I wanted a printer that could not only print photos, but make great copies of preexisting photos. Since I was planning on printing quite a few of them, I knew I needed the lowest cost per photo that I could get. I already knew the HP photo printers did a good job, but the added features of the HP Photosmart 3210 All-in-One made this the perfect machine for me. Here's why:


The Photos:

My wife and I are finally getting ourselves into digital photography. Nothing fancy, just point and shoot cameras we use on vacations. She's starting scrap-booking, and me? I just like to print out photos. The photos printed on the HP 3210 are nice and clear. The shading is good and with the 6-ink printing system this machine uses, the colors are very vibrant. HP says if you use their ink with their paper, you'll get 120 years of fade resistance (but not fade proof). Using HP's Advanced photo paper, photos are water resistant.

Regular photo printing is made easy with this machine and most other photo printers on the market. The HP 3210 has memory card slots that fit most digital camera memory cards on the market. These include CompactFlash 1 and 2, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo (only with adapter, not included), Mini SD (only with adapter, not included), Secure Digital/Multimedia Card, and xD Picture Card. Just stick your card in the appropriate slot, select which picture you would like to print and then hit the "print photo" button. This printer has two trays. One tray for normal 8.5x11 printing, and another one dedicated strictly toward 4x6 photo paper. When printing from the 4x6 tray, make sure you have "photo tray" selected or it will assume you want to print from the primary tray. Photos come out in around 35 seconds.

This machine will let you print most all size photos. You can print 9 photos on a 4x6 photo sheet or all the way up to an 8x24 panorama sheet. Cost per photo is great. With the HP Custom Ink/Paper Combo packs you get 24 cents per photo. The pack has all 6 cartridges (including black) and 150 sheets of Premium grade photo paper that retails for around $36 dollars. Individually the inks are about $10 for the color and $18 for black. 150 sheets of HP Premium paper is around $25. I have found the combo pack in most retail stores that carry printers.

Basic editing can be done on this printer. It allows you to zoom/crop, remove red eye, rotate, color effects such as black and white or antique, and you can adjust the contrast and it has HP's Adaptive Lighting feature (the printer will automatically lighten dark areas of the photo if this option is set on default).

General Printing:

The black cartridge on this printer is twice the size as any of the colors. Unfortunately, for those planning on doing a lot of document printing, the size may disappoint some. You'll probably see about 300 documents with that cartridge (at 5% coverage). Speed is at best 32 ppm black, and 31 ppm color in fast draft mode. Average is around 16
ppm in normal mode. One thing I don't like about this printer is that it only holds 100 sheets of paper at a time, so this may not be the choice printer for those wanting one built for heavier usage.

Copying/ Scanning:

The copies of photos that I've made have turned out really nice. I copied a picture of a photo of a baby, and the copy was actually nicer than the original. The reason for this was that the original was printed on cheap fujifilm paper with a 4-color dye system, and the copy was on HP's Premium photo paper with the 6-ink printing. The baby's face had more color to it. You can adjust the quality of the copies, but I recommend sticking to the best quality for photos, and the lower quality settings for documents.

The scanning features are pretty nice on this machine. It allows you to scan negatives and slides into your computer or you can print photos from them. Scan resolution is 4800dpi optical. I thought it was great that you can scan information to the memory card slots with the push of two buttons. This machine features one touch scanning and copying, but there is no automatic document feeder.

Exterior Design/ Interior Technologies:

The printer is two-toned gray and has a 2.5 inch LCD screen for viewing, editing your photos, and for general communication from the printer to you. It's a little bulky at (wxdxh) 18.3x15.6x8.7 and weighs 26.1 pounds. The button layout allows one touch copying, scanning, and quick photo printing. A numerical keypad allows you to easily select how many copies you would like to make.

Internal technologies include HP's new 6-ink printing system for better quality photos than previously. Also, scalable printing is used which gives better ink usage. The ink cartridges are stationary and right in front for easy access. Ink is pumped to a single, separate ink head. This machine has a self-cleaning ink-head mechanism in case your photos start losing their quality. Oh, and did I mention this printer has built in wired ethernet working? Since it has bluetooth, I'm able to send pictures from my RAZR V3 to the printer and print photos taken with my phone.

Other Information You May Find Helpful:

Wireless Capability: Bluetooth compatible
Recommended monthly page volume:3000
Print Resolution (Best): up to 4800x1200
Operating Systems: Windows 98, ME, 2000 Pro, XP Home, XP Pro; Mac OS Xv10.2 and higher. Not Mac OS 9.
Automatic two-side printing optional with purchased-separately accessory.
1-year manufacturer's warranty
What's in the box: HP 3210 printer, all six completely full normal sized ink cartridges, HP Image Zone Photo and Imaging Software on CD-ROM, Quick Start booklet, User's Guide, Power supply and power cord, and lots of Styrofoam. No USB cable.

Tech Support/ Advertised Reliability

HP offers a 24/7/365 toll free number for customers service, though likely you'll still talk to a rep in India. However, HP also offers free online chat with a technician and 1-hour e-mail response. HP.com offers software and drivers, FAQ's about the printer and cartridges, and several links that will help you to learn about and use your new printer. Perhaps these are the reasons PC Magazine has given HP the Editor's Choice award 14 years in a row for service and reliability in the printers category. JD Power and Associates gave HP pretty good review on the overall reliability of their products.

Ink:
HP 02 yellow: $10
HP 02 Cyan: $10
HP 02 Light Cyan $10
HP 02 Magenta $10
HP 02 Light Magenta $10
HP 02 Black $18
Ink/ Paper Combo pack $36

Overall:

This printer is everything I needed. It does great photos for about 24 cents per photo. The copies I've made of pre-existing photos are great and the overall performance is fantastic. I do wish it wasn't as clunky looking as it is and that the photos were waterproof. But, for someone wanting a decent priced printer that does nice photos, has built in networking, and doesn't want to pay gobs of money for ink, what other printer is there? I hope you found this information helpful. Happy looking!

*UPDATE* (May 18, 2006)

I've noticed some of these machines that are being used as demos at different retailers have broken hinges on them. After speaking with one of the retail associates I found out that many of the early models of the 3210 and 3310 had this problem, that the problem was found and corrected early at the warehouse, and that only early 3210/3310 machines will be affected. So if you decide to buy one of these machines, an extended warranty might be something to look into just in case, although there shouldn't be problems with the machines currently in stores. I've not had any problems with mine.

**UPDATE** (November 7, 2006)
The HP Photosmart 3210 has been disconinued to make way for the new HP Photosmart lineup. The new lineup includes the HP C6180, a wireless printer, scanner, copier, fax that features an automatic document feeder as well as improved photo features (lacking, however, a built-in negative and slide scanner). Another item on this lineup is the C5180, which is a printer/scanner/copier with the same photo features as the C6180. For a review of the C5180 see the following link. http://www.epinions.com/content_263186124420

Read My Other Reviews On Photo Printers:

HP 2575: HP's Best Budget AIO for Digital Printers
http://www.epinions.com/content_220347010692

HP 8250: Don't Need Copying/Scanning, But Want Nice Photos?
http://www.epinions.com/content_224366595716

HP 335: Cheap, Portable Photo Printing
http://www.epinions.com/content_223361011332

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 219
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh