I got a new toy… the HP Photosmart C7280
One of those “all-in-one” devices… I find myself (working remotely) more and more printing, signing, and sending back documents… so I figured I’d get myself something nice for that and for photos. It has been doing a fantastic job.
The short
Printer get’s a 4/5 from me… if it were $200, I’d say 5/5. The features are fantastic and it is working out really well…
Pros
- The photo prints are really good. I don’t have any comparison data, but they are fantastic
- The color cartridges are separated by color, meaning I don’t have to throw out the whole cartridge if one color dries up.
- It’s set up on the wireless… 802.11g. Networked printing over wireless out of the box!
- It has an ADF (automatic document feeder) for scanning / copying.
- The OS X driver package is the best third party driver software! Everything is a separate app (scanning, printing, etc) so I don’t have to load up a monster application to do one small thing.
- Basic driver support for Vista and XP. Meaning I don’t have to use their stupid software for other computers.
- Works over Bonjour!
- Scans to preview, apple mail, and desktop.
- Works for scanning, copying, and printing pictures without a PC. You can save and read pictures right off of the multiple cards it accepts.
- Nice LCD screen, easy to navigate and create pictures / albums / print sheets from the menu.
- One click everything
Cons
- The thing is massive, but it’s an all in one… so I can’t complain!
- The color cartridges are separated by color, meaning that I have to buy them one at a time. Luckily there’s a combo pack for only $45 for all of the colors.
- The Mac Driver is 490mb… that’s insane.
- No basic driver support for OS X
- Finally the price. It’s $250… it’s not bad but it’s not good either.
- No Power Saving feature… this thing is either on (LCD + lights) or it’s “off” (consumes power but is unresponsive)… or it’s “really off” (unplugged)
Hope you enjoyed the information… if you’re looking for a very good “do everything” printer, this might be your choice!