Why Am I Always Printing at 3AM?
Written: Mar 15 '07 (Updated Mar 15 '07)
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Pros: Reliable, good ink mileage, not too expensive, prints up to A3 .
Cons: Ink is not cheap. One color cartridge, not CMYK.
The Bottom Line: This is a cost-effective printer that can handle A3 presentations and everyday work.
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| islandalex's Full Review: Hewlett Packard DeskJet 1280 InkJet Printer |
For some reason I am always up at 3am preparing my presentation for studio the next morning. This is the life of an architecture student. In my first year I decided that living in the Uni IT suite was too much, and went in search of an A3 printer.
Firstly, these things are NOT easy to come by. All the shops had were display models, with a new product available in 4-6 weeks.
Secondly, they are NOT cheap. Most models ran at about 400GBP and include 32mb internal memory, excellent resolution, and loads of bells and whistles.
Well, I want to print A3 sheets, not cd’s, so I went for the HP 1280 with only a slight amount of confidence.
The Packaging
The box is huge. I did not realize the thing would be so big! The packaging was good enough to be shipped, and came with all the basic except a USB cable.
First Impressions
The printer was set up in about 5 minutes. It is very easy to assemble, with simple ink cartridges and two paper trays which slid and clicked into place easily. The ink cartridges that ship with printers are usually not full ones, but these ones lasted a very long time. Only issue was that my desk just wasn’t big enough!
The printer is dark gray and silver, with side vents and a smooth dust cover. The paper trays do have grooves to align the paper, but other than that it is mainly one continuous smooth surface and therefore easy to clean!
The Printer
Ok, so what does one actually look for in an A3 printer? Fast? Quiet? Cheap? Reliable? Simple?
Speed
This printer comes with 8mb internal memory and a 32mb processor. Wait, that is more than my first computer! This means that getting the information from the computer to the printer is quick and easy. The computer does not lag at all, waiting for the information to process, and the printer does not have to pause during printing to allow more information to load. I get about 10 color graphic A4 pages a minute on normal resolution. High gets about 5, and max gets about 3. A3 pages get a little less than half that, only because the files are slightly more complicated. There is an option to allow the pages to dry before the next print, but I turned this off as it slows things down too much!
Noise
This is where 3am becomes very important! My desk is in the bedroom, and my partner likes to be asleep at 3am while I am preparing for a review. I can’t say I blame him! The printer is on 4 very sturdy and heavy duty rubber feet. If it is on a secure desk it does not shake about much. It is also quiet enough not to wake up my partner.
Cost
The printer was a bargain, and 158 GBP. However, it is not at all cheap to run. Ink costs me about 45 GBP for both cartridges. (This printer takes the hp45 black, and the hp78 color.) The cartridges have a large capacity, and one lasts me about 7-10 months. I print off tons of full color A3 sheets (bout 5-10 a week) and about as many A4s.
A3 paper is not cheap, and I would recommend using a good quality paper as they seem to be more vivid, while using less ink. The cheap paper just soaks it up like a sponge!
Reliability
On the first day I had many paper jams. It turns out that one of the metal wheels that guide the paper had become loose during shipping. I fixed it myself in just a few minutes and I have not had a problem since. The software that monitors the ink levels is useless, so you have to judge based on ink quality. You will see slight fading about 10 prints before it starts to really show. It cuts off quite quickly, but I take that as a good sign of all the ink being used up, unlike other printers which take months of bad quality to dry up.
The printer has not had any hiccups connecting to new pc’s or running on a network, and the supplied drivers are stable. I have not had to make any upgrades or changes.
Simplicity
The printer has a main paper tray in the lower slot. This can hold about 100 sheets of most sizes of paper with a sturdy adjustable size guide.
The upper tray has a much smaller capacity of about 20 sheets. I use this one for A3 and the bottom one for A4. The top tray can handle envelopes, and even long, narrow strips of paper. The printer takes from the top tray by default, so you need to pull the A3 out an inch or so if you want an A4 print.
I have used paper up to 200 g/m2 in both trays without any problems, but there is also a direct manual feed in the printer’s rear for heavier paper.
Quality
My prints are most often for presentations so quality is very important for me.
The “fast” setting is quick, but colors are washed out because less ink is used. It is the equivalent of ‘draft’ on other printers.
The “normal” setting gets good results for text and color images. I use this setting in most cases.
The “best” setting uses a lot of ink, so images are saturated and vivid. Text is completely crisp and clear, so this is a good setting for CV’s and anything else that is closely scrutinized.
The “optimized dpi 4800 x 1200” is excellent for photographs, but it does slow down the process quite a lot. I rarely use it. I fine eye can still see the dots of ink, but from a few feet away it is perfect photograph quality. It also makes the best black and shadows that I have seen on most printers. I often find they have a reddish tinge, but these are true colors.
With any print quality setting, use the best paper you can afford for best results. This does not necessarily mean photographic paper, just a heavy paper with a smooth finish.
The Test of Time
My prints all get put in a portfolio so are quite well protected. I have not noticed any fading in my pictures on the wall. I think this is also down to paper quality being good.
The printer is now 2 years old and still running smoothly. The plastic cogs do not have any sign of wear, and there is no staining from stray ink. The dust cover is very effective, but I think the inside is due for its first clean! Basically it runs as well as it did the day after I bought it!
Overall
This printer was a great investment, and I expect to get many more years out of it, and the prints it has made.
It may not be the fastest or the fanciest, but it gives consistent quality for a good price. The ink is very expensive, but it lasts well, and is easy to find in most shops.
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 280
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
islandalex
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Location: Neth. Antilles
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
I'm an island girl. I love traveling, gadgets,and splurging on beauty products!
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