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Can the basic US 4600 print color Legal documents from its included 600-sheet inputs?
Qualifies with earlier references enabled and the connection choice left flexible, provided a compatible legacy parallel computer, actual IEEE-1284 C-connector cable and usable driver are available. Both included trays must contain ordinary Legal stock for the full 600-sheet selected-size reserve.
Explore this need in the finder →Can I use its included setup with a USB computer connection?
Fails the USB requirement. The reviewed base arrangement is legacy parallel; no USB converter is assumed, and the optional network card does not establish included USB or Ethernet.
Explore this need in the finder →Does the base 4600 include automatic double-sided printing and PIN-protected job release?
Fails both requirements. The basic configuration requires manual two-sided handling, and the original requires a separately installed hard disk plus configured driver for private job retention. Those higher-configuration or optional features are excluded.
Explore this need in the finder →A color laser for a compatible parallel-port computer
The basic HP Color LaserJet 4600 is a four-color laser printer with a substantial included paper supply and a legacy parallel computer interface. It is a printing device, without a scanner, copier or fax. Its suitability depends first on the actual computer connection and compatible driver, not simply on finding a cartridge that fits.
HP's exact US listing identifies C9660A#ABA and marks it discontinued. This review covers the documented US low-voltage configuration: the original manual specifies 100–127 V at 50/60 Hz for that edition, separately from 220–240-V models. Inspect the actual plate and condition; the guide does not support converting operating voltage.
Read the basic configuration separately from its siblings
The basic 4600 includes a 100-sheet multipurpose Tray 1 and a 500-sheet Tray 2, with 96 MB of RAM. The additional 500-sheet Tray 3 is optional. The dtn includes more paper handling and memory; the hdn adds a hard disk. Those suffixes are separate configurations.
Automatic duplex printing is not included on the basic model. The original names it in higher configurations, including its Europe-only 4600n description and the dn/dtn/hdn family. That unusual regional naming is a reason to inspect the full identity rather than infer features from a familiar suffix alone.
The guide's broad introductory statement about network ports should be read alongside its specific connectivity table: the EIO network card is optional for the base, standard on the listed network-equipped siblings. An expansion slot is not an included Ethernet connection. Likewise, the FIR connector is not a supplied infrared receiver; the pod is an accessory.
Make the parallel connection concrete before buying
The documented computer path uses an IEEE-1284-compliant bidirectional parallel cable with a C connector at the printer. The original permits up to ten meters of cable and describes driver-supported two-way status communication. The host computer must provide an appropriate compatible parallel arrangement and usable print driver.
No USB-to-parallel converter is assumed in this review. A USB requirement does not match the included setup, nor does an Ethernet requirement without the additional network hardware. The buying finder can show this earlier printer when the connection choice remains flexible, but its recommendation explicitly requires the legacy parallel computer and cable.
The original supports PCL 6, PCL 5c and PostScript 3 emulation. Check the actual current computer and application, including page orientation, color options and manual feed. The 2002 documentation describes capabilities; it is not a guarantee that a present-day operating system has a working installation.
Use the included 600 sheets for the size actually loaded
Letter, Legal and A4 are explicitly supported in both included print inputs. Each selected size can therefore use the full 600 ordinary sheets when both trays contain that stock. Splitting one tray for forms or envelopes divides the reserve. The 250-sheet face-down output is a separate limit, so a full input load does not mean an equally large unattended output stack.
The ordinary capacity basis is 75-g/m² paper: 100 sheets in Tray 1 and 500 in Tray 2. Tray 1 accepts a wider ordinary-media weight range than Tray 2. Glossy-paper stack limits differ, and thicker media should not inherit ordinary-sheet counts.
Tray 1 loads printable face down with guides lightly touching the stack, below the tabs and load indicators. For Tray 2, adjust the rear guide, press the lift plate down until it locks, set the width guides and load face up beneath the front corner tabs. Do not open or replenish trays during printing.
Configure actual size and type under Paper Handling, and match the job in the driver. Tray 1 set to Size ANY and Type ANY behaves differently from a tray assigned a particular stock. For an occasional envelope, select its actual size and use Tray 1; the original allows up to 20 suitable envelopes, face down with the postage end entering toward the printer. Envelopes with windows, clasps, exposed adhesive or damage are excluded.
Two-sided work needs deliberate manual sequencing
The manual's procedure for models without automatic duplex starts by printing even-numbered pages. If the document has an odd page count, add a blank sheet at the bottom of the output stack. Then select Manual Feed and Manually Print on 2nd Side, request the odd pages and wait for MANUALLY FEED before loading Tray 1.
Previously printed sides face up. For portrait book binding, the top edge enters first; portrait calendar binding uses the bottom edge first. Landscape bindings have their own left/right orientation. Follow the actual binding instructions and compatible driver rather than applying another generation's automatic-duplex routine.
Storage and supplies need their own checks
Real private PIN jobs exist in this printer family, but the original explicitly requires an installed hard disk and properly configured driver for job retention. The basic reviewed configuration does not include that disk, so it does not qualify for included PIN release. A generic PIN feature in the family list does not remove the hardware prerequisite.
Original supply numbers are C9720A black, C9721A cyan, C9722A yellow and C9723A magenta. The image transfer kit and voltage-specific fuser kits are separate service supplies. Inspect their condition and status alongside the cartridges; nominal cartridge examples do not establish installed remainder or real-document cost.
HP rates the engine at up to 17 one-sided Letter ppm, separately 16 on A4. A recommended monthly range was not established in the reviewed exact sections and remains unknown. Published basic-body dimensions are about 17.97 inches wide, 18.91 deep and 22.30 high, around 80.03 lb with supplies. Allow additional tray, cover, cable and service access, and verify that the actual unit has not been changed into a different configuration.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | Yes |
|---|---|
| Scanner | No |
| Copying | No |
| Fax | No |
| Flatbed scanner | No |
| Automatic document feeder | No |
| Automatic two-sided printing | No |
| Automatic two-sided scanning | No |
| Single-pass two-sided scanning | No |
| Color scanning | No |
| Instructed envelope handling | Yes |
| Supported PIN-release printing | No |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 600 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 17 pages/min |
| Declared one-sided color Letter rate | 17 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 17.97 in |
| Unit-body depth | 18.91 in |
| Unit-body height | 22.3 in |
| Unit weight | 80.03 lb |
| Imaging engine | laser |
Use the exact model’s instructions for operating limits, supplied equipment and version differences.
Paper, software and setup details
Print-rate conditions
Actual English original base configuration declares four-color laser output at up to 17 one-sided Letter ppm and separately 16 A4 ppm. No measured result or inferred duplex ipm. Recommended monthly range and maximum duty were not established in the reviewed exact original sections; community lifetime calculations and unrelated model recommendations are excluded.
Paper handling
The included 100-sheet Tray 1 and 500-sheet Tray 2 total 600 ordinary sheets at the original 75-g/m² basis. Actual standard-size rows confirm Letter, Legal and A4 in both, so selected-size capacity assumes both hold that stock. Optional Tray 3 is excluded; output capacity is separately 250. Tray 1 ordinary range is 60–163 g/m² versus Tray 2 60–105 g/m²; glossy limits differ. Tray 1 loads printable face down with lightly touching guides and below tabs/load marks. Tray 2 uses the rear length guide, locked lift plate and width guides, with printable sides up beneath front corner tabs. Do not replenish during printing. Match driver size/type and panel Paper Handling; Tray 1 ANY/ANY differs from a stock-specific configuration. Suitable envelopes use only Tray 1, up to 20 at no more than 105 g/m², face down/postage end toward the printer, excluding windows, clasps, exposed adhesive and damaged stock. Manual two-sided work prints evens first, adds a bottom blank for an odd-page document, selects Manual Feed and Manually Print on 2nd Side, then prints odds. On MANUALLY FEED, reload printed sides up in Tray 1: portrait book top first, portrait calendar bottom first, with separate landscape directions. No automatic duplex included.
Scanning arrangement
Print-only basic color laser. No scanner, flatbed, document feeder, copy or fax hardware is established; printer output/print media trays are not scanner routes. No scan operating plan.
Computer and mobile connections
The included computer route is legacy IEEE-1284 bidirectional parallel, requiring a compatible host parallel arrangement, actual C-connector printer cable and suitable driver. The original permits up to ten meters of cable. Its first configuration paragraph broadly mentions parallel/network ports, but the specific feature table makes the EIO network card optional on the base and standard on listed network-equipped siblings. EIO slots are not included Ethernet, and the FIR connector is not the optional C4103A receiver pod. No USB computer port or USB converter is invented. The named connection array is intentionally empty for this actual parallel plan; only a flexible connection selection can use it. Selected USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Direct requirements fail. No mobile or accessory-only route is included.
Supplies and declared yields
The original establishes C9720A black, C9721A cyan, C9722A yellow and C9723A magenta. Image transfer kit C9724A and fusers C9725A for 110 V or C9726A for 220 V are separate service items; match actual voltage. A generic original example averages 8,000 pages at five-percent coverage without distinguishing every cartridge. It is not promoted as exact black/per-color yield or an ISO result. No prices, installed remainder or guaranteed real-document counts. The original authenticates cartridges, discourages non-HP supplies and limits warranty for damage they cause; no later HP+ lifetime policy is borrowed. No invented authentication-message bypass procedure.
Software and support
The original supports PCL 6, PCL 5c and PostScript 3 emulation; verify a compatible usable driver on the actual present-day computer. The period documentation is not a current OS guarantee. The job-retention section explicitly requires an installed hard disk and correctly configured driver. The basic model disk is optional, so included PIN printing is false despite the family feature summary. Optional-disk Private Job/four-digit PIN and named-job retrieval procedures explain an upgrade prerequisite, not standard included capability. PIN release is not borrowed from hdn or RAM alone. Actual manual two-sided sequencing and binding directions are retained. AirPrint and Mopria remain unknown.
Electrical edition and setup
Exact US C9660A#ABA is explicitly discontinued and requires earlier-reference opt-in. Original low-voltage column specifies 100–127 V at 50/60 Hz, distinct from 220–240 V; inspect the plate and do not convert voltage. The basic 456×480×566-mm body corresponds to 17.97 W×18.91 D×22.30 H inches, approximately 36.3 kg/80.03 lb with supplies. Optional Tray 3 increases height and weight and is not included. Inspect actual condition, EIO card, disk, duplex and feeder accessories plus the compatible parallel host. Allow trays, covers, cables and service access. No stock, tested reliability or seller-condition guarantee.
Sources for this assessment
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