BACK WHEN MONaD chrome laser prices were well into four D figures, a lot of people called the ink jet-then a fledgling technology-the poor man's laser. I haven't heard that description in a long time-not since ink jets shoved dot matrix printers into a nearly forgotten niche. But with ink jets like the HP Officejet Pro K5400dtn Color Printer, it may be time to take the phrase out of retirement.

The K5400dtn is part of the K5400 series, which is built around the base model K5400. The other models are the K5400tn and the K5400dtn that I tested. The "tn" model adds a network connector and a 350-sheet input tray to the 250-sheet tray in the base model; the "dtn" model also adds duplexing to print on both sides of the page. Since all the models are basically the same printer with different options added, all of our quality and performance results apply to all three models.

My overwhelming conclusion from our tests is that the series can stand toe to toe with color lasers in the sub-$500 range. The K5400dtn's speed is well into laser territory. Its output quality is comparable with that oflasers. The paper capacity for the two models is higher than for most sub-$500 lasers. At 1.5 cents for a black-and-white page and 6.0 cents for a color page, the claimed cost per page is extraordinarily low for an ink jet or inexpensive laser. All of this makes the K5400 series the ... ahem ... poor man's color laser, and a good cboice for a small office or busy home office.

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However, the HP Officejet Pro K5400dtn Color Printer's minor short comings in quality, compared with a color laser, need to be weighed against its low price. Its overall quality and laser-class speed and paper handling are enough to warrant consideration if you were thinking about buying a low-cost color laser. And for anyone on a tight budget, the K5400dtn is a good choice as a color laser substitute. In fact, it's our new Editors' Choice for a budget priced, small-office color printer.