A few months ago I purchased an HP Photosmart C5180 AIO photo printer for printing photos as well as regular document printing. When doing research on this printer before I bought it, I noticed that it utilized 6 separate ink cartridges. I knew that Epson charged $90 for a set of ink for their 6-cartridge printers (6 x $15) and that’s not including photo paper, so at first the idea of having a 6-cartridge printer turned me off. However, it was pointed out to me that HP offers this 02 Series Custom Photo Value Pack that contains ALL 6 cartridges and 150 sheets of photo paper for around $36. The ink is formulated to last the entire 150 photo prints (though likely you’ll do some regular document printing in addition to photos). Printing all 150 photos with this pack will bring your cost of photo down to 24 cents each.


The Ink

This photo pack contains all 6 cartridges that are used in the following HP printers: 8250, 3210, 3310, D7160, D7360, C5180, C6180, C7180 and likely some new printers will be added to that list when the new annual lineup comes out later this year. This series of cartridges have been used in HP printers the past 3 years, and since it has become so popular, should continue on the next few years. The cartridges have built-in chips that allow the printer or the computer to display ink levels and provide warnings of low ink levels. The 6 colors and HP printing technology provide for 1.2 million different color possibilities in photo printing.

HP does not disclose the ink capacity of the cartridges provided in this combo pack. However, I have heard several people say that they hold 1 ml less ink per cartridge than if you had bought a single cartridge. If that is true the cartridges contain the following amounts of ink:

Black: 9ml
Yellow: 5ml
Cyan: 3ml
Light Cyan: 4.5ml
Magenta: 2.5ml
Light Magenta: 4.5ml

Despite the magenta cartridge being the smallest, I find myself replacing the yellow cartridge most often. The reason for this is that yellow is such a common color. It is very prevalent in Caucasian skin tones, as well as the colors green, brown, and orange for which there are no dedicated cartridges.

After ruining a few printers, I now shun remanufactured ink cartridges. I realize that some people get away with it pretty well, however I am not one of those people. I am a firm believer in purchasing ink from the original manufacturer. I feel that the ink quality is superior and the cartridges more reliable. These 02 ink cartridges are different from previous ink cartridges. HP generally builds the print-head mechanism into the cartridge. However, these cartridges do not have a built-in print-head (the print-head is what disperses the ink onto your print media). Rather, HP printers using 02 ink cartridges use what HP calls scaleable printing technology. The ink cartridges are stationary, accessible right when you open the cover, and the ink is vacuumed out of the cartridges to a separate print-head. This actually increases the reliability of the cartridges slightly, though if the separate print-head on the printer goes out, it’s time to get a new printer.

HP advertises 200 years fade resistance with these inks on the paper included in this photo pack if kept in a photo album and 100 years if kept in a glass covered picture frame. Whether this is true or not I’m not sure. In 200 years I’ll update this review and tell you. The photos are dry instantly and are thus highly smudge-resistant. Also, the photos are waterproof. HP says that the photos are only water resistant, but in my testing I noted that the ink does not wash off or smear when exposed to water on the Advanced paper that is included in this pack. However, if water is allowed to dry on the photo, a stain can be noticed. Perhaps this is what HP meant by ‘water-resistant’ rather than waterproof.


The Photo Paper

This combo also includes 150 4x6 sheets of HP’s Advanced photo paper. This photo paper has the look and feel of photo papers that you may receive when you process your photos at Wal-Mart or Walgreens. Like I mentioned above, when used with the HP 6-ink systems fade resistance will be up to 200 years in a photo album, or 100 years behind a glass frame. HP printers using the 02 series ink cartridges will be able to take advantage of the Auto Sense technology. The printer will automatically recognize the Advanced photo paper and print speeds will be increased. Using this photo paper and the printers that use the 02 ink cartridges can see speeds of up to 12 or 14 seconds, depending on your printer model. I have the HP C5180 and it is advertised as “as fast as 12 seconds”, though realistically, it takes around 25 seconds.

This is a very thin photo paper and should only be used at the printer's default 600 dpi resolution. Any more and the paper would curl or may even look sloppy. HP recommends its thicker Premium or Premium Plus for higher resolution prints.

The photo paper is glossy and printable on only one side and can be used on any inkjet printer. It is 9 milliliters thick and the recommend storage temperatures are 59 to 95 degrees F. (15 to 35 C.) with relative humidity at 20% to 80%. The photo paper should be stored in the plastic bag in the original box supplied with the product, or store in a resealable bag in a cool, dry place to prevent yellowing.


Overall


Although the ink cartridges hold a little less ink than buying them individually, the cost per photo is still less with this pack. This pack ($36) has enough ink to print 150 photos at 24 cents each. If you purchase the ink and 240 sheets of photo paper individually (about $105), you’ll get 240 photos at 41 cents each. The photo quality is good, though not perfect on the supplies included in this pack. You’ll find the quality much better than what you would get at your local processesing center. I appreciate the fact that HP offers this cheaper solution to purchasing ink. Otherwise I may have not purchased the printer. The color ink cartridges cost $10 each individually and $19 for the larger black cartridge so this pack saves you a good $50 or so. This combo pack provides a great value for photo printing and a good solution to purchasing an entire set of ink.


Recommended: Yes