Printer Review: HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw

Posted by Rob Errera on 06/21/2022

The HP LaserJet Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw is an all-in-one LaserJet designed for midsize office applications.

HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw Pros and Cons

Our M479fdw review, what’s good, and not so good about it.

Pros

Lots of functionality in a small footprint
Fast print speed
Strong security features
Auto duplex printing, copying, and scanning

Cons

A bit loud
High running cost

Multi-Function Master

The HP M479fdw comes with a 4.3” color touchscreen control panel that allows you to access many of this printer’s multiple functions. The M479fdw is 15.7” x 16.4” x 18.6” and weighs 51.6 pounds, a modest footprint for a printer in this class.

As the name suggests this printer can also copy, scan, and fax, making it an essential tool for small to midsize offices. Old school users will appreciate the M479fdw’s speedy faxing capabilities.

Download the latest drivers for your M479fdw here.

HP Color LaserJet M479fdw Toner Cartridges

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw uses HP 414 toners. This all-in-one has an average cost-per-page of 2.2 cents for black-and-white and 14.2 cents for color.

The HP MFP M479fdw isn’t the cheapest printer to keep running, so make sure you shop for the lowest toner prices for your HP M479fdw in order to maximize its lifetime value.

The HP414A toner set is a standard capacity toner set that includes:

W2020A Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge (2,400-page yield),
W2021A Cyan LaserJet Toner Cartridge (2,100-page yield),
W2022A Yellow LaserJet Toner Cartridge (2,100-page yield) and the
W2023A Magenta LaserJet Toner Cartridge (2,100-page yield).

The HP414X toner set is a high-capacity toner set that includes:

W2020x Black LaserJet Toner Cartridge (7,500-page yield),
W2021x Cyan LaserJet Toner Cartridge (6,000-page yield),
W2022x Yellow LaserJet Toner Cartridge (6,000-page yield) and the
W2023x Magenta LaserJet Toner Cartridge (6,000-page yield).

Pro Paper Handling

The HP M479fdw comes with a 250-sheet paper tray. For an extra $199 you can add another 550-sheet paper tray, which might be the right move for offices with a high print volume.

The HP M479fdw also comes with a 50-sheet tray for specialty media, like envelopes. The M479fdw has a recommended monthly page range of 750 - 4,000 pages, with a maximum duty cycle of 50,000 pages.

Quick and To The Point

The M479fdw is pretty speedy, delivering the first page in just over 10 seconds. Once it’s warmed up, the M479fdw can reach print speeds of 28 pages per minute.

The M479fdw boasts a resolution of 600 x 600 dpi for both black and white and color prints.

The M479fdw delivers surprisingly good color photos. While not as rich and vibrant as a high-end inkjet printer, the M479fdw can still render frame-worthy family photos.

Colorful business graphics and reports look sharp as a tack coming out of the M479fdw.

Making Connections

Connectivity features include Ethernet, USB walk-up, USB port, Bluetooth connectivity, and Wi-Fi direct printing for mobile devices.

The M479fdw works seamlessly with Windows operating systems as well as Macs running iOS 10.12 or higher. This printer also works with Linus and UNIX systems.

Safe And Secure

In addition to network authentication and encryption, the M479fdw all offer Secure Print, which allows you to assign a PIN number to private documents.

Plug in a 16 GB USB drive and you’ll be able to store print jobs and allow for private printing on your M479fdw.

Two interesting security features offered by HP are Cartridge Policy and Cartridge Protection. Cartridge Policy locks out the use of third-party cartridges so that you can only use OEM HP toner cartridges.

Cartridge Protection registers your cartridges once they are installed in your printer so that they cannot be removed and used in another printer.

This prevents those sneaky thieves in the accounting department from swiping your cartridges and using them in their own M479fdw. Buy your own printer cartridges, guys!

Both of these security features can be accessed via the printer’s main control panel.

Duplex Printing and More

This machine can copy 27 pages per minute and scan up to 26 pages per minute which is pretty quick for a machine in this class. As the “D” in its name implies this printer is capable of automatic duplex printing.

The M479fdw has a 50-page document feeder with a dual-head scanner for single-pass duplex copying and scanning. You can scan to email, USB drive, or a network folder.

One of the coolest things about the M479fdw is its single-pass auto-duplexing abilities. In simple terms, you can toss a 50-page, double-sided document into the auto-document feeder, press a button, and walk away.

The M479fdw will copy, scan, or fax your 50-page double-sided document depending on which button you push. This single-pass auto-duplexing feature saves both time and paper.

Bottom Line

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw does a lot of things really well but isn’t great at any one thing. But that’s exactly why you bought a multi-function printer.

You don’t need a top-of-the-line copier, a high-end photo printer, or a world-class fax machine.

You don’t want an office crammed with expensive business machines. You need one machine with a small footprint that can handle a variety of tasks.

That’s exactly what you get with the HP Color LaserJet M479fdw. If only your entire office staff was as hard-working and dependable as the HP M479fdw!