HP – LaserJet M234sdwe Wireless Black-and-White Laser Printer with 6 months of Toner through HP+ – White & Slate

HP – LaserJet M234sdwe Wireless Black-and-White Laser Printer with 6 months of Toner through HP+ – White & Slate
I’ve used HP LaserJet printers for over 30 years. They are a proven brand and the evolution of the printers has resulted in simpler designs, more features, simplified setups and efforts to save you money on supplies. You’ve got to give HP kudos for effort. My experience with this newest iteration suggests they ought to be given credit for execution, too. It’s important to understand that the HP+ toner replacement plans are great for the right user profile, and not the best idea for others. For some users, simply buying HP toner cartridges (high yield versions!!) makes more sense. In any event, be advised up front that HP is locking users into HP toner replacement.
This model was very easy to SETUP. The App based instructions were quick, reliable, and I was printing in under 10 minutes of fuss-free checking of boxes, entering account information, and selecting my HP+ plan (or rejecting the plan in favor of buying toner cartridges as always). There is no obstacle to choosing either the HP+ plan approach to acquiring toner or to choosing to buy your HP toner at your local store. Well, the one catch? HP has technically locked this printer to HP … only … toner.
This printer offers:
+ Laser printing
+ scan/copy
+ auto document feeder
+ HP+ (6 months of free ink, etc)
+ (extended) 2 year warrantee (with any HP+ plan)
+ a small printer footprint
HP+ printing plans …. or not.
HP+ is primarily about “Instant Ink”. When you purchase your printer you can add a subscription for replacement ink. The printer, using its Internet connection, calls for a re-supply of ink cartridges depending on how many pages you print each month. It’s important to understand, especially for those of you new to printing from home, that the most significant cost is printing supplies. Ink pretty quickly costs you more than the printer.
If one of these toner plans works for you, and you have a consistent pattern of use, there ought to be ongoing measurable savings even after the first 6 months of free ink. I did my own calculations lower down on this review.
$1.99/50pgs/mo
$3.99/100pgs/mo
$13.99/400/pgs/mo
$19.99/800pgs/mo
$25.99/1500/mo
Printing more pages/per month (10-50) costs an added $1 for up to 50 added pages.
Printing less pages/per month and you can roll forward 2x the pages in your plan.
Your savings can be quite good, but you do need to anticipate your printing demands. As my calculations below suggest, higher use results in very nice savings.
With these printers, HP will lock users out of using non-HP cartridges. However, if you prefer NOT to subscribe to HP+, you can purchase an “original” HP toner cartridge after the free trial period and print outside of the subscription program. These cartridge prices are pretty standard, but there is no way to use 3rd party cartridges.
HP 134A Original Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge, W1340A (1100) 48.99
HP 134X Original Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge, W1340X (2400) 79.99 .033/page (High Yield)
Sign up benefits and bonuses favor the HP+ program. I’ve ignored them for my calculations (because they were tricky to monetize accurately), but they add to the value of the program (and probably compensate for the low use plans’ higher expenses).
So, the math looks like this to me if I’m understanding the program:
After 3 years on the $4/month/100pgs HP+ plan = 3600 pages you’ll pay $144. BUT, …
After 3 years of buying toner, 3600 pages would require 1.5 (High Yield) toner cartridges for $120. (those smaller toner cartridges would amount to 3.3 cartridges x $49 or $162. High Yield cartridges always represent a better value.
Low use plans make less sense, and random, unpredictable usage patterns also make little sense for the HP+ plan, although those sign-up freebies may even the score.
After 3 years on the $20/month/800pgs plan = 28,800 pages are printed over 36 months and I would pay $720 for the plan. And, of course the sign-up freebies add to the savings.
After 3 years of buying toner, for 28,800 pages, I’d need 12 (High Yield) cartridges and would have paid $960. HP won’t encourage you with freebies if you take this path.
Even greater printing activity results in greater savings for the HP+ plan vs. buying cartridges. You need to do some math and estimate usage to see which approach works for you.
SUMMARY:
I like this HP+ printer quite a bit. IF YOU have predictable, ongoing, and somewhat significant printing activities it’s hard to argue against the HP+ plans. They require no planning, no worrying about running out of supplies or running over to a store to replenish the toner which always runs out on the most critical project. End users with a more limited demand for a laser printer, or more random use pattern are probably better off getting a version of HP’s LaserJet that does not include the HP+ offer.

REVIEW: HP – LASERJET M234SDWE WIRELESS BLACK-AND-WHITE LASER PRINTER WITH 6 MONTHS OF TONER THROUGH HP+ – WHITE & SLATE
VALUE FOCUSED – HOME / SMALL OFFICE / PRINTER + SCANNER
There is a lot to like about the M234SDWE Multi-Function- Printer (MFP). Duplex (2 sided) Printing, Low Cost of Investment. Good Print Quality and Print Speed. Scanning and Copying is passible.
This is targeted and appropriate for a small home business where you just need a little of everything (printing, scanning, copying). As a value printer, it does a good enough job at all of these things.
Default Scanning and Printing from the Automatic Document Feeder (300 DPI – ADF) results in typical crooked pages from budget MFPs. However, if you download and use the full version of the HP SCANNER software it has an auto correct feature that fixes that issue on most scans.
Flat Bed Scanning – 600 Dots Per Inch (DPI) is pretty good even in color (see picture).
PRO’s
– Compact Design, takes up about 40% less space than my 10 year old HP MFP
– Good Scanning
– Good Printing
– Includes a wired LAN port (not just WIFI).
– USB port that can be used after the setup is complete.
HP “E” PRINTERS (AKA HP+)
If you get the “E” version of HP printers you are paying about 25% less than the Non E version but the tradeoff is that you must have an online account and are prevented from using generic toner. Further, it is also required that your printer must have access to the internet in order to print. If this bothers you then don’t get the “E” printers. As long as the HP toner is somewhat affordable then I’m OK with this. I use about 1 cartridge a year. It looks like 2500 page cartridges are about $80. This is OK for me as long as I can get a year or two out of them.
When you create your online account and register your printer your warranty is doubled to 2 years.
This is different, but complimentary to the Instant Ink Program where you agree to pay HP a fixed amount each month (starting at $1.99) and they will automatically send you a new toner cartridge when you need it. You will have to crunch the numbers for yourself if Instant ink makes sense for you. I find it useful at the low end of print volumes and the high end of print volumes. If you have a widely variable amount of printing each month, then be aware that this is a like an old-fashioned cell phone plan with penalties for going over your allotted page count (starting at 10 cents per page) and it even has “roll over pages” where some fraction of your unused pages can roll over to the next month. For me life is too short and complicated already without having to worry about keeping track of how many pages I have left to print each month. On the other hand, having toner just show up when needed is very convenient.
Is HP+ worth it? If you tend to only use HP Brand cartridges, sure, why not save a little money on your purchase. The double warranty is nice, but to be honest in 30 years using HP printers, I’ve never had one fail other than normal consumables.
SCANNING
You get 300 DPI from the ADF and 600 DPI from the flatbed scanner.
As I mentioned with most budget MFP’s the pages are slightly crooked when scanned with the ADF. Download and use the full version of the software (HP SCAN) to select autocorrect and access more advanced features.
NOTE: THERE IS NO 2 SIDED (duplex) SCANNING: Even though this prints on both sides it does not scan or copy on both sides.
Even with the full version of HP SCAN, it says “Manual 2 sided scanning” but it is misleading (or maybe broken).
Imagine your all you front pages are odd page numbers and all your back pages are even numbers. Now, when you trigger manual 2 sided scanning you would expect when the process is over to get your pages in the correct order. Instead of 1,2,3,4,5,6 you get 1,3,5,2,4,6 which is completely useless and the same as back to back 1 sided scanning. Why even have that as an option?
PRINTING
Fast but a little loud for such a small printer. The print quality is good. The stated resolution for printing is 600×600 DPI, and that looks about right.
The paper tray is on the small side, so be prepared to keep feeding the printer if you do a lot of printing.
SETUP
I initially tried to set up the M234SDWE with a physical LAN cable (instead of wireless) but it was problematic. Instead, my suggestion is to use the Wireless setup and then plug in the LAN cable after everything else is all set.
TIP: For the last setup step, I could not get it to print anything and it kept giving me an error “action needed” while things piled up in the printer queue. When I went into the various HP apps it said everything was fine. In the end all it was waiting for was for me to press the “i” button on the printer, but it never told me that, or if it did, then I missed it.
I would strongly suggest you also download and install the full software suite from the HP support site, it gives you much more control over the printing and scanning process using HP SCANNER software instead of HP SMART software. It also includes OCR software for converting scanned images to text.
I do miss a more complete control panel display but at this price point I understand the trade off.
SUMMARY / CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATION
You get a lot of printer for the price. If you are a heavy scanner user, then I might suggest moving a few models up that also have duplex scanning and support scan to email (which the M234SDWE) without being connected to a PC. If your primary use is printing, then this is a good bet as a printer, especially with the 2 sided printing.
As to HP+ (reduced price for a requirement to be online and only use HP Toner), I’m mostly on board as long as the toner stays affordable. So really you have to do the math on this yourself. Each Toner Cartridge for the M234SDWE is about $80 and is rated at 2500 pages.
Overall, I recommend this printer for the value conscious user.

PROs:
– Capable/speedy (Advanced Settings>System>Administration, but you still have to know that you need to crack open the printer to retrieve the credentials initially, and then be comfortable/astute enough with the more advanced & convoluted printer menus & controls to affect those changes
– Although the maximum optical scanner DPI matches the maximum output printing DPI, a more capable scanner with at least 1200×1200 DPI would have been appreciated to make higher-quality/archival scans–especially of photos or graphic-intensive items that you might want to send to another printer that didn’t have a built-in scanner of its own. I believe this limitation slightly reduces the value proposition of the MFP because you’ll want/need a better scanner if you intend to work with photos or graphical products at higher resolution/quality settings
– It appears you can only scan & save a document/image separately using the HP Smart app; none of my Windows apps & programs with integrated “Import from Scanner” functionality recognized the MFP as an available scanning device. This may not be a huge deal as this printer isn’t really designed to provide high-quality scans for image editing or digital content creation, but it adds some additional steps to otherwise streamlined scanning workflows you might be used to
– There are options under advanced printer settings for low-power sleep & auto-shutdown; however, because the printer is networked, the auto-shutdown feature appears to be disabled–meaning the LEDs on the front panel are lit at all times unless you physically turn off the printer by the main switch. I’m not 100% sure if this would be the case if you hooked up the printer via Ethernet or USB, but I imagine given this printer’s feature-set that most people would connect via WiFi. If you have your printer located in the same room where you sleep, these LEDs are bright enough that they may become intrusive
– Although the printer is relatively compact, if you are pressed for space, or have your printer near the edge of a desk/table for convenience, you’ll need to account for the paper tray which adds a good 5 inches to the footprint straight out the front. Personally, I would have preferred if the printer were a bit taller to accommodate a paper tray underneath & the controls moved to the top/ADF to keep the footprint even smaller
– Some issues above (auto shut-down, Windows scanner detection, etc.) might be resolved by also connecting the printer via USB; however, as of this writing, HP does not yet seem to have posted drivers for the M234sdwe on its support site–or at least, I haven’t been able to pull up any drivers despite a week’s worth of trying
Bottom line:
This budget-oriented, duplex-capable LaserJet performs well & has many nice/convenient features that seem suited to typical family, student, or light-duty office work. The economics of the HP+ Instant Ink program may not appeal to everyone, but you get a free 6-month trial to see if it would be worth it (or if your plan should change before you have to pay for it) given your printing habits. You can also cancel the plan & simply buy toner on your own if you prefer; but you do get a free initial toner shipment regardless! The lack of duplexing for source documents, or on-the-fly adjustments to accommodate 1-sided source to 2-sided printing given this limitation, is definitely disappointing; the scanner’s optical DPI limitations also somewhat reduce the M234sdwe’s utility as a true MFP. If you like your printers smart, connected, but hands-off, the added convenience of the HP+ wireless features may be attractive. However, HP+ also introduces some additional complexity, cost & overhead into configuration, management & operation that may rub some people the wrong way.

Ah printers, the one computer hardware that is feared, loathed, and dreaded by computer techies, myself included. While it has improved a lot over the years since the old days, say Windows 95 or Windows XP, it is still one of the bigger pains of dealing with when something goes wrong.
The HP LaserJet M234sdwe is a multifunction printer that can handle, obviously, printing as well as scanning and copying. While a lot of people may not use the scanner or copying function of this printer, it is there should you do need it. Therein lies the conundrum of what you need versus what can it do. If all you need is a printer and nothing else, obviously there are other options out there that can save you a few bucks. However, if you’re like me, then you view it with utility in mind. After all, there may be a case where you do need to make a copy or scan something in.
Okay, simply put, it’s a black and white printer. Yes, no color. I have opted in to getting this unit for review for one simple reason: I very rarely print in color. While printing in color is nice, color laser printers come with a drawback. Colors will not be as vibrant as those printed on inkjet. This makes printing photos less than ideal on laser printers. The only reason one would get a color laser printer is simply for printing documents and nothing else.
As a minor note, ensure that you have an AC outlet with ground. Due to the structure of my residence, I had to improvise to provide power to the printer. But if you’re good to go with that, then ignore this note.
Setup is easy, but strange at the same time. Instead of connecting the printer via USB, which this printer lacks a cable for, I have chosen to connect it to the network using an ethernet cable, despite that it’s capable of wireless connectivity. But getting it recognized in Windows will likely be the same regardless. On a laptop that has the latest update of Windows 10 installed, it wants to use the HP Smart app to set up and control the printer.
Full utilization of the app will need an HP account. But for basic functionality of printing documents, this app can be ignored for the most part. The app is what you would expect, which supports what the printer can do. You can print PDF files directly from this app but most people would be viewing these files from other programs instead. Scanning is supported through this app and contains most of the basic functionality of it. It can scan in color and the quality is pretty good on a simple sample I used. The app also provides some basic information about the printer. It works the best while the printer is on (whether on standby or in power saving) so it’s not very useful for those who are conscious about power consumption.
The printer comes with an online system called HP+, which is intended to either enhance or extend some abilities of the printer itself. Things such as cloud printing are done using this system. There are also a couple of subscription services that come as part of the HP+ system package, but are not required to really use it. They are “Smart App Advance” and “Instant Ink,” the latter of which I am completely against as a concept. Whatever the opinion I have with it as a whole, there is one good thing about it. HP+ adds one additional year of warranty to your printer instead of the basic one year it comes with. So you get a total of 2 years of warranty which is a nice bonus to have, and a good incentive to at least sign up for it temporarily. In the end, HP+ isn’t required to use the printer at all. Now let’s see how the printer performs and works.
Print quality is as what you expect from a laser printer. But this is the first set of prints to come out. So it is expected to be sharp and crisp in printing texts. It is also capable of printing on both sides of the paper to save on paper usage. This is great for printing normal documents. But if I’m printing something more sensitive, I would prefer printing on a more heavier or thicker sheet of paper so the text doesn’t easily show through under light.
Creating copies can be done in two ways, using the scanner bed or through the auto-feed tray at the top. Both created perfect copies as you’d expect and I ran into no issue doing this. If I need to make copies of documents that have really bad fold creases, I would use the scanner bed. Otherwise, the auto-feed tray at the top is good enough for it.
Scanning a document is okay. It can only scan up to 600dpi but this will be fine for most people. Those seeking higher scanning resolution will need a dedicated flatbed scanner for that and is out of the market scope of what this multifunction printer is for. It can scan in color or black/white and the image quality is nice. I do have one small complaint on its scanning functionality but that is probably an issue with the HP Smart app itself. Saving a scan can only be saved in one of two formats — PDF or JPG, both of which provide image compression of some kind but at a loss of image quality. I would prefer that it either supports BMP or PNG as an image format to preserve every bit of image quality possible. This creates a large image file itself, but gives you peace of mind that no detail is lost, no matter how small or insignificant it may be.
As a networked printer, I try to seek out how to really fine tune how the printer operates. And there is an internal webhost for the printer itself. The only thing you need is to figure out the IP address of the printer. Then you enter that IP address to your web browser to start browsing through its internal settings. It does require a password, which is printed on a label inside the printer where you access the toner. To access that, lift up the top just below the scanner. It’s highly advisable to change the password to something unique and complex. Like anything that is connected to the internet, there is always a danger and risk of malicious users trying to break in and do bad things.
With limited time, there’s no way to formulate an opinion on “Instant Ink” — a long term feature that is an optional part of HP+. But the concept of this feature is bad from the very start. Instant Ink is a subscription-based service that provides you with toner or ink replenishment when either is low for a monthly fee. Limiting this further is how many prints you can make on a per month basis. The lowest tier plan limits to 50 pages per month going all the way to a maximum of 1500 pages per month. This may be okay for people who do a lot of photo prints on inkjet printers. But I don’t think this is good for laser printer users. Alternatively, people on inkjet printers who do a lot of photo printing are likely not going to be using mainstream printers but instead look into models or competitors that don’t utilize ink cartridges. Overall I believe Instant Ink is a bad service to enroll in. It’s fine to use it during your trial period but it’s highly recommended to cancel the plan before you’re billed.
As a multifunction laser printer, it gets the job done. There’s little time to say as to whether this is a good printer in the long run. Functionally, one can get similar capabilities by going one model down, which omits the top auto-feed copying tray. Spending the extra money on this model doesn’t seem to make much sense if you’re in need of a multifunction printer. On the flip side, if you need to make a lot of document copies, then perhaps this will be worth the added cost. Regardless, it’ll either be for you or not. It heavily depends on your use case scenario. Thus, I cannot say with absolute certainty to recommend it. And to err on the side of caution, I cannot recommend it to friends either.