HP LaserJet M1536dnf vs M227fdn vs M426dn: Small-Office All-in-Ones Compared

An all-in-one (MFP) replaces a printer, a scanner, a photocopier and a fax with one machine, which is why it is the most common office purchase we make recommendations for. HP's small-office MFPs all look alike on a listing, so this guide compares the mono models we stock — M1522nf, M1536dnf, M227fdn and M426dn — and the colour M276n, M277n and M281fdn on the things that matter day to day.

Mono all-in-ones compared

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdn: the value pick

The M227fdn does everything a small office asks — print, scan, copy and fax, automatic two-sided printing, a 35-sheet document feeder and Ethernet — at 28 ppm with a 30,000-page duty cycle. Its trick is the split supply: a 30A/30X toner cartridge and a separate 32A drum rated for about 23,000 pages, so you replace only toner most of the time. At about PKR 33,000 it is the MFP we recommend most for shops, clinics and offices of up to ten people.

HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf: the familiar one

The M1536dnf has the same feature list — duplex, 35-sheet ADF, fax, Ethernet — but it is an older design with a smaller 8,000-page duty cycle and uses the 78A cartridge with no high-yield option. It is best at 500–2,000 pages a month. Choose it if your office already runs 78A toner (the P1606dn uses the same cartridge) or you prefer its simple button interface.

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M426dn: for a busy office

The M426dn is a different class: 38 ppm, a 50-sheet feeder for scanning and copying stacks unattended, Gigabit Ethernet, a colour touch screen, scan-to-email and scan-to-folder, and an 80,000-page duty cycle. It uses the same 26A/26X toner as the M402dne, and the 9,000-page 26X brings cost per page right down. The 'dn' model has no fax; if you print more than 2,000 pages a month or several people scan daily, it is worth the extra money.

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M428fdn: the M426's successor

The M428fdn (about PKR 80,000) keeps the M426's 38 ppm and 80,000-page duty cycle and adds two things offices notice: a single-pass duplex document feeder that scans both sides of a page at once, and fax. It uses the same cartridge family as the M404dn — 59A/59X or 76A/76X depending on the unit's sales region, so confirm which before buying toner. There is no Wi-Fi on the fdn. Choose it over the M426dn when the office scans double-sided documents every day.

HP LaserJet M1522nf: the budget all-in-one

At about PKR 27,000 the M1522nf gives you print, scan, copy, fax, a 50-sheet feeder and a network port for the price of a plain printer. It prints both sides manually and uses the small 36A cartridge, so it suits a chamber, clinic or home office printing a few hundred pages a month.

Colour all-in-ones: M276n vs M277n vs M281fdn

All three print, scan, copy and fax in colour over a network. The M276n is the cheapest way into a colour laser MFP but the slowest. The M277n is faster with a larger feeder. The M281fdn is the newest and the only one with automatic duplex, which matters if you print colour reports double-sided. Colour laser toner costs more per page than mono, so if colour is occasional, a mono MFP plus an ink tank can be cheaper — see our colour laser guide.

Which one should you buy?

• Small office or shop, up to about 1,500 pages a month → M227fdn.
• Office already on 78A toner, or light use → M1536dnf.
• Busy office, heavy scanning, 2,000+ pages a month → M426dn; double-sided originals and fax → M428fdn.
• Tight budget, a few hundred pages a month, fax needed → M1522nf.
• Colour documents regularly → M281fdn; occasional colour → M277n.
• Copy-shop volumes or A3 → see HP enterprise MFPs compared.