Hewlett Packard Officejet D135; This is one “Cold” Mean Machine
Written: Dec 30 '02
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Pros: All-n-one functionality
Cons: A bit noisy...
The Bottom Line: The perfect blending of the four essential small office machines into one easy to use platform. If you can afford it, buy it!
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| vemartin's Full Review: Hewlett Packard OfficeJet D135 All-In-One InkJet P... |
As you may have read in my review of the Hewlett Packard OfficeJet K-80 (http://www.epinions.com/content_84889800324), we are a HP printer family. I have had my eye on the Hewlett Packard OfficeJet P d135 for quite some time, and I was just waiting for the right opportunity to purchase the multifunction unit. The price had been the main sticking point; $500.00 seemed a little excessive for an all-n-one despite the level of functionality it represented.
So when I had to relinquish my cherished OfficeJet T45 to the spouse, and the OfficeJet P d135 dropped $100.00, I had to take advantage of the opportunity. Add to that the free three year overnight replacement warranty (worth $71.00), or $50.00 mail-in rebate (I took the three year warranty) offered by HP, and the $80.00 gift card via mail offered by Best Buy; the multifunction was too hard to resist. So a week before Christmas I bought myself a big blue present!
First Impressions:
I like the OfficeJet P d135! I like the design: despite the imposing size, the d135 fits neatly on my desk (to be fair I have to admit I have a rather large “L” shaped desk in my loft) with room to spare, but just barely. The OfficeJet P d135 is highly functional, attractive, and well designed and built. The front panel buttons and displays make operating two functions of the unit without a PC a snap. Controls for copying documents and faxing are all displayed here, so that these two functions can be controlled without the aid of a PC. One feature I appreciated is the backlit display; the display on the T45 in contrast is not backlit and can be extremely hard to read. Another feature I appreciate is the power-save mode the printer can be set to enter after an hour. This is useful since I usually like to leave the printer on in case I need to print it from another location. The unit connects to the PC via USB only, out of the box, but a parallel port can be installed.
The software (in my case Windows XP Home) was simple to install, and like the K80 offers superior functionality to that of the “T” series of all-n-ones. Software drivers for Windows 98/Me/Se/2000/XP, as well as Mac System 9 – 10, are included on the enclosed CD. The software installation under WinXP was flawless and loads effortlessly upon restart. Sharing the printer on the network is a snap without the aid of a network card (NIC). I just shared the printer on the PC, and now several of my (wireless) networked computers can print to it. No need to purchase an extra NIC for the printer though one can be purchased for it. If you are considering sharing the printer on a large network a separate NIC would be advised.
One of the reasons I need an all-in-One, is that we scan all of our paperwork (bills, important financial statements, legal correspondence, etc.) into the computer, and shred the originals. At the end of the year all of the scanned documents are burned to CD and stored in a locked fire proof safe. Another copy is kept in safe deposit box. In today’s climate where identity theft is becoming increasingly commonplace, one cannot be too careful, or paranoid for that matter! While the OfficeJet T45 did an adequate job at scanning the documents, cataloging them was another matter. The OfficeJet P d135 makes handling scanned documents and pictures easy via the build in software; I have yet to explore all the functions available.
Like all HP printers the OfficeJet P d135’ print quality is exceptional and without peer, except for perhaps the OfficeJet d145. The black text was sharp and crisp with no noticeable bleed, and the color ink was rich and vibrant. Of course inkjet paper in the 22lbs – 24lbs range will offer the best quality output.
A bit Noisy but efficient…
While printing the OfficeJet P d135 performed its duties somewhat quietly and cleanly, and printed color copies with barely a whisper. Printing in black ink via economy mode adds to the decibel level as the printer spits out multiple copies be minute. But the increase is not bothersome. The paper tray handles an admirable 150 sheet of paper, or some 20 envelopes of various sizes. Envelopes can also be fed in one-by-one via a slot on the top of the paper tray.
The print cartridge configuration is different from what I have been used to in the past. While the familiar separate black and tri-color cartridge are present, the OfficeJet P d135 is endowed with four printheads; one (ea), black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. I assume this is how HP is able to increase the print resolution so dramatically over previous models, but this comes with a hefty price; $33.00 to replace a single print head! To HP’s credit there are several troubleshooting techniques one can try to resolve printing issue before replacing the printheads, including cleaning then with a soft wet cloth; no alcohol please. Needless to say, I hope I never have to replace the printheads, or at least not all at once.
OfficeJet P d135 d135 is a bit noisy, but not overly so; I can still hear myself think. The source of the noise is the scanning element as it traverses from one end of the unit to the other. The noise will not drive you from the room, but it can become annoying over time. The OfficeJet P d135 is equipped with a flat bed that will accept and 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, as will the document feeder. The document feeder can handle up to 20 sheets of paper at a time, and I have yet to experience a mis-feed. Scanning is quick and the sheets usually feed in straight. I have yet to scan in a picture so I cannot speak to unit’ ability in that regard, but I am confident in the OfficeJet P d135’ ability to handle the task.
I am not a big fax user, so this feather of the OfficeJet P d135 will go largely underutilized, unless of course I get laid off again, then all bets are off. Ditto goes for copying documents, though I have no doubt these function will do due diligence to HP’s reputation in these areas when called upon to perform.
Conclusion…
The spouse took one look at the OfficeJet P d135 and exclaimed that it was one cold machine, meaning of course that is was bad to the bone! I must say I agree with her assessment. So far, I have nothing but good to say about the all-n-one. It is the perfect blending of the four essential small office machines into one easy to use platform, and stands heads and shoulders above the competition. For my money I don’t think I could do better.
General Specifications:
--Media type: Paper (plain, glossy, and premium), envelopes, transparencies, labels, card stock, photo paper, banner paper, brochure and flyer paper.
--Media sizes, std.: Letter, legal, executive, cards, envelopes, labels.
--Paper Tray Capacity: 150 sheets.
--Print Cartridges: 2 (1 black, 1 tri-color)
--Print Heads: 4 (1 ea. Black, cyan, magenta, & yellow)
--Software Included: HP Director, HP Scan to Web, HP Creative Photo Projects, ReadIRIS OCR.
--Weight: 30.8lbs.
Printer Specifications:
--Print speed, black -- draft mode (pages per minute): up to 19 pages per minute (ppm)
--Print speed, black -- normal mode (pages per minute): up to 8 ppm
--Print speed, black -- best quality mode (pages per minute): up to 4 ppm
--Print speed, color -- draft mode (pages per minute): up to 16 ppm
--Print speed, color -- normal mode (pages per minute): up to 7 ppm
--Print speed, color -- best quality mode (pages per minute): up to 4 ppm
--Recommended monthly volume, maximum: 5,000 pages
--Print quality, black: up to 2400 x 1200 dots per inch (dpi)
--Print quality, color: Up to 2400 x 1200 dpi (on premium photo papers)
--Memory Standard: 16MB
--Connectivity, Standard: USB
--Connectivity, Optional: IEEE 1284B-compliant bi-directional parallel, USB (Windows 98 only)
--Print Drivers Standard: Microsoft Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000 Professional/XP, Mac OS 9.1/9.2/10/10.1
Fax Specifications:
--Color Fax: Yes
--Fax resolution, best: 300 x 300 dpi
--Fax transmission speed (seconds per page): 3 seconds per page.
--Fax memory: 100 pages.
--Fax auto-redial: Yes.
--Fax broadcast: unlimited from phonebook.
--Fax forwarding: Yes
--Junk Fax barrier: Yes
--Distinctive ring detection: Yes
--Speed dials, maximum number: 130 pages.
Copier specifications:
--Copy speed, black (copies per minute): 18 copies per minute (cpm).
--Copy speed, color: 16 cpm.
--Copy resolution, black: 1200 x 600 dpi.
--Copy resolution, color: up to 2400 x 1200 dpi.
--Copy settings: Fit to Page, poster, mirror, photo mode, 2-on-1, margin shift, multiple copies.
--Maximum number of copies: 99 copies.
--Reduce / Enlarge settings: 25 – 400%.
Scanner specifications:
--Scanner type: Flatbed
--Automatic document feeder: Standard, 50 sheets.
--Scan resolution, enhanced: 9600 dpi.
--Scan resolution, optical: 1200 x 4800 dpi.
--Bit depth: up to 48-bit.
--Levels of grayscale: 256.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400.00
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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Member: Vincent
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