Have you ever wondered what the letters on your printer actually mean? Or if you are shopping for one but you are confused by the long name with a mix of alphabet letters on every printer name.
The laser printer industry has developed an easy-to-understand code that is included in each printer model name to help consumers to quickly identify which features are included with each printer model. All those little alphabet letters mixed with numbers do have actual meaning.
Below is a quick rundown on most commonly used symbols and what they actually mean.
C – The C means that the printer is a colour laser printer. This letter can be a bit redundant since most manufacturers list colour as part of the product name, such as HP Colour LaserJet Enterprise CP4525dn.
M or B – The M or B means monochrome laser printers. These printers only print in black and white. The Samsung ProXpress M3320nd is an example of a laser printer that uses the M to denote that it is a monochrome printer.
d – The d stands for duplexing, which means automatic 2-sided printing. Duplexing is the ability to print on both sides of the paper. A laser printer that has a d in its name will automatically flip the paper and print on the other side, such as HP Colour LaserJet Enterprise M553dn.
n – The lowercase letter n in a product name means that it has networking capabilities, such as HP Colour LaserJet Enterprise M553dn. Networking allows multiple computers to connect to the same laser printer through the use of cables and a router.
w – The w stands for wireless. This means you can network multiple users to the same laser printer, such as the HP LaserJet Pro M102w, without the need for cables.
t – The t indicates that the laser printer has a second paper tray. All printers have input tray that holds the copy paper as it waits to be grabbed and used. A printer’s mode code with a t means it has extra input tray that comes standard.
f – The f stands for fax. This means the printer has a fax option.
x – The x also known as dtn, which has duplex, extra-tray and networking. Some manufacturers use a single x.
MFP – Multifunction printer or sometimes called MFC, Multifunction Centre/Multifunction Copier, which can print, copy, fax, and scan.
It is worth noting that most of these letters can be used by branded printers in either lower case or upper case.
Now that you know most of the meaning of those little letters, you will be able to recognise the features of a laser printer at a glance. Those little letters are a big help in determining which laser printer you need for your business or home when you go shopping.
