Nearly perfect, but has serious problems with some labels
Written: Mar 04 '01 (Updated Jan 11 '02)
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Pros: resolution and color that rivals dye-sublimation printers.
Cons: nearly self-destructs when trying to print Avery videotape labels & t-shirt transfers
The Bottom Line: For photo prints, it's pretty impressive. If printing on very pliant, flexible types of paper (labels, t-shirt-transfers) is important, you probably should consider another printer.
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| sfbriarpatch's Full Review: Hewlett Packard PhotoSmart 1218 Inkjet Printer |
The printer is very quiet and fast. It's color calibration is much better than average i.e. the color of your prints will be amazingly close to what you see on your computer screen. The resolution is outstanding (1200x2400 dpi) and the photos you can produce are worth comparing to Kodak prints. However, the results you get are VERY dependent on the type of paper you use for your print. Avery Glossy paper produces dull color and muddy, clotted, almost gray blacks. HP glossy photo paper, on the other hand, produces prints that almost - but not quite - have the "looking through glass" clarity and color accuracy of a Kodak print.
THE BIG PROBLEM we are having with the 1218 is that it VERY NEARLY SELF-DESTRUCTS when trying to print on Avery 5198, 5199, & 8997 videotape labels, as well as Avery t-shirt transfer sheets. MOST OF THE TIME, the sheets of Avery labels get severely mangled and/or TORN IN HALF by the Photosmart 1218 printer. One printing attempt resulted in a piece of plastic being broken off inside the printer - what effect this will have is unknown. My tests suggest that the Avery videotape labels are too flexible and pliable. It's very easy for them to fold / distort / catch / jam when passing through the printer. We asked HP about this, but they were VERY reserved and evasive when discussing this design vulnerability and they have never offered any solutions. (Avery, the people who make the labels & transfer sheets, *is* concerned and is doing research on the problem.) It's a great printer in every other way, and it would be really really hard to not choose it again. HOWEVER, if getting top-quality videotape labels was our main priority, we might not have had any other choice but to choose another printer.
(Update: We found a workaround: use double-stick tape and attach a standard sheet of paper to the back of the label sheet to make it stiffer. Remove other paper from the tray before feeding label sheet into printer.)
In spite of this potentially serious flaw, since we were able to find a workaround, I still rate this printer "Excellent".
The fact that some types of labels can cause this thing to damage itself is a design vulnerability that all prospective buyers should be aware of.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
sfbriarpatch
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Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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