HP LaserJet Pro MFP M29w: shared Wi-Fi and manual flatbed work review

Useful for individual documents, with manual handling built into the routine

The HP LaserJet Pro MFP M29w suits a small black-and-white printing routine that also needs color files from individual originals. The 150-sheet input and flatbed scanner make sense for short documents and occasional copies. They are a poor substitute for an automatic feeder when someone needs to process a stack unattended.

The exact HP US product page identifies Y5S53A#BGJ and marks it discontinued. The reviewed electrical configuration is nominally 110–127 volts at 50–60 Hz. A separate 220–240-volt supply is documented for other editions; the family is not universally dual voltage. Match the actual unit's label, region and cartridge requirements before committing to an earlier machine.

HP's model-specific reference explicitly lists no automated duplex printing. The two-sided driver procedure requires the operator to reload the printed stack. This is a meaningful everyday limitation if a large share of the workload consists of two-sided handouts, even when the printer can produce the required number of ordinary pages.

Black output and color capture are separate capabilities

The print engine is monochrome. Its CIS flatbed nevertheless provides 24-bit color capture at up to 600 ppi optical resolution. A colored document can become a color computer file without implying that the M29w prints color. Black toner also determines the standalone copy output.

The exact maximum glass area is 8.5 by 11.7 inches. Letter and A4 originals fit, while a complete 14-inch Legal original does not. The original hardware diagram shows the plain scanner lid, and its scan instructions consistently place originals on the glass. There is no feeder to pull successive sheets or automatically capture both sides.

For ID copy, position one face of the card, capture it, manually turn the card and capture its reverse. The printer then places both images on one face of a sheet. That feature is useful for small credentials, but it is not automatic two-sided scanning. The documented function set is print, copy and scan, without fax.

Keep desktop scanning and mobile printing in their actual arrangements

The standard USB 2.0 port supports a computer setup with compatible print and scan software. Windows instructions open HP Printer Assistant and its Scan a Document or Photo function. Mac instructions use HP Easy Scan, followed by saving the captured pages to a file. Verify availability for the actual operating system; an old installation guide is not a guarantee for every current computer.

Built-in 802.11b/g/n wireless networking provides a shared-network option. A computer with the appropriate installed scan solution and supported AirPrint or Mopria printing devices can use that suitable local network. The original English guide specifies 2.4 GHz, while a later exact product-page footnote says 2.4 and 5 GHz. This assessment retains the common 2.4-GHz arrangement and makes no dependable 5-GHz promise.

Genuine Wi-Fi Direct printing is separately established. Connect a compatible device to the printer's actual signal and credentials, then select the printer. Computer scanning over that peer arrangement remains unconfirmed here. A Wi-Fi Direct connection password or PIN is not confidential print-job release at the control panel; that held-job feature is also unconfirmed.

Marketing references to PDF and email apps carry Internet and possible registration conditions. They do not establish an independent SMTP gateway or make the USB connection a native email sender. Retired cloud-printing names in older literature likewise do not promise an operating service today.

Paper support has a documented source disagreement

The normal input holds 150 sheets and the output up to 100. HP declares 19 one-sided Letter pages per minute and separately 18 A4 for this exact model. The recommended printing range is 100–1,000 pages monthly; maximum duty of 8,000 and a separate scan-volume recommendation answer different questions. No hands-on speed or reliability measurement is claimed.

Letter and A4 printing are confirmed. The exact product's custom-paper maximum is 11.69 inches, while a shared technical appendix gives a 14-inch range. Legal printing remains unconfirmed rather than using the longer shared limit to make a guarantee. The scanner's glass maximum is a separate restriction, not evidence that resolves that print-paper discrepancy.

Envelope support is positive, although the original user guide gives a batch limit of five and the exact datasheet gives ten. Start with one suitable envelope, use the proper size/type setting and follow the face-up loading illustration. For manual duplex, return the first-side stack to the input as directed and continue the job. The documented Mac manual-duplex feature needs the HP driver and is unavailable through AirPrint.

Check the small machine beyond its closed dimensions

The reviewed US replacement is HP 48A CF248A, declared approximately 1,000 pages under ISO/IEC 19752; the introductory cartridge is approximately 500. Actual document coverage changes yield. HP's exact page also documents dynamic security tied to an original HP cartridge chip; no current toner price or page cost is assumed.

Current exact specifications give 14.2 by 10.4 by 7.8 inches closed and 11.9 pounds. The older shared guide differs slightly in height and weight, leaving strict bounds for those fields unconfirmed. Allow lid, tray and service access. A model with automatic print duplex and a real document feeder is the more appropriate direction when eliminating repeated trips to the scanner or paper stack is essential.