HP Color LaserJet CP3525dn: wired color duplex and temporary PIN jobs review

A wired color printer with real automatic duplex

The HP Color LaserJet CP3525dn is an earlier print-only laser for shared color documents, automatic two-sided printing and compatible computer drivers. It has neither scanner nor copier nor fax. Its network and duplex hardware are included in the exact dn configuration, while the extra lower paper tray and hard disk remain options.

HP's US page identifies CC470A#ABA and explicitly marks it discontinued. This review covers its documented 115–127-V, 60-Hz US configuration. Separate 220–240-V editions have different electrical requirements. Check the actual plate, mechanical condition, installed accessories and usable driver before choosing an earlier unit.

Count paper by size and included tray

The standard inputs are a 100-sheet multipurpose Tray 1 and a 250-sheet Tray 2. Letter and A4 fit both, giving 350 ordinary selected-size sheets when both hold that stock. Legal fits Tray 1 but not Tray 2, so its included reserve is only 100 sheets. The separate top output holds 250 sheets.

The optional 500-sheet Tray 3 expands the physical configuration to 850 sheets. It is supplied with the different CP3525x configuration, not the dn reviewed here. The postcard insert also belongs to an additional arrangement. Do not use an x photograph or maximum expansion figure to judge the included dn reserve.

Tray 2's ordinary capacity is specified at 75 g/m²; heavier stock reduces the sheet count. For ordinary Tray 1 loading, open the support, place paper face down with its short top edge entering first and stay below the tabs and fill indicators. In Tray 2, adjust length and width guides, load face up and keep the stack below its limit. Guides should touch without bending the paper.

Use Paper Handling to set the actual type and size. A tray configured for forms can be protected from ordinary jobs by choosing Type and Size in the driver. Tray 1 set to ANY SIZE and ANY TYPE instead behaves like a first-choice input. Its automatic sensing distinguishes transparency from non-transparency; it is not an automatic identification system for every paper grade.

Give duplex forms their correct orientation

Automatic duplex supports ordinary Letter, Legal and A4 in the reviewed original tables. Select Print on both sides under Windows Finishing, or the appropriate Two-Sided binding in the original Mac driver. Confirm that the driver recognizes the installed duplexer and that size and media settings match the loaded stock.

Preprinted portrait forms need the detailed loading table. With Alternative Letterhead Mode off, automatic duplex forms go face up and bottom first in Tray 1, but face down with the top edge at the left in Tray 2. Turning that mode on changes the one-sided loading routine. A generic face-up or face-down rule is insufficient for every form and binding.

Suitable envelopes use Tray 1, up to ten, face down. The exact edge position depends on long-edge or short-edge feed, so follow the envelope orientation diagram and select its actual size. Labels and postcards also stay out of Tray 2. Special stock should use a matching paper type rather than inheriting plain-paper settings.

Personal PIN jobs differ from permanent disk storage

The original supports a genuine temporary Personal Job with PIN release. In Windows Job Storage, choose Personal Job, select PIN to print and enter a four-digit number. At the panel, open Retrieve Job, choose the user and job, select the available print action, enter the PIN and set copies. The original Mac Job Storage routine also provides PIN entry for Personal Job.

Quick Copy and permanently Stored Job modes explicitly require the optional hard disk in this manual. That condition is not attached to its Personal Job procedure. The original also documents a RAM disk when no hard disk is installed, and the dn includes 384 MB of RAM. The reviewed included PIN route therefore uses the actual Personal Job feature, without claiming an included hard disk.

Turning off removes Personal, Proof and Hold and Quick Copy jobs. Reusing a user/job name may overwrite a previous job, and storage pressure can remove older work. Select and inspect the available PRINT or PRINT AND DELETE action rather than assuming a universal deletion rule. Confirm compatible driver features on the intended current computer.

Choose computer USB or the actual Ethernet network

The dn includes USB 2.0 computer printing and an activated Ethernet interface. For a shared setup, use the actual network cable, identify the printer by its configuration-page address and configure the matching queue. The embedded web server provides network settings; it is not a scan application. Direct USB uses a separately purchased cable.

Wireless networking requires additional hardware and is excluded from the included recommendation. AirPrint and Mopria were not established in this reading. Bonjour-compatible discovery in an old network-protocol table does not prove either mobile service. The third-party host connection and EIO expansion slot are also distinct from the ordinary computer USB port.

Inspect toner, waste collection and desktop space

HP recommends 1,500–5,000 monthly pages, separately from the 75,000-page maximum duty. The engine is rated up to 30 one-sided Letter ppm in black or color, separately 30 on A4. These are maker declarations, not measured results or duplex image rates.

Replacement supplies are CE250A or CE250X black, CE251A cyan, CE252A yellow and CE253A magenta. Published ISO/IEC 19798 replacement averages are 5,000 or 10,500 black pages and 7,000 per color. The original introductory set is separately declared around 3,000 black and color pages; neither figure establishes the toner remaining in an earlier unit.

The CE254A toner collection unit is single use: replace it when prompted rather than emptying it for reuse. The body is about 20.2 inches wide, 19.3 deep and 14.1 high, weighing 72.5 lb with cartridges. Fully opened doors and trays need roughly 32.4 inches of width and 29.1 of depth. Check those working clearances alongside cable and service access.