HP M177fw: earlier color multifunction with a simplex document feeder review

Color and fax for a light office workload

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M177fw combines color printing, a flatbed, a 35-sheet document feeder and analog fax. It fits a compatible light-use office that needs these functions in one machine and can accept manual second-side work. The deciding limitation is that neither automatic print duplex nor automatic two-sided feeder scanning is included.

HP's exact US CZ165A#BGJ reference is explicitly discontinued. Check the actual machine, supplies, electrical plate and usable software before assigning it regular work. This review describes a documented earlier configuration, without claiming present stock, measured reliability or an automatic upgrade to current operating-system support.

Use the feeder for longer originals and the glass for smaller ones

The simplex feeder supports originals up to 8.5 by 14 inches, so Legal capture has a documented route. The flatbed is Letter/A4-sized. That distinction matters for a contract: a printer accepting Legal output paper does not imply that a Legal original fits on its glass.

Compatible HP Scan, TWAIN or WIA software provides computer capture. The original HP Scan routine saves an image to a file or sends it to an application. For feeder batches, confirm the selected source and resulting page order in the installed software before making it a routine job.

Two-sided originals need human handling because HP explicitly lists no duplex feeder scanning. Color capture is supported, but scan images per minute are separate from printed pages per minute. Choose a documented duplex scanner if turning and checking every original is an unacceptable part of the workflow.

Three desktop connections and a separate mobile route

The included USB, Ethernet and infrastructure Wi-Fi routes serve compatible full desktop software. The original connection-reconfiguration procedure changes between USB and wired or wireless networking. Check both a print job and a saved scan; printer discovery alone is not evidence that the full multifunction installation works.

AirPrint is documented as print-only on the same wireless network as the Apple device. Mopria is also positively listed, subject to the stated firmware condition. Those mobile printing functions do not provide the desktop application's scanner controls, and are represented separately in the finder.

The manual's legacy Wireless Direct function is kept distinct from standard Wi-Fi Direct. Likewise, historical ePrint references do not guarantee that an old cloud service remains available. For fax, connect an appropriate analog phone line and configure the time, date and header. Ethernet is not the fax telephone connection.

A single paper input and manually turned reports

The detailed specifications and original hardware describe one 150-sheet input. A contradictory storefront bullet mentioning two paper trays is not treated as an extra included paper source. Letter, Legal and A4 printing are documented, while a separate full-stack capacity for each exact size remains unconfirmed here.

For printed second sides, the driver-assisted routine prints a first-side stack and asks the user to reload it. Allow time to handle and check that stack. If shared unattended reports must emerge automatically duplexed, compare a model with the required hardware included.

Envelopes have a one-sided loading and media-selection routine of their own. Match the driver setting and physical orientation instead of treating every item in the input as ordinary office paper. The feeder for originals and the input for blank printing stock perform different jobs.

Separate the color rate from the black rate

HP declares up to 17 Letter pages per minute in black and 4 in color, with a separate 16 ppm black A4 figure. Color-heavy batches therefore deserve their own planning. These are maker declarations rather than timings measured for this assessment.

The recommended monthly range is 250 to 950 pages; the 20,000-page duty maximum is not a sustained workload recommendation. Introductory toner has a lower declared yield than replacement cartridges, and the imaging drum is a separate consumable. Check all those supplies rather than judging ownership from one toner count.

Allow operating space beyond the published 16.7-by16.7-by13-inch body. Choose the M177fw for occasional color, simplex capture and fax with verified local software. Automatic two-sided output or capture calls for a different documented configuration.