***Bottom-Line***: The business is very pleased with the performance of the **HP LaserJet 3380.  **The printer has seen no down-time since it was put into place almost two years ago. Hewlett Packard offers a large variety of printers-laser and inkjet-to fulfill just about every printing need; large or small, color or monochrome, single purpose, or multifunction, chances are HP makes it.  When the business needed a multi-function laser printer to put in our data center we opted for the **HP LaserJet 3380** All-n-One printer.  This particular printer is attached directly to a *Dell Optiplex GX-270*, but I do have an *HP JetDirect 175x *external print server waiting to be installed.      **My Viewpoint   ** One for the first things I notice about the **HP LaserJet 3380** is the printer's unusual design; the flatbed scanner sits on top of a rather high sheet feeder-into which a 250-sheet tray is fitted-giving the printer a rather large vertical footprint.  I do not like the design and one would be hard pressed to utilize this printer in a small office environment.  Despite the awkward shape, the **HP LaserJet 3380** like most HP printers is highly functional, well designed and built.  Akin to most All-n-One units the front panel buttons and displays make operating the fax and copier portions of the unit without a PC a snap.  Controls for copying documents and faxing are all displayed here, so that these two functions can be controlled without the aid of a PC.  A convenient dial-pad for the fax is also located here.  Limited scan functionality is afforded here, but it only allows you to scan to a application in the software. One feature I appreciated is the backlit display; not all HP models have this feature, which can make the display extremely hard to read especially in low lighting conditions.  Another feature I appreciate is the power-save mode the printer can be set to enter after an hour.  This is useful since the printer is left on 24/7 in case we need to print it from another location (it is shared out on the local PC.  The unit connects to the PC via traditional parallel port, or USB (1.1 and 2.0) out of the box, a variety of external HP printer servers can be utilized as well.   The software (in my case Windows XP Professional) was simple to install, and like most of the HP multifunctional printers, offers adequate functionality giving the user access to all of the functions of the unit.  Software drivers for *Windows 98/Me/Se/2000/XP*, as well as Mac System 9 - 10, are included on the enclosed CD.  One of the reasons the business opted for a multifunction, or All-in-One, in our downstairs work area was and is the need to occasionally scan paperwork (invoices waybills, installation documentation, etc.) into the computer, send faxes, make copies, and of course print (done daily).  While a smaller HP All-n-One would certainly have done the job we choose the **HP LaserJet 3380** because it ships with an automatic (50-sheet) document feeder attached to the 11x14 scanner.  The **HP LaserJet 3380** makes handling scanned documents and or pictures easy via the document feeder and build-in software.               Like most HP printers the **HP LaserJet 3380' **print quality is exceptional, but it isn't color.  The black text is sharp and crisp with no noticeable striping, however when the toner cartridge is finished, it's finished.  With most HP toner cartridges when the tone warning message comes on, you can usually prolog its life by removing it from the printer, gently shaking it from side-to-side, then placing it back in the unit.  Not so with the **HP LaserJet 3380**; it will need to be replaced on demand otherwise nasty things will happen to your printout. All things considered we are very pleased with the performance of the **HP LaserJet 3380.  **The printer has seen no down-time since it was put into place almost two years ago. And while I would not recommend this unit for a small office environment where space most likely would be an issue, for our environment the **HP LaserJet 3380** fit right in. 

TheBard

Aurora, IL