HP Fax 1010: An Acceptable but Expensive Fax Option.
Written: Nov 23 '03 (Updated Nov 23 '03)
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Pros: Small footprint, easy to find ink cartridges, integrated phone handset, speaker, speed dial options.
Cons: Price, ink cartridge price, print quality average, scan quality average
The Bottom Line: A decent machine if all you need to do is fax materials here and there but better options especially if you need more than a fax machine.
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| yusakugo's Full Review: Hewlett Packard 1010 Plain Paper Inkjet Fax |
After the loss of a really old Sharp thermal paper fax machine at my parent's office, they wanted a simple easy to use fax machine that took up little space and was meant for occassional use. I didn't want them to go back to thermal and ribbon inks and they were hesitant to move into the more expensive laser based fax machines. That left a small niche to choose from since price was a factor.
The HP Fax 1010 was purchased from OfficeDepot.com for $93 with shipping and handling and tax included ($3.20 off through ebates.com included). I also got an extra number 20 ink cartridge in the package as well... this was a new Fax 1010 unit! Needless to say, it will be almost impossible to obtain this price again in the near future. I got this price from OfficeDepot.com on a coupon fluke! You can look at my epinion The Art of Buying... Getting your money's worth!
to find my tips on obtaining good deals through the internet.
Run and Gun... The Short Take
The HP Fax 1010 fit the needs of my parents decently enough but has some glaring weaknesses. The good points (PROS) are that:
1) the unit has a small footprint compared to other inkjet based fax solutions (mostly because other solutions are all-in-one units)
2) integrated corded phone handset, clear loudspeaker on the unit (not a speakerphone however!)
3) good sized internal memory (up to 40 pages) if you ran out of paper
4) ink cartridges are easy to find for the unit
5) a multitude of fax sending and receiving options including a decent sized room for speed dialing (up to 50 numbers).
The bad points (CONS) include:
1) Expensive unit for occassional fax use
2) Expensive unit maintenance with heavy fax reception use
3) Average to above average print quality
4) Average to above average scan quality
5) Unacceptable to Poor quality for copy function if original is more complicated than plain text or plain text with simple diagrams.
6) poor greyscale printing
The Specs
The HP Fax 1010 has dimensions of 14.7x13.4x10.6 inches with a decent weight of 7.5 lbs. Overall a fairly compact unit in a decent black casing. All of the buttons are on the front of the unit with a one line LCD display. The corded handset does not have any buttons/keypad on it... the keypad is on the main unit. Note that the 1010 has a loudspeaker but does not have a built in microphone for speakerphone operation.
You're not getting shortchanged on any of the fax features, the HP Fax 1010 is a full featured fax machine with all the trimmings from numerous speed dial locations, broadcast fax settings, and more. The machine is a sheetfed scanner so the maximum document size is 8.5x14 inches. Only 10 sheets fit into the ADF. The input tray holds 50 sheets of plain paper. There is no paper output tray. The unit is a complete stand alone solution and does not accept any PC input.
Strangely enough if you look at the numbers, the HP Fax 1010 has a couple of oddities. The copier scan and print quality is rated at a weak 200x200 dpi. The fax quality is much better. The printer has three available resolutions of Standard, Fine, and Super Fine which rates 98x203, 196x203, and 392x203 dpi respectively. The printer mechanism seems to be based on the older DeskJet 6xx series printers (and the older DeskJet 300-340 line printers) since the same black ink cartridge is used. The 1010 should be capable of 600x300 dpi prints based on the capabilities of the DeskJet last 6xx series printers.
Fax
The 1010 does have auto answering capabilities that works well with an answering machine hooked into the system. When the answering machine picks up, the 1010 is still monitoring the line. Fax quality is more than acceptable and usually clear in sending and receiving. Overall, a solid fax machine.
Copier?
The 1010 is a B&W copier only! However, copy quality was downright awful. There is little recognition of grayscale tones and quality is blotchy at best. The copier functions seem an afterthough in the unit at best.
Cost and Final Thoughts
Note that the retail price of the HP Fax 1010 is $129 with a starter #20 ink cartridge included (prints much less pages than the standard #20). Since the 1010 unit is best for low to moderate use, the initial cost of the unit might be considered prohibitive for some especially against some of the real bargain basement choices from Sharp and Brother that may go as low as $39.99 at Staples! The occassional faxer may want to consider the bargain basement units over the HP Fax 1010.
The more frequent fax users may want to consider an all-in-one machine that costs a bit more (unless the handset is a major desire)... like the OfficeJet 5510 with is $199 with an automatic sheet feeder, printer, scanner, copier, and fax capabilities. Depends on how many bells and whistles you want in the machine.
Don't forget the #20 cartridge costs $29.99 on its own. The cartridge is rated by HP for 455 pages at 5% coverage of a 8.5 x 11 pages.
Overall, it is hard to justify where the HP Fax 1010 belongs on a list... it may be easier if the Fax 1010 had a MSRP of under $100. The fax capabilities are above average but the copier quality is definitely below average to average quality. Unless you need a plain paper fax machine and nothing else, it is hard to justify spending this much money for this unit when better more useful multifunction color units exist for a little more money.
Recommended:
No
Purchase Price (if leased, monthly payment): 93
Machine age (Months in use): 1 month
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yusakugo
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Member: Rich Go
Location: Somewhere in the NorthEast
Reviews written: 399
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Losing Sleep and Lacking Time... sigh...
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