on internet connection, in response to consumer backlash.
Test Data
| HP LaserJet M234dw | |
|---|---|
| Energy consumption | 477 Watts |
| Printing A4 mono speed (single page) | 9 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (5 pages) | 18 sec |
| Printing A4 mono speed (20 pages) | 56 sec |
| Scanning speed test (single page) | 18 sec |
Full Specs
| HP LaserJet M234dw Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £130 |
| USA RRP | $209 |
| EU RRP | €178 |
| CA RRP | CA$260 |
| AUD RRP | Unavailable |
| Manufacturer | HP |
| Quiet Mark Accredited | No |
| Size (Dimensions) | 368 x 299 x 242 MM |
| Weight | 7.6 KG |
| ASIN | B08XNJ23VY |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 11/12/2025 |
| Model Number | 6GW99F#B19 |
| Ports | Gigabit Ethernet, USB |
| Connectivity | 802.11b/g/n (dual band) |
| Ink Cartridge support | HP 135A Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge (1,100 pages), OR HP 135X Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge (2,400 pages) |
| Printer Type | Monochrome |
| Scanner? | Yes |
| Ink Type | Cartridge |
