HP LaserJet Pro MFP M426fdn: wired monochrome jobs and single-pass color scanning review

A wired M426 configuration with the fuller document feeder

The HP LaserJet Pro MFP M426fdn is a monochrome office laser with printing, copying, color scanning and analog fax. HP's exact US page identifies F6W14A#BGJ and marks it discontinued. This review covers its documented 110–127-volt, 50/60-Hz configuration. A separate 220–240-volt edition is different electrical hardware.

Its wired design is a useful starting point for understanding the suffix. The original model table gives fdn USB and Gigabit Ethernet, but explicitly excludes infrastructure wireless, Wi-Fi Direct and NFC. It nevertheless gives fdn the 50-page dual-head single-pass scanner. Wireless capability and scanner capability are different decisions; the absence of a radio does not reduce it to the neighboring dw model's simplex feeder.

Paper capacity is 350 sheets before optional expansion

The included inputs hold 100 ordinary sheets in Tray 1 and 250 in Tray 2 at 75 g/m². That makes 350 included sheets when both feeds are loaded appropriately. HP's separate paper matrix explicitly supports Letter, Legal and A4 in each included feed. The 550-sheet third tray is optional and is not counted in that total.

The same original matrix has a separate automatic-duplex column that confirms those three ordinary sizes. Use the compatible driver, choose the correct size and type, and follow the approved media restrictions. Ordinary duplex has its own 60–120 g/m² paper guidance; support for heavier paper through an input does not automatically approve the same stock for duplex.

Envelopes follow a different procedure. The guide limits them to Tray 1, up to ten, with the print side up and short postage end leading into the machine. Choose the correct envelope size, Envelope media type and instructed manual-feed source. Labels and envelopes are not assigned an automatic-duplex route, and the optional extra paper tray does not become an envelope feeder.

Single-pass feeder scans and flatbed scans remain distinct

The exact fdn column positively documents dual-head single-pass duplex scanning and copying. Both document sides are captured in one pass through the feeder. The feeder's supported original range reaches 8.5 by 14 inches, allowing Legal as well as Letter and A4. Its 50-page rating concerns originals entering the scanner, not sheets available for printing.

The scanner can capture color even though the printer and local copy output remain black and white. The flatbed is also positively documented, providing a different physical route for individual or bound originals. A separate exact glass-size limit was not established in the material read. The Legal feeder maximum is therefore not reused as a Legal-glass promise.

With an actual compatible HP computer installation, HP Scan initiates a scan from the feeder or glass and saves the result to the computer. USB is a direct-computer arrangement; Ethernet enables a shared network arrangement. Confirm that the full scan software works with the intended operating system instead of testing only a basic print queue.

Network and telephone services need their own configuration

Front-panel Scan to Email requires an active network connection and a configured compatible SMTP service, including its port and authentication where required. Network-folder delivery needs an enabled shared destination and working credentials. These are configured services, not automatic consequences of plugging in Ethernet. Test receipt or file delivery before committing the office workflow to them.

AirPrint and Mopria are supported network-print options. The printer can remain wired while a mobile device reaches it through the same local network or subnet. This does not add a Wi-Fi radio to fdn. The guide warns that HP driver automatic-duplex controls on a Mac might not appear through AirPrint, so the mobile print routine does not inherit the documented computer-driver duplex options.

Fax is a separate analog connection. HP recommends a dedicated analog line, a telephone cable in the fax port, appropriate answer settings and a successful fax test. Shared-line or digital-service installations need the correct specific arrangements; Ethernet and USB cannot themselves receive a telephone fax.

Private printing is an upgrade condition, not an included drive

The original user guide requires a dedicated USB 2.0 flash drive with at least 16 GB free in the rear host socket for job storage and private printing. It also requires setup and a compatible driver. The reviewed box configuration does not include that dedicated storage drive, so it does not qualify by default for PIN-held document release. A PIN protecting an email profile or a network login is a different function.

HP rates Letter printing up to 40 pages per minute, separately 38 A4. Scanner pages and images per minute are separate measures. Recommended monthly printing is 750–4,000 pages, distinct from the 80,000-page maximum duty cycle. These are maker specifications, not results measured for this review.

The exact US model lists CF226A 26A toner around 3,100 pages and CF226X 26X around 9,000. HP's 26X declaration uses ISO/IEC 19752; neither figure establishes remaining installed toner. Its current US body dimensions are approximately 16.54 inches wide, 15.35 deep and 12.72 high, with extra room for access. A maintained M426fdn fits a wired monochrome office when the actual scanner installation, paper setup and fax service meet its documented conditions.