Your needs, this model
Does it fit your priorities?
Can the earlier 4000N print Legal pages over its included wired network with 600 ordinary sheets?
Qualifies with earlier references enabled and a compatible 10Base-T network and driver. Tray 1 holds 100 and the exact lower tray 500 ordinary Legal sheets.
Explore this need in the finder →Does the N suffix include automatic two-sided printing?
Fails automatic duplex in the included configuration. HP identifies the C4123A duplex assembly as an optional accessory.
Explore this need in the finder →Can a USB cable use its parallel or serial port directly?
Fails the USB requirement. The included interfaces are the documented JetDirect network, parallel and RS-232; no USB host connection is established.
Explore this need in the finder →A network printer for a deliberately maintained older setup
The HP LaserJet 4000N fits a prepared wired workgroup producing ordinary monochrome documents. Its original network card and 500-sheet lower tray make more sense when several compatible computers share one paper stock. The deciding limitation is its period hardware: the original Ethernet connection is 10Base-T, USB is not included, and automatic two-sided printing requires a separate duplex assembly.
HP's exact US product record identifies C4120A and explicitly marks the model discontinued. This review concerns the documented US low-voltage configuration, not a current-stock offer. The inherited #ABA suffix has not been independently crosswalked, so it is not presented as a verified retail option code. The original electrical table specifies a 100–127-volt, 50–60-Hz edition separately from the 220–240-volt version. Check the actual unit's rating plate.
Use the original included network arrangement
The exact N configuration includes 8 MB RAM and an HP JetDirect print server. HP's original technical data identifies Ethernet 10Base-T through RJ-45, 10Base2 through BNC, and LocalTalk. The original getting-started guide directs a twisted-pair network cable to the RJ-45 port and allows only one Ethernet cabling connection at a time. This is not a claim of included Fast Ethernet, gigabit networking or wireless.
Set up a compatible network and an actually supported computer driver. The machine also has parallel and RS-232 serial interfaces, but neither is USB. PCL 6, PCL 5e and PostScript Level 2 emulation provide period printing languages; a historic Windows or Macintosh list does not establish present operating-system support.
No AirPrint, Mopria or PIN-held release arrangement is established here. The hardware is monochrome print-only: it has no document scanner, flatbed, feeder, copier or fax. JetSend communication does not turn the printer into a document-capture device.
One large lower tray and a useful multipurpose input
The included inputs total 600 ordinary sheets: a genuine 100-sheet Tray 1 and one 500-sheet lower tray. The original tables explicitly support Letter, Legal and A4 in the lower tray and the multipurpose size range. Capacity is based on ordinary 20-lb/75-g/m² paper and varies with thickness and conditions.
For ordinary preprinted stock, Tray 1 takes the print face up with the top short edge toward the printer. The lower tray takes the print face down with the top toward the user. Adjust the actual guides and select the matching paper size and type in the compatible software. The two-input arrangement can keep the large main stack intact while feeding a different suitable stock from the front.
Envelopes use Tray 1, with up to ten supported envelopes rather than 600. Open and extend the rear output bin, leave the Tray 1 extension unextended for this routine, and load the print face up with the postage end entering toward the printer. Adjust the guides and job settings. The separate 75-envelope power feeder is an optional accessory.
Check the duplex accessory before promising unattended jobs
The original C4123A automatic duplex assembly is optional for the 4000N. A two-sided setting or a seller's general series description does not establish that the particular machine includes it. The included configuration therefore fails an automatic-duplex requirement.
HP declares up to 17 one-sided Letter pages per minute and separately 16 A4. These are maker ratings, not measurements here. The original technical data gives a 65,000-page maximum monthly duty, while a recommended monthly range remains unconfirmed. That maximum is not treated as a routine monthly workload recommendation.
Supplies and installation checks still matter
The original ordering table identifies C4127A at approximately 6,000 pages and C4127X at approximately 10,000. The historical life description uses 5% coverage on Letter/A4, density three and EconoMode disabled. It is not rewritten as an established ISO yield, and it does not promise the toner currently installed in an individual discontinued printer.
Original sources agree on a 15.4-inch width, but other body and weight presentations conflict, so strict depth, height and weight limits remain unconfirmed. Allow rear-output, loading, cable and cartridge access. Choose the 4000N for a verified compatible wired installation; essential USB, wireless, scanning or included automatic duplex calls for different documented hardware.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | No |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Maximum monthly duty | 65000 pages |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 600 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 17 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 15.4 in |
| 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
HP explicitly rates the 4000 series at up to 17 one-sided Letter ppm, separately 16 A4. These are maker figures, not measurements or duplex speed. Original HP technical data 5966-4742EUC declares a 65,000-page maximum monthly duty. A recommended monthly range is unconfirmed; the maximum is not substituted for recommendation.
Paper handling
Exact 4000N includes 100-sheet Tray 1 plus one 500-sheet lower tray, total 600 ordinary 20-lb/75-g/m² sheets. Original exact lower-tray Letter/Legal/A4 rows and Tray 1 range support those sizes at 600 combined. Ordinary Tray 1 face up/top short edge toward printer; lower tray face down/top toward user. Envelopes use Tray 1 up to ten, face up/postage end toward printer, front extension unextended, rear output open and extended. Optional extra 500-sheet feeder and 75-envelope feeder excluded. C4123A automatic duplex assembly is optional and excluded.
Scanning arrangement
Original monochrome print-only hardware has no document scanner, flatbed, feeder, copier or fax. JetSend device communication does not give this printer a physical document scanner.
Computer and mobile connections
Exact 4000N includes JetDirect 600N Ethernet 10Base-T RJ-45, 10Base2 BNC and LocalTalk, independently documented in original N setup and exact N brochure paragraph. Only one Ethernet cabling connection at a time. A compatible network/driver is required; no included Fast Ethernet, gigabit, USB or Wi-Fi promise. Parallel/RS-232 also included, separate from USB.
Supplies and declared yields
Original ordering table identifies C4127A at approximately 6,000 and C4127X at approximately 10,000 pages. The user guide describes historical life on Letter/A4 at 5% coverage, density three and EconoMode disabled. These are maker declarations, not an ISO test established here or a remaining-toner guarantee. The historical original package claim does not establish the cartridge now fitted to a discontinued unit. No current price or cost per page.
Software and support
Original PCL 6, PCL 5e and PostScript Level 2 emulation depend on a correctly installed compatible driver. Period Windows, Macintosh and network lists do not guarantee a current operating system. C4123A automatic duplex assembly is an optional purchase, not included; optional hard-disk or control-panel features do not establish included PIN-held document release. AirPrint and Mopria remain unconfirmed.
Electrical edition and setup
Exact US model identity plus original documented 100–127-V 50–60-Hz configuration, separate from the 220–240-V regional edition. Verify the individual rating plate; no universal-voltage or unverified option-code promise. Original guide and HP brochure agree on 15.4-inch width. Height labels contain inconsistent inch/cm conversions, and depth/weight presentations differ between original editions, so strict depth, height and weight remain unknown. Allow front loading, rear output, cables and cartridge access beyond closed body dimensions.
Sources for this assessment
- HP original LaserJet 4000 series User Guide, C4118-91060 First Edition October 1997
- HP-authored LaserJet 4000 series Technical Data, 5966-4742EUC, USA March 1998, distributor-preserved original
- HP US exact LaserJet 4000N C4120A identity and discontinued notice
- HP original LaserJet 4000 and 4000N Getting Started Guide, C4118-91135, February 1998
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