HP Printer, PhotoSmart: First of a Series (10/04/2001)
Written: Apr 21 '00 (Updated Oct 04 '01)
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Pros: Quiet, Fast, Reads "Memory Cards" (not Sony Memory sticks) directly, Works well on inexpensive paper.
Cons: Win 98 Incompatible out of the box, Ink is too expensive.
The Bottom Line: This excellent color printer produces very good output. Not recommended without USB Port. For home and hobby users only. SOHO, use HP-4550 Color Laser.
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| ASourdough4's Full Review: Hewlett Packard PhotoSmart p1000 Ink-jet Printer |
BULLETINS
04Oct2001 Updating to note that the HP P-1000 Color Printer is very much adapted to (and, obviously, designed for) newer PC Equipment, especially that with USB ports. The first difference noted will be easy installation, the next will be a vast increase in printing speed. Forced to buy a new one on July 4, 2001, we now have a PC with a fast processor and USB Ports. If you follow suit, it will eliminate all problems encountered with this product when trying to use it on a Parallel Port.
Color is a luxury that one should consider with great care and prudence. Newer large volume cartridges are available but the cost to reload with new ones, $110, is extortionate.
If you are exhausting ink on a monthly basis; Consider the HP 4550 Color Laser Printer, a vastly more economical choice. For proof, See:
http://www.epinions.com/user-lizabryant
04OCT2001 Revisiting, this printer is still on the shelf after 22 Months, HP apparently deciding to stay with a winner and the price $200.
18NOV2000 Noted that this printer, on "Closeout" a month prior, had reappeared on the shelf at Best Buy. $200
New printer information:
HEWLETT PACKARD has added the 1215-1218 Models to the PhotoSmart Line. (There is evidence that the HP 1215 may be discontinued - perhaps an unneeded duplication?
NOTE: Recent need to print text only documents reminds me to mention that this printer is remarkably fast for this use. To conserve the costly color inks, one may print mixed text/color documents (such as this "Epinion")in Grayscale. Print density can be adjusted to suit FAX or COPY uses. Try Print- Properties- Advanced.
WHY DID WE BUY THIS ITEM?
In January 2000, we found an affordable Digital Camera and, just like that, we became interested in printed image quality as well. Further, the camera (HP PhotoSmart C200) was being promoted with an offer of a $100 rebate if one purchased the printer on display with it. One or the other would save us $100. The convincing feature of the "PhotoSmart" P-1000 had a lot to do with the Camera. It could read something new to us called a CompactFlash Memory Card. It was the more durable of the two types being manufactured by SanDisk. Its 8MB capacity meant that we could take as many as 80 pictures before downloading them to ....what? A PRINTER, OF COURSE! What? No cable to the PC? No, the printer had been built with two slots for both types of these marvelous memory devices. No cables! Free at last! We paid Office Depot and took our prize along with us to Target; where we got a good deal on the camera.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM BUYING THIS ITEM?
Anyone who wants freedom from the perplexing business of using a serial port and cable to transfer images to a PC would love this combination. Pop that memory card out of your camera and insert it into the printer slot. The printer begins reading the card; detects how many images are on it and waits for your command.
Which should be: PRINT. That's what it says right over the green button. And it does. A handy index of thumbnail images is produced. Each image is identified by a random filename and a serial number.
Let's adjourn, for a few minutes, to the living room. The camera came with a 16 foot cable that plugs into a video port on the VHS or TV set. Instantly, the images can be previewed, one at a time or a dozen at a time. The user, sitting across the room thanks to the long cable, can identify the really good images and delete the poor ones using the controls on the camera. So, 80 images may become a selection of, say 27. Now, let's get back to the Printer. Where is the PC? Well, you don't need it. You can print the selected image(s) on 8 1/2 or 4 x 6 photo paper. A small LCD window gives the user instructions to follow.
We recommend transferring to the PC right after the Index pages are completed. Then you can erase the memory card and free it for use in the camera. HOW? Push the blue "SAVE" button on the printer. An on-screen dialogue box appears on the Monitor. Click on OK and the transfer process begins. It takes about 15 seconds per image (with our 200MhZ processor).
Once the images are in the PC, they can be edited and archived. One can crop or resize them or simply store them for future use. Not all of us are able to discern the reason for cropping and not all of us can bear to delete any part of a snapshot. "Look, Daddy has a tree growing out of his head..." - cropping can turn a disaster into a photograph. Similar repairs can be made to correct exposure errors. Then one can print those edited images.
Image printing is an avoidable thing. The entire idea behind digital photography is to do away with those shoe boxes full of prints. Nevertheless, one can print photo images and the PhotoSmart P-1000 does a very good job of it. We use it primarily for text and for Greeting Cards by Hallmark. I have a practice website that needs reference copies of the pages - those are very good copies.
Printing with the PhotoSmart P-1000 has a drawback. It uses ink. Ink comes in cartridges. Cartridges cost a lot of money. The printer comes out of the box with a standard capacity Tri-Color and a so-called "Economy" Black one (both are partially filled). New ones cost either $61 or $108 depending upon your choice.
If you expect to print in color every day, you should consider moving up to a COLOR LASER PRINTER. The initial higher price can be offset by the more economical toner packs.
OTHER FEATURES:
The PhotoSmart P-1000 comes with ports for USB or Parallel connectors. USB requires Windows 98; an Operating System not recommended for older PC models with Windows 95. IEEE 1284 Parallel or USB Cable not supplied; the user provides the cable type appropriate to the PC
I do not recommend upgrading to Win 98 after installing the PhotoSmart P-1000 because it will cause a terrific amount of trouble for you. Be sensible, avoid Win 98 or Win 98 SE, be happy with the parallel connections. If your PC came with Win 98 SE or the new Win Me, you should have no problems installing this printer.
The PhotoSmart P-1000 has an optional device that automates double sided printing - price was $50, it is a small convenience if it is necessary. With this device, the PhotoSmart P-1000 becomes a PhotoSmart P-1100.
We have been using the PhotoSmart P-1000 for nearly 14 months now. I have been on the lookout for any problems at all but all is well and has been for several months. The installation problems incurred that dominated my earlier review of this product were Microsoft related and have been resolved, albeit with much effort. We were obliged to purchase a revised driver on CD from HP. $12. This new driver requires an "electronic" check of the connection to the PC. An inverted yellow triangle appears in the "TRAY". Don't start printing without it or your document will very likely be spoiled by an interruption. This is an unpredictable nuisance for which I am obliged to demote the printer by one star (to 3 or Average).
The control panel display has proven to be a lot of fun. The user is asked about paper size, two-side printing, photo quality paper, which images to download and other things. The answers are pretty straightforward: YES or NO buttons are provided. There is a prominently located and lighted on/off switch. We were happy to see that HP had elected to include the new, wider and better paper handling rollers in the PhotoSmart P-1000; otherwise we would not have purchased it. The paper never jams (small envelopes do - be careful, avoid ANY envelope wider than 4 1/8" wide - for some reason, many greeting card envelopes are 2/8" wider - .)
The control panel on the PhotoSmart P-1000 includes lenses for infra-red transfer of images. I have not tested it but some cameras come with the supporting capability - it sounds like a good idea because it would eliminate the Memory Card. That is, if the camera power supply holds out. Newer NiMH rechargeable batteries are capable of handling these increased loads.
The only problem encountered has been with the downloading to PC function. Now and then, there is a "hiccup" that breaks the transfer of data and it stops. I would reinsert the Memory Card and try again. It never happens a second time.
INCIDENTALLY:
We have been able to use the new digital camera and the P1000 printer with an ancient (1996) Pentium 100, upgraded with a 200 MHZ overdrive, 48 MB of RAM, 1 GB Hard drive and a 2 GB second hard drive. As I already said, we were happy with Win 95 and bitterly regret upgrading to Win 98 SE.
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Word Count = 1,348
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400 now $200
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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ASourdough4
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Member: Maurice McDonell
Location: Above Beautiful Napa Valley
Reviews written: 200
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About Me:
July-2009 Gone to the Wide World of Wireless. Still reading and rating. Mostly elsewhere.
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