The HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw is an outstanding laser printer for home or small offices, especially for those who regularly print in bulk. Whether it's in black only or color, documents are printed at great speed and the cartridge's high yield means you won't have to replace them often. You can scan documents and photos at a high resolution and color depth, and the scanner is also equipped with an automatic document feeder (ADF) that can perform duplex scanning, saving you time. Unfortunately, the quality of printed photos isn't good, and color accuracy will be an issue for those working in graphic design or printed media. On the bright side, its build quality is outstanding and its design gives you easy access to the toner cartridges and various trays. It's relatively inexpensive to print in large numbers, and the printer has excellent wireless connectivity options, providing convenience as well as keeping your setup clean and wire-free.
Our Verdict
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw is a decent family printer. Like most laser printers, it isn't the best at printing photos as the quality is quite bad. However, for black only or color documents, this printer can chug out a good number of pages quickly and at a low cost. The scanner is packed with great features, including an automatic document feeder and duplex scanning, and its excellent connectivity options allow the whole family to be connected wirelessly.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Great overall cost-per-print.
- Okay color accuracy.
- Bad photo printing quality.
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw is an outstanding printer for home or small offices. Its black and color toner cartridges can yield a lot of pages before they need to be replaced, and the cost-per-print remains low even if you print a large number of copies. Printing speed is excellent, whether it's in black only or color, and the scanner has an automatic document feeder that can perform duplex scanning, which is a huge time-saver if you regularly have to scan long documents.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Fast printing speed.
- Mobile app can't print Microsoft Office files.
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw is a good printer for students. Its high yield allows you to print a good amount of black and color documents before you need to replace the cartridges, and the cost of printing in black only remains low over time, which is great for students on a tight budget. It can take some time to print out the first page, but subsequent pages are much faster, so you won't have to stress about having to hand in your assignments and papers at the last minute.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Great overall cost-per-print.
- Fast printing speed.
- No Bluetooth support.
- Mobile app can't print Microsoft Office files.
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw is an excellent printer for printing black and white documents. Aside from the first page, documents are printed quickly and you can print a lot of pages on a single black toner cartridge. The cost of printing in black only is fairly consistent, so it won't end up costing much more over time. The printer accepts high-yield cartridges if you need more, and changing the cartridges is easy thanks to its outstanding design.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Great overall cost-per-print.
- Fast printing speed.
The HP M479fdw is a mediocre printer for printing photos, which is expected of most laser printers. Although it can print on glossy paper, photos lack detail, and there's a lot of banding and graininess.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Great overall cost-per-print.
- Okay color accuracy.
- Bad photo printing quality.
- Can't print on glossy photo paper.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
- Exceptional black and color page yield.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Aug 03, 2023: We've added a link to the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw in the 'Scan Quality' section of the review to provide an alternative that produces sharper scans.
- Updated Mar 21, 2023: Added mention of the Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw/MF751Cdw as an alternative with extendable scanner lid hinges in the Scanner Features section.
- Updated Feb 01, 2023: We've corrected an error in the Photo summary. This printer can print on glossy paper.
- Updated Aug 25, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
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Popular Printer Comparisons
The HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw is an outstanding printer for small or home offices. It's one of the best laser all-in-ones we've tested so far, as it's able to print quickly, affordably, and it's equipped with a full-feature scanner.
For other options, check out our recommendations for the best all-in-one printers, the best home printers, and the best photo printers.
The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw and Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw each have their advantages, so one might suit you better than the other, depending on your exact needs. The Canon is a marginally lighter, more portable unit with superior scan quality and lower ownership costs thanks to its cheaper toner cartridges. While neither is a great option for photo printing, only the HP can print on glossy paper, and it has a wider color gamut and superior color accuracy compared to the Canon. The HP Smart app also allows you to print HTML files directly, though only from iOS devices; regardless, this isn't a function that Canon's PRINT Business app supports.
The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw and the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw are both high-end color laser printers with near-identical features. The 4301fdw prints faster at up to 25 pages per minute; however, the M479fdw yields more prints, resulting in a lower cost-per-print.
For most uses, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw is much better than the Brother HL-L3270CDW Laser. The HP has a better display screen, it yields more black and color pages, and it prints faster. The HP also has support for external drives and it has a full-feature scanner. The Brother's cost-per-print is slightly lower, but keep in mind that the drum unit is separate and will need to be replaced eventually, which can be costly.
The Brother MFC-L8905CDW is slightly better than the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw for the most part. The Brother prints and scans faster than the HP, offers better scan quality, and has a higher page yield. The only other notable difference is that the HP has the drum built into the cartridge, while the Brother's drum is a separate unit. The HP's built-in drum makes maintenance more convenient but increases maintenance costs. This is because cartridges with a built-in drum are more expensive, and that extra expense adds up over time, resulting in higher maintenance costs than a printer with a separate drum.
Test Results
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw has an outstanding build and design. The frame is entirely made of a thick plastic that feels solid and sturdy. The power cable is removable, making it easy to replace should it break, and the toner cartridges are easily accessible by pulling out the tray. The input trays have sliders that adjust to the paper's size and the bottom input tray can hold papers up to standard legal size. The scanner lid doesn't have extendable hinges to accommodate thicker documents and the display console is a bit in the way of the output tray; however, the scanner bed can be raised to give you better access.
Update 02/23/2022: The In Use photo was reshot because the initial one didn't have the paper tray fully extended.
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw is a large, tall, and heavy printer. For some, it likely needs to be set on a lower table for proper access to the scanner.
The display console on the HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw is outstanding. The screen is big and it can tilt to provide better visibility, whether you're standing or sitting. The menu is easy to navigate and there's audible feedback when interacting with the console. The downside is that it does lag a bit, especially when switching from one function to another, such as going from scanning to printing. If you want a laser model with more admin control over the printer, check out the Xerox VersaLink C500/DN.
The HP M479fdw's cartridge system is outstanding. Both the black and color toner cartridges allow you to print a large number of copies before they need to be replaced. Pop-ups will alert you when toner levels are low, and there are high yield cartridges available if you need to print more. If you want a printer with a higher black page yield, consider the Canon imageCLASS MF743Cdw or the HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M554dn, which also yield more color pages.
Although there are third-party toners, changing them involves having to remove a microchip from the original cartridge and placing it on the replacement cartridge so that the printer recognizes them as being genuine. Some people may not mind performing such tasks, but it may be an unreasonable amount of tinkering for the average user. Also, using third party toners can void the manufacturer's warranty.
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw can scan at a maximum resolution of 1200 DPI; however, it drops to 300 DPI if you perform the scan using the HP Smart mobile app or when using the automatic document feeder (ADF). The ADF is required to scan legal-size documents as the flatbed is only big enough for letter-size documents, and you can also use it to perform automatic two-sided scans (duplex scanning) in a single pass. However, the scanner's lid can't extend to accommodate thicker documents or books. If you need a printer with extendable scanner lid hinges, check out the Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw/MF751Cdw.
The HP MFP M479fdw has a very high maximum scan resolution and color depth, which is great if you work in an industry where you need to retouch photos or resize photos often. The default resolution setting is much lower at 75 DPI, which creates pixelated text and images, as seen above. Changing the settings before you scan will create much clearer results, though. Regardless, if sharp scan quality is a priority, you'll want to check out the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw.
- Power cable
- Phone cable
- USB-A to USB-B cable
- 1 x HP 414A Black toner/drum unit
- 1 x HP 414A Cyan toner/drum unit
- 1 x HP 414A Magenta toner/drum unit
- 1 x HP 414A Yellow toner/drum unit
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdw's cost-per-print is great. The cost of printing black documents only is fairly consistent and doesn't rise significantly, even if you print a lot. The cost of printing in color does rise sharply, but given the color cartridges' high yield, you won't have to change them too often. If you want a printer with cheaper cartridges, check out the Lexmark CX331adwe.
The HP M479fdw has excellent printing speed. It takes very little time to print out black only and color documents in bulk, but printing photos can take up significantly more time. It's worth noting that the printer is set to perform duplex printing by default, so it needs to be disabled if you only want to print on one side of the paper. If you want a printer with faster printing speed or larger input trays, check out the HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553dn.
The HP M479fdw has two front paper trays that support most paper formats up to the standard legal size. The first tray can hold 50 sheets while the second tray can hold 250, and both can extend to accommodate various paper sizes. An additional third tray can be purchased separately, holding another 550 sheets of paper.
The HP M479fdw has okay color accuracy. The colors are still inaccurate and noticeable for most people, but it's fine if you're just printing casually. However, it isn't suitable for professionals working in print media.
The HP M479fdw has excellent connectivity options. You can connect via your router's Wi-Fi or through the printer's, as it has support for Wi-Fi direct. There's a USB input that allows you to print directly from external storage devices, but unfortunately, we weren't able to connect to the printer using Bluetooth, even though it's advertised as having support for it.
The HP Smart app is decent. It allows you to scan directly from the app at a 300dpi resolution, as well as run maintenance tasks such as color calibration, and perform print quality reports. You can also print or copy documents, and send mobile faxes too. If you want a similar printer with an app that prints Microsoft Office files, check out the Canon imageCLASS MF644Cdw.