Wireless All-In-Wonder!
Written: Oct 12 '04
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Pros: Networking ability. Fax capability.
Cons: Setup can be tricky. It isn't cheap to buy.
The Bottom Line: If you need the ability to fax, like to print digital images and have a home network, this could be the answer for you!
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| skipcar's Full Review: Hewlett Packard PSC 2510 Thermal Inkjet Multifunc... |
Backstory
About a year ago, our previous printer (HP882C) stopped printing color properly. It was a serious pain because we take tons of digital photos of our children. We kept thinking that we'd get a new printer sooner or later. Well, it turned out to be later.
A couple months ago, my wife and I finally said enough was enough...we needed something new and it had to have the ability to print high-quality photos. I began looking for just such a printer. Being a skeptic of All-In-One printers, I focused on a typical color inkjet printer. It was at this point that my wife pointed out that she wanted a fax machine. She plans to eventually work from home at least part of the time and she said a fax machine would be necessary.
Well, I was now faced with buying both a printer AND a fax. This would mean having to find a place for the fax on my ever-more-crowded desk. Grudgingly, I agree to look at the all-in-one units.
HP Reputation
Having previously owned two HP printers, I knew the reliability was very good. Yes, the 882C we were replacing was having a problem with printing color prints, but for black and white documents, it never failed.
I opted to stay with what we knew and focused on Hewlett-Packard printers.
Features
I began to look at the features at this point. Looking for a fax narrowed the choices considerably. I came down to just the PSC2510 and the PSC2410. Having recently upgraded to a home network, the 2510 became the more desirable option.
The 2510 is network-ready...wireless ready, to boot. This really made it a great choice because it really makes the placement of the unit limitless within the boundaries of the wireless network.
The flatbed scanner works fast. However, it is not large enough to scan legal-size documents. We rarely, if ever, scanned legal-size, but it was a nice ability to have with our old standalone HP Scanjet.
The fax works pretty much like any other fax machine, albeit without a sheet feeder. The unit makes up for this by allowing you to scan a sheet at at time, after which it prompts you on its integrated LCD screen for another sheet or asks if you are done.
The copier is simple...place a sheet on the flatbed and press the "Black" or "Color" button to make a black copy or color copy.
The prints are excellent. It amazes me how much the technology has improved since we purchased our 882C in 1999.
The included software includes a digital imaging monitor. This basically gives you one place to go to do just about anything you want with the printer...send a fax, print an image, make a copy...even upload email addresses to the printer for one of its coolest features...Instant Share.
Instant Share allows you to put a picture or document on the scanner, choose the Instant Share feature and basically email the image to any address in the unit. They receive and email with a thumbnail and link to the full image that is hosted (for free) by HP.
The unit also includes memory card slots. They appear on the computer as an external drive under "My Computer". I've had the chance to use this feature once (we don't have a memory card on our digital camera...it burns to 3" CDs), but it worked great.
Connection and Installation
I must admit that the setup wasn't as easy as it was represented. I followed the instructions to get the 2510 set up on the network...wired at first. I had a wired 4-port LinkSys router but was planning to acquire a LinkSys Wireless-G router to replace it. After following the setup software through its paces, it would never seem to complete its setup. The printer did not appear on the printers list. I was highly upset.
At this point, I decided to just connect it via the USB cable. I was able to complete the setup using this connection method. But I really wanted network capability so that my wife's laptop would have easy access to print...even if my desktop were turned off.
After I purchased the wireless router a few weeks later, I tried the setup again. This time, the software would see the printer on the network, but wouldn't make a wireless connection. I went through the instructions time and time again and it never worked. Finally, in desperation, I looked at the network settings on the printer itself (via the LCD screen) and realized that the wireless radio was "off". I don't know how I missed that in the instructions, but I turned it on and "eureka!" there it was on the wireless network!
And it has been flawlessly working on the network since then.
Adjustment Period
No, not adjustments on the printer...adjusting to using this printer. The new all-in-one software interfaces differently with the programs I use to handle scanned images (Paperport and Photodraw) and documents (Acrobat). But, the changes are improvements over the previous scanner software that I used with the old ScanJet. The 2510 scans faster and no longer requires a preview scan AND a second scan. One pass captures the preview and allows you to choose to keep whatever you want.
One slight problem arose, though. When testing the fax, I sent a fax to an eFax number that we have. The number is long distance, but since we have a VoIP phone, long distance is not an issue with us. However, the fax wouldn't connect with the eFax number. No matter how many times I tried. However, I could fax documents to my office easily. I thought it was a problem with eFax. As it turns out, it wasn't eFax OR the printer. It was the VoIP line. I had the same issue when we got our TiVo recently...it wouldn't connect over the VoIP line. (A recent equipment upgrade on the part of our phone provider has apparently fixed this issue, as it now faxes just fine).
I had to go through setting for each and ever program that I used on a regular basis, but this sounds worse that it really was and would have been an issue for ANY new printer.
Final Words
This printer has really done well for us. I now have more desktop space since we replaced two items with one that really saved more than that with the fax capability. We can place it anywhere we choose...not just at the reach of the USB cable.
Yes, the price is a bit steep, but you get a great deal.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
skipcar
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Location: South Louisiana
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
I am a husband and father who enjoys LSU sports and Christian music.
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