HP PhotoSmart 230: Beautiful Photos in Less Than 3 Minutes!
Written: Dec 09 '02
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Pros: Makes real use of the digital camera, small, easy, no computer needed
Cons: Price, no USB cord included
The Bottom Line: If you're a technology geek and want to complete your digital imaging experience check out the PhotoSmart 230.
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| lambchops's Full Review: Hewlett Packard HP PhotoSmart 230 Ink-jet Printer |
For my birthday last year, my husband was kind enough to purchase me the lovely Olympus C-3000 digital camera. Since then, I’ve barely (if at all) pulled out my old “regular” point and click in favor of my newer, much more expensive, and more versatile digital.
But the one thing that was lacking was a way to print my lovely photos. Sure, I could publish them on the web as share them as often as I liked via e-mail but the fact remained that a paper photo in hand is the kind you will remember for a lifetime rather than for the life of your computer.
Over the past year or two, I’d noticed that HP photo printers had come down in price. No longer ridiculous amounts of cash were necessary to pick up one of these gadgets; rather a mere fascination with the technologically advanced and a few extra bucks are the only requirements. Oh, and a digital camera (not necessarily a high quality one, either).
Equally aware of the coolness of such gadgets, my husband surprised me with a HP PhotoSmart 230 for my birthday/Christmas. The decision to purchase this model over the less expensive HP PhotoSmart 130 was pretty easy. While both printers boast essentially the same printing specs, the 230 actually has a built in LCD screen to preview and edit (on a basic level) your photos before you print. The price difference at Best Buy wasn’t too much, so the 230 quickly found a place in our home.
It is with this printer that the purpose of owning a digital camera becomes completely clear. No computer is even necessary to transfer photos from camera to printer. The multimedia card reader with the ability to access CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Secure Digital, and Multi-Media memory allows just about any user to access their photos without the use of any computer. Simply take your photos, insert your memory into the front of the printer, browse through the pictures, and hit the clearly labeled print button. Voila! A beautiful, traditional-looking, borderless photo in something less than three minutes. The photo is almost indistinguishable from one developed by normal means.
The printer itself comes with very little in the way of extras. Sure it comes with the actual unit and a power cord. It also comes with a sample pack of 4x6 photo paper, ink cartridge and computer software (drivers, imaging software). Ironically, the printer does not come standard with the requisite USB cable to actually attach to your computer. This is an unfortunate omission, although rather common among printers in general (most of which don’t come with a parallel or USB cable anyway). If you’d like to hook the printer up to your computer, the USB connector will cost between $20 and $30. But as mentioned, it’s by no means necessary.
Overall, the printer has already become an important part of my computing/photography experience. The paper, that I feared was too expensive, is actually only about $20 for a 60-pack of 9mil 4x6 glossy photo paper. Not bad considering you won’t get the crappy photos you normally do (on accident, of course) with regular cameras. Of course, thicker paper will cost a little more and thinner a little less but overall the prices aren’t prohibitive. One thing of note: it seems that the paper doesn’t hold up as well under the stresses of water as well as the average snapshot. This is a great technology, but ink is ink is ink. It washes away.
And as far as ink goes, it is similar in installation and in price as the two HP DeskJet printers I’ve had the pleasure (that is meant in no way as sarcastic) of buying, owning, and maintaining. The cartridge is easily gotten at stores like Office Depot, Best Buy, and Circuit City. The HP 57 ink will set you back about $35 and if used normally it should last you months.
If you have a digital camera, it’s highly recommended that you check out the HP PhotoSmart 230. If the price tag is a little high you might also want to consider the sans-LCD model HP PhotoSmart 130. Either way, you will get much more use out of your camera.
Tech Specs:
Print Speed: less than 3 minutes (4” x 6” color)
Print Resolution: up to 4800x1200 dpi (lower if printing from a computer)
Paper Capacity: 20-26 sheets depending on thickness
Memory: 16MB
Multimedia Interface: USB hookup to computer; CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Secure Digital, Multi-Media Card, Memory Stick.
Ink Cartridge: Tricolor (HP 57)
Paper Feeder: Bottom, front load
Size & Weight: 5.3” high, 8.8” wide, 4.3” deep, 2.9 lbs.
Warranty: 1 year limited parts & labor.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
Operating System: Windows
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lambchops
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Member: Shelly T.
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Reviews written: 1172
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Bye-bye CL hat. Hopefully I'll write some new reviews some time soon!
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