HP LaserJet Pro 400 M401dne: wired duplex with a two-line display review

The HP LaserJet Pro 400 M401dne is an earlier monochrome printer for shared wired documents with automatic two-sided output. Its useful standard configuration is simple: USB, Gigabit Ethernet, a two-line display and 300 sheets of included input. It does not include Wi-Fi, a scanner or the optional extra paper feeder.

The exact US product number is CF399A#BGJ, and HP marks it discontinued. Keep the e suffix in the comparison: this is its own listed configuration, not permission to substitute a neighboring M401dn’s touchscreen, flash-drive facility or dimensions. This review interprets the manufacturer’s documents without claiming hands-on measurements.

Wired printing with network mobile options

The exact technical section lists a USB 2.0 device connection and 10/100/1000T Ethernet. USB supports direct computer printing. Ethernet provides the documented shared network route. Neither is a built-in Wi-Fi connection, and the wireless-capability field explicitly says none.

The current exact HP page also names Apple AirPrint and Mopria-certified printing. These can be part of the supported network arrangement: the printer can remain connected by Ethernet while the phone or tablet reaches the same suitable network through its wireless access point. That does not make the printer itself wireless. The AirPrint guide includes a possible firmware-upgrade qualification, so check the actual unit and network before relying on that route.

The published operating-system list covers older Windows and Mac generations. It is a historical software description rather than a promise of effortless support on a new computer. Confirm the exact driver and firmware first. Old HP ePrint or web-service marketing should likewise be checked against the applicable current service before it drives a purchase.

Automatic duplex for ordinary paper sizes

HP explicitly lists an automatic duplexer as standard on the M401dne. The family’s original supported-paper table lists Letter, Legal and A4 for the duplex path, and those are the ordinary sizes assessed here. Choose appropriate paper and settings; envelope and other specialty-media acceptance does not extend the automatic-duplex claim to them.

HP declares up to 35 one-sided Letter pages per minute and 33 A4 pages per minute. These are separate from the presence of automatic duplex. The rate qualification uses ISO/IEC 24734, excluding the first test set, with actual results dependent on the system and job. It is not a measured 35-sheet two-sided rate.

The printer cannot scan the source document that you want to copy. Its exact function is print only, without a flatbed, document feeder or fax system. A network mobile-printing capability does not establish mobile scanning, and a two-sided output mechanism does not establish two-sided input scanning.

Use the included 300-sheet figure

The input is a 50-sheet multipurpose Tray 1 plus a 250-sheet Tray 2. Both support Letter, Legal and A4 in the original paper table, so the standard plain-paper total is 300 sheets for each of those sizes. An advertised 800-sheet maximum requires the optional 500-sheet feeder. It is not the equipment included with an ordinary M401dne.

Tray 1 also handles suitable envelopes with the correct media type and guides. The paper table reserves envelope feeding to that path and does not allow automatic duplex. Treat it as a separate task from leaving plain paper in the main cassette.

The exact M401dne page gives a 14.35-inch width, 14.49-inch depth, 10.53-inch height and 23.5-pound unit weight. Those are distinct from the shipping carton and from the neighboring touchscreen model. Legal paper extends Tray 2 behind the chassis, and HP’s maximum dimensions with trays extended are much larger than the closed body. Leave operating access instead of fitting a shelf to the bare minimum.

Volume, toner and older-equipment checks

The recommended monthly range is 750–3,000 pages. The separate maximum duty is 50,000 pages per month. Use the recommendation for a recurring workload, not the largest figure available in the specification. Network administration passwords and a list of security protocols also do not establish PIN-held print release; that specific job workflow is not confirmed here.

The original box lists an HP 80A CF280A cartridge with an approximate 2,700-page declared yield. Replacement CF280A and CF280X figures are about 2,700 and 6,900 pages under ISO/IEC 19752. Usage affects yield; no current price, remaining toner or cost per page is inferred. The exact page says to purchase a USB cable separately.

Check the actual US 110–127V label, supplies status, driver and a working automatic-duplex job over the intended connection. Choose the M401dne when its plain wired monochrome setup covers the work. Choose an explicitly wireless or multifunction device when those requirements would otherwise remain unmet.