Like all HP inkjet printers I've owned - and I've been buying them for over 10 years - it was an easy and smooth experience to start printing with it right out of the box. From cutting the tape on the top flaps to printing the first test page, it took all of 10 minutes. And that's including loading the software (which goes much quicker with a CD-ROM bundle instead of the old floppy discs).

However, it pays to read the box before you start the installation. HP does tell you that a printer (parallel port) cable is not included. That can be a pain if you don't realize that at first, and don't have a cable already at home; it's out to the store to buy one. I don't see why HP doesn't include a cheap one, especially one that's only 3 feet long or so; it might cost them all of 89 cents for each printer. I bought an 8 foot printer cable and paid $2.50 new.

Another shortcoming of the 712C is the ridiculously small volume "starter" ink cartridges, especially the black ink. I'd guess it holds about 1/3 to 1/4 the ink of a full-sized ink cartridge (which, you guessed it, you have to buy separately). It doesn't last very long; one 50-page document will probably exhaust it. The ink cartridges are also a bit pricey for an HP inkjet, you'll likely pay over $20 for the black one, and about $30 for the color.

I found another quirk with the 712C that was a constant, though minor, annoyance. No matter how I loaded the ink cartridges, no matter how many times I "adjusted" the printer with its software, no matter how many times I printed a test page, each time I tried to print, I would get a pop-up message on my computer screen stating "new ink cartidge installed". I'd have to click "OK" to acknowledge before I could print.

Those things aside, how was printer's performance? Fine, though with a few qualifications. Text is nice and sharp, with jet black appearance even on the "normal" (medium resolution) setting. You can usually get about 4 pages per minute at that setting, moderately fast for an inkjet, but only running with the slowest of the laser printers. Notching the resolution up to its highest setting will produce text that's just as sharp as laser-printed to the naked eye, but makes the printer crawl at about 2 pages per minute.

Color printing is slow, no matter what resolution you set the printer to, so you'll just have to find something else to do while a color file is being printed. Still, the output, especially on glossy, extra-cost paper, can be stunning; near photographic with the right adjustments. In a pinch, you could use the HP 712C to make brochures and similar items for advertising; you won't have to go to a professional print shop.

Surprisingly, the HP 712C can handle large files, I've printed pictures of 50 MB scans from it, and even from its older, slower siblings. A file that size could "choke" a laser printer; it would do nothing for minutes at a time after receiving the print command, until it finally coughed up the picture. The 712C will simply start printing the file as it "comes over the wire".

I've used my HP 712C for many different tasks, printing notes, letters, booklets, manuscripts, and even copies of a book. I've also printed pictures, from thumbnails to foldouts, and I've always been happy with the results.

There are faster printers than the HP 712C, and there a printers that make a higher resolution image than the HP 712C, but it's a nice blend of speed and image quality. I just wish HP would fix a few of its quirks.


Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 140.00
Operating System: Windows