HP LaserJet MFP M140w Review: Conditional Buy (7.9/10)
A 90% “would recommend” rate on Best Buy sets an aggressive expectation—and it’s exactly the kind of expectation that makes the rough edges stand out. HP LaserJet MFP M140w Wireless All‑in‑One Printer (Renewed, White) earns a conditional thumbs-up for people who want small, sharp black-and-white prints with simple scanning, but it’s not a “set it and forget it” experience for everyone. Verdict: Conditional buy — 7.9/10.
Quick Verdict
Conditional. Yes if you want a compact monochrome laser for documents and occasional scanning/copying. No if you need trouble-free paper handling, automatic duplex, or flexibility on toner.
| What stands out | Evidence from user feedback | Who it’s best for |
|---|---|---|
| Easy setup (often) | Best Buy: “the set up was easy with excellent instructions.” | Home offices, non-technical users |
| Compact footprint | Best Buy: “the small size is perfect for the small space i had available.” | Small desks, tight workspaces |
| Strong text print quality | Best Buy: “very clear printing.” | Forms, invoices, homework |
| Fast enough for basic needs | Best Buy: “prints very quickly.” | Light-to-moderate document printing |
| Paper handling frustrations | PcComponentes: “more than 20 sheets remain stuck…”; Best Buy: “paper jams” | Anyone printing longer batches |
| No auto duplex | Official specs: “Duplex printing: no” (HP Support) | People okay flipping pages manually |
| Third-party toner blocking concerns | HP/Amazon disclose chip restrictions; PcComponentes: “they… prevent you from… toners third party.” | Budget buyers sensitive to toner costs |
Claims vs Reality
HP and retailer listings repeatedly frame this printer as tiny, fast, and “easy.” Digging deeper into user stories, that’s often true—especially when the goal is straightforward black-and-white documents in a cramped space. But the same “small and simple” design can also be the reason some buyers run into paper-feed quirks and workflow limits that don’t show up in marketing bullets.
Claim #1: “Seamless set up” and “easy setup.”
A recurring pattern emerged across retailer feedback: many owners really do experience a painless start. A Best Buy reviewer described the onboarding in plain terms: “the set up was easy with excellent instructions.” Another focused on how quickly the printer became visible to devices: “once i set up the wireless connection… all my devices can see the printer to send print jobs via airprint.” For a home-office user juggling laptop and phone, that “AirPrint works” story matters more than any spec sheet.
But “easy setup” isn’t the whole story for everyone. Some owners imply the process is decent, yet not perfect: one Best Buy reviewer called it “relatively straight forward” but added “the set up and usage has room for improvement.” On the Spanish retailer PcComponentes, another recurring theme appears: initial configuration may require the app—“you must download its application to configure it initially”—which can feel less “seamless” for people who want a purely driver-and-USB setup.
Claim #2: “Fast printing” (up to ~21 ppm).
Official materials and listings emphasize speed—HP highlights “get print speeds up to 21/20 ppm” (HP product page), and HP Support lists similar expectations. User stories partially back this up in everyday use. A Best Buy reviewer wrote: “prints very quickly, very quiet compared to my previous laser printer,” framing speed as a noticeable upgrade from older gear. Another user celebrating daily practicality described “super fast copies and printing,” tying speed to real tasks like copying and sending scans.
Yet the gap shows up when “fast” collides with feeding paper in larger batches. On PcComponentes, one buyer said short runs were fine—“for printing 5–8 sheets… it continues well”—but longer jobs triggered trouble: “to send 20 sheets… the sheets remain stuck… errors of jam.” In other words, the engine may be quick, but the experience can slow down if paper handling becomes the bottleneck.
Claim #3: “Reliable connectivity” and “wireless with self-reset.”
Retail summaries (Walmart) and HP messaging push wireless convenience, and several users celebrate phone printing. One Best Buy owner said they were “so excited to be able to print off of both my laptop and my phone,” which speaks to the core “small team / small household” promise. On PcComponentes, another buyer reported early stability: “the Wi‑Fi connection for the moment without problem.”
Still, “reliable” gets complicated around ecosystem requirements and supplies policy. HP and Amazon disclose that the printer “is intended to work only with cartridges with original HP chips or circuitry and will block cartridges using non‑HP chips” (Amazon listing). That policy becomes a lived experience in the feedback: a PcComponentes reviewer complained that “they… prevent you from… using third‑party toners,” tying “reliability” to the feeling of being locked into branded supplies.
Cross-Platform Consensus
Universally Praised
The most consistent praise lands in three buckets: compact size, crisp black-and-white text output, and “it just works” for straightforward home-office routines. Digging deeper into user reports, the common thread is not power-user features—it’s relief. People who print infrequently, hate dried-out ink, or need a small footprint keep telling the same kind of story: this laser setup solves a specific headache.
Compact design is the easiest win to document because users repeatedly connect size to a real constraint: limited space. A Best Buy reviewer wrote: “the small size is perfect for the small space i had available,” which reads like someone fitting it into an already-crowded desk setup. Another framed it as “compact and out of the way,” suggesting the printer lives nearby without dominating the room. On PcComponentes, one buyer echoed the surprise factor: “I was pleasantly surprised by its size, it is really small,” and made the implication explicit—small enough for home where a multifunction device might otherwise feel bulky.
Print quality for documents also shows up as a practical, everyday benefit. Best Buy users describe output as “very clear printing” and “high quality printing,” language that aligns with the expectation for forms, reports, and homework. Consumer Reports testing reinforces that the device “prints black‑and‑white text with excellent quality,” which helps explain why users who mostly print text are satisfied. For a home office printing invoices or a student printing assignments, “clear text every time” is the whole product.
Toner as an antidote to ink drying is another strong theme for low-frequency users. One Best Buy reviewer explained their context: retired and printing only “a few times during a year,” but with inkjet they had to “get the ink going” each time; with toner, “the problem is solved.” This isn’t just preference—it’s a workflow fix for people who print sporadically and want the printer to behave the same in month one and month six.
After those narratives, the praise tends to cluster into a few repeatable takeaways:
- Small footprint is repeatedly called “compact” and “perfect” for tight spaces (Best Buy; PcComponentes).
- Text printing is described as “clear” and “high quality,” matching lab-style praise for text output (Best Buy; Consumer Reports).
- Toner-based printing is valued by infrequent printers who don’t want dried ink problems (Best Buy).
Common Complaints
Where the tone changes is paper handling and “basic limitations” that become painful in specific workflows. A recurring pattern emerged: the printer may be quick and crisp when everything feeds correctly, but some users describe batch jobs that turn into jam-clearing sessions. That risk is especially relevant for people printing 20+ pages at a time—exactly the kind of job a small business might do.
On PcComponentes, one complaint reads like a threshold problem: “for printing 5–8 sheets… it continues well, but to send 20 sheets… they remain stuck,” followed by “errors of jam.” That’s a concrete story of productivity derailing mid-task. Best Buy’s review summary also notes “issues with paper jams and the lack of a traditional paper tray,” which fits with several users wishing for a drawer-style tray rather than the current setup.
The second cluster of complaints is scanning workflow friction, especially for anyone hoping to batch-scan multiple documents into PDFs. A PcComponentes reviewer described it bluntly: “scanning multiple documents to PDF fails,” and added that the device sometimes “detects well and many times… does not scan multiple PDFs.” For someone digitizing paperwork—insurance forms, receipts, school documents—this isn’t a minor annoyance; it changes whether the device can replace a dedicated scanner.
Finally, there’s an undercurrent around supplies cost and lock-in. While HP and Amazon explicitly disclose the cartridge chip policy, the user frustration shows up as lived reality: “there are no generic cartridges and the brand ones are very expensive” (PcComponentes). Another user went further, criticizing third‑party toner blocking: “they… prevent you from… using third‑party toners.” For budget-sensitive buyers—especially those drawn to “renewed” pricing—ongoing toner rules can become the bigger cost story.
After those narratives, the recurring complaints consolidate like this:
- Paper feeding and “tray” design complaints, including jams on larger jobs (PcComponentes; Best Buy summary).
- Multi-page PDF scanning inconsistency for document-heavy users (PcComponentes).
- High-cost or restricted toner ecosystem concerns (PcComponentes; Amazon disclosure).
Divisive Features
The most divisive theme is the setup ecosystem: some people love the guided app experience, others resent needing it. Walmart’s summary leans into this: “the Smart app guiding you to connect and start printing,” and multiple Best Buy users describe setup as easy. For a phone-first household, the app becomes part of the convenience story—printing from a laptop and phone feels modern and frictionless when it works.
But on the other side, app dependence can be viewed as a hurdle rather than help. A PcComponentes reviewer called out that “you must download its application to configure it initially.” That’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it’s a clear “know before you buy” point for users who want the old-school USB-and-driver approach.
The second divisive point is “basic” by design. Several users celebrate that simplicity—“good basic printer” and “basic, no colored inks to deal with” (Best Buy). But the same minimalism is a limitation for others, especially around paper handling and the absence of automatic duplex. Official specs are unambiguous: “Duplex printing: no” (HP Support). For people printing contracts or school packets, manual double-sided printing is a tolerable compromise; for high-volume duplex needs, it’s a hard stop.
Trust & Reliability
The provided Trustpilot dataset is not actually Trustpilot reviews—it repeats Consumer Reports editorial testing content rather than verified consumer posts. Treating it as a signal of “scam concerns” would be misleading, because there are no identifiable Trustpilot user stories in the data.
For durability narratives, the closest long-term ownership story appears in Best Buy feedback. One user reported repeat purchasing with longevity implied: “this is the second time i’ve bought this product… four years later that one is still working.” That kind of “still running years later” anecdote is exactly what cautious buyers look for in a renewed printer—evidence that the underlying model can last when used as intended.
At the same time, reliability isn’t universal. On PcComponentes, a frustrated owner described a different reality: “it only gives errors… you spend a lot of time trying to print/scan until it finally works.” The investigative takeaway is that reliability depends heavily on the specific workflow: light document printing and occasional scanning versus larger print batches and repeated multi-document scans.
Alternatives
No direct competitor printer models are mentioned in the provided community data, so there isn’t a grounded way to compare against named alternatives without inventing context. The only “alternative” that shows up implicitly is the category shift some users make: moving from inkjet to monochrome laser to avoid dried ink. As one Best Buy reviewer put it, replacing an ink printer solved the “ink going” problem: “with the use of toner, the problem is solved.”
Price & Value
The price story is unusually wide across platforms, which matters for a renewed purchase. Consumer Reports pegged the purchase price at about “$170” at the time of its page update, while Best Buy shows a common retail price around “$139.99” (with prior pricing higher). Walmart lists “$129.00” at the time captured. On the resale side, an auction listing shows it “sold… $50.02” (BidFTA), and a restored eBay listing shows “$109.99” used.
That spread suggests value depends on timing and condition: renewed/refurb deals can approach the “used market” sweet spot, but retail pricing sometimes competes closely with refurbished listings. Community stories also add a second layer to value: supplies and policy. HP/Amazon explicitly warn about chip restrictions, and users complain about toner pricing—“brand ones are very expensive” (PcComponentes)—so the “cheap printer” can become “expensive printing” if you print a lot and can’t shop around for cartridges.
Practical buying tips implied by feedback:
- If you print rarely, toner’s “no drying out” benefit can outweigh higher cartridge prices (Best Buy).
- If you print in bigger batches, pay attention to paper handling complaints and consider testing with 20+ page jobs early (PcComponentes).
- Renewed pricing can be attractive, but compare against local/auction resale ranges that can dip much lower (BidFTA; eBay).
FAQ
Q: Is the HP LaserJet MFP M140w easy to set up on Wi‑Fi and phones?
A: Often yes, based on retailer reviews. A Best Buy reviewer said “the set up was easy with excellent instructions,” and another reported AirPrint visibility across devices. Some users still note app dependence—PcComponentes feedback says you “must download its application to configure it initially.”
Q: Does it print double-sided automatically?
A: No. HP’s official specifications list “Duplex printing: no,” meaning automatic two-sided printing isn’t supported. Users who need duplex can still flip pages manually, but for duplex-heavy work (contracts, packets), that limitation can slow down your workflow.
Q: Is print quality good for text documents?
A: Yes, that’s one of the most consistent positives. Best Buy reviewers praise “very clear printing” and “high quality printing,” and Consumer Reports says it prints black-and-white text with “excellent quality.” It’s repeatedly framed as ideal for forms, reports, and homework.
Q: Are paper jams a real issue?
A: For some owners, yes—especially on longer runs. PcComponentes includes a report that small jobs work but around “20 sheets” can “remain stuck” with jam errors. Best Buy’s review summary also references “issues with paper jams” and complaints about the paper tray design.
Q: Can you use third-party toner cartridges?
A: Official listings warn about restrictions. Amazon states it’s intended to work only with cartridges using “original HP chips or circuitry” and will block non‑HP chips, with firmware updates maintaining these measures. A PcComponentes reviewer complained they “prevent” the use of “third‑party toners.”
Final Verdict
Buy if you’re a home user or small-office document printer who values a compact monochrome laser, sharp text, and toner that won’t dry out—especially if your jobs are modest and you’re happy with print/scan/copy basics. Avoid if you routinely print larger batches where paper feeding becomes the bottleneck, or if you need automatic duplex and flexible low-cost third‑party supplies. Pro tip from the community: if you print only a few times a year, toner can be the difference between “fighting the printer” and “the problem is solved” (Best Buy reviewer).
