HP's Next Generation Printer

Ok, so maybe "next generation" is an exageration. After all, this printer pretty much has the same technology HP has been using the past couple of years, with the individual cartridges and the scalable printing technology. However, this time around Hewlett-Packard has done something very few printer manufacturers have had the guts to do: manufacture white printers.

I'm not referring to beige, or off-white, I'm referring to bright, glossy, white. Generally speaking, printer companies have stuck to some shade of grey, or even just black. The entire line of HP's new inkjet printers are bright white (though some also have light grey sections, like the C5180). My mother, in want of a photo printer that would also scan and copy, wanted a printer that would do a good job...but she also wanted it to look "nice". Not only does it look nice, but it is very "sleek" and professional looking while at the same time maintaining a simple design and layout. It is also relatively small in size when compared to similar all-in-ones.


Not Just a Photo Printer

Although the HP PhotoSmart C5180 is indeed a photo printer, it also prints regular documents, as do most "photo" printers. The reason it's referred to as "PhotoSmart" is because it has technologies that allow for printing photos. Really, any printer can be called a photo printer, since there is no set standard for photo quality. Generally, any printer can print a photo. However, the HP C5180 excells in the fact that it does lab-quality photos at an ecomonical cost (24 cents per photo). Here are some more details:

The Ink and Photo Paper: Like many companies, Hewlett-Packard have begun placing individual ink cartridges in some of their machines instead of the usual black cartridge and tri-color cartridge. Epson and Canon are two other noted companies that do this. The new individual ink cartridge system (one for each individual color and one for black, sometimes as many as six individual cartridges) have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that you only have to replace the one color that runs out rather the entire tri-color cartridge when one color runs out. For example, on the traditional cartridges that contained yellow, cyan, and magenta all in one cartridge if you ran out of yellow and still had plenty of cyan and magenta left, you still had to purchase a new cartridge. On the individual cartridge systems, if you run out of yellow ink, you only have to purchase the yellow cartridge. The HP C5180 uses six individual cartridges (black, yellow, magenta, light magenta, cyan, and light cyan). The cost is around $10 each for the color (average of 5 mL per color cartridge) and $18 for the black (11 mL cartridge). To compete with Canon and Epson, however, HP has made available for the past year or two the 02 Series Custom Photo pack. This pack, although containing 1 mL less ink per cartridge, sells for around $37 and comes bundled with 150 sheets of 4x6 photo paper. This effectively cuts the cost of photo paper and ink by around $50. The ink in these packs last quite a while (150 photos).

When this ink is used with HP's Advanced Photo Paper (included in the 02 Series Custom Photo pack), the resulting photos are 'waterproof, smudgeproof, and fade resistant for 100 years'. For photos, HP has greatly sped up the printing so that photos come out in "as fast as 12 seconds". My test photos came out extremely fast (more like 20 seconds), but that was evidently due to the fact that I was printing them from a memory card, instead via the computer (which uses a faster USB 2.0 for faster data transfer).


General Printing

This printer is very fast, printing 32 ppm black and 31 in color (fast draft mode, letter, 5% coverage). The pull-out paper tray holds 100 sheets of paper (there is a separate pull-out tray for the 4x6 photos directly above the paper tray. This automated "photo tray" holds 20 4x6 photos that do not have to be removed when printing documents). For supported paper sizes, please see the bottom of this review for a full spec listing. Color documents come out vibrant and text is laser-quality. Print resolution is 4800 x 1200 optimized and the recommended monthly volume is 3000 pages- not really a printer built for heavy office use.


Photo Printing

This machine will let you print most all size photos, bordered or borderless. You can print 9 photos on a 4x6 photo sheet or all the way up to an 8x24 panorama sheet. Cost per photo is surprisingly low. With the HP Custom Ink/Paper Combo packs you pay 24 cents per photo (compared to 40 or 50 cents with many other printers). There are memory cards slots that allow you to place the memory card from you digital camera directly into you printer, so that no computer is necessary when printing photos. For a list of supported memory cards see the list at the end of this review.

Basic photo editing can be done on this printer with the 2.4 inch LCD display, which allows you to view and edit photos or items that have been scanned. Editing capabilities include zoom/crop, rotate, remove red-eye (automatic if desired), black and white photos, sepia, and antique looking photos. More editing features are included on the software disc that also allow for panorama photos provided that your camera can take such pictures.

Photo quality is great, better than Wal-Mart photos. The main reason for this is that this printer uses six inks, rather than a Wal-Mart photo booths 4-color system. Remember, though, that the quality of your photos will depend mostly on you camera. The printer merely prints what the picture file from your camera tells it to print. Unfortunately, current technology doesn't always allow for a perfect photo, though more than often you'll be pleased with the results. And the built-in "photo fix" button located on the face of the printer will automatically fix photo mistakes such as red-eye, wrong lighting conditions, and blurry photos to an extent.


Copying/ Scanning

Copies are the easiest thing in the world. You simply place the document face down on the flatbed scanner and hit "color" or "black" copy and that's it. If you chose to do so, there are 3 copy settings available (fast, normal, best). "Best" is what is recommended for copying previously existing photographs. You are limited to making 50 copies per document at around 30 copies per minute. Resolution is 4800 x 1200. The HP C5180 is a stand-alone copy machine. That means that it does not need a computer connection for it's copy function to work (some printers with a copy feature need a computer to run this function, some low cost Lexmarks, for example).

For scanning, resolution is 4800 x 2400, which are decent numbers to see if you plan on digitizing your pre-existing 4x6 photos. It is a flatbed scanner (not legal size), has 256 greyscale levels for black and white copies, and takes about 20 seconds to scan a document. Again, this printer would not be ideal for office use, since it has no legal size scan bed, nor does it have an automatic document feeder (ADF).

Unfortunately, HP did not include a built-in negative and slide scanner on this model. The only model in HP's current line-up that does is the $400 C7180. Epson also has pretty much ommitted this function on their new line-up as well. However, photo-enthusiasts who cannot live without this feature may find it helpful to know that you can purchase equipment that will enable any printer with scan features to scan digital slides and negatives for a reasonable price.


Exterior/ Interior Design

This printer is mostly white, with the sides being a light grey color. It is 17.6 inches wide, has a 15.2 inch depth, and is a mere 7.44 inches tall. Because it is only 7 1/2 inches tall AND since it is a front load feeder (with most Canon and Epson printers you have to load the paper in the back of the printer, HP's are usually the front) it will fit nicely under any shelves you may have on your desk. The function layout on the printer is divided into four sections: print, copy, scan, and photo. As with any new electronics you purchase, it takes time to become familiar with menu layouts. You will find that this machine is very easy to use and navigate. My mother has no problem with it now and it's only been a week.

My mother, the self-proclaimed "computer illiterate", loves the cartridge layout of her printer. All 6 cartridges are right in your face as soon as you lift the cover, all cartridge spots are color coded, and it is not possible to place the wrong color in the wrong spot thanks to differing shaped connectors.


Other Printer Specs

Copy scaling: 50 to 400%

Memory Card Support: CompactFlash Type I and II, IBM Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo (adapter not included, purchase separately), mini-SD (adapter not included, purchase separately), Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card

Supported paper sizes Letter, legal, executive, No. 10 envelopes, cards, borderless photo (4 x 6-in, 5 x 7-in, 8 x 10-in), borderless panorama (4 x 10-in, 4 x 11-in, 4 x 12-in)

Required Operating System: Windows 98 SE or higher, Mac OS X v 10.3.9, v 10.4

Weighs 21 pounds

Built in Networking

What is in the Box?:
-Printer with power cord and supply
-All 6 ink cartridges
-Quick Setup Guide
-Instruction Manual


Conclusion

Overall, I really like this printer. My mother and I have played with about every day since I got it for her, and the quality of the photos have been very nice. The software that came with the printer is easy to use and the initial setup of the printer was quick and easy. My only concern is the fact that the printheads are not located on the cartridges. So if the printhead ever wears out, the printer is as good as junk. Hopefully, though, that won't happen. But it would be nice to have the peace of mind. The printer has so far been reliable, so I won't grade it bad on that. Also, HP has built into the machine a self-cleaning mechanism to keep the printheads clean. Evidently, this works because I've not heard of any problems with HP's printheads clogging on these types of machines. Even so, it may be a good idea to purchase and extended warranty. Many retailers have these warranties for around $50 for 3 years. This is a great printer all around for the family that likes to do photos or just colorful printing. I can't help but rate this printer a 5/5. I'll update this review if anything happens. Happy Shopping!

*UPDATE* December 29, 2006
Printer is still going strong and haven't experienced any problems as of yet. Haven't even had any printer jams. Occasionaly, the printer will go into a "device maintenance" mode. Evidently this is done to ensure high quality prints and to keep the printhead clean and fresh.

*UPDATE* February 28, 2007
The quality and performance of this printer still amazes me. We have yet to experience a paper jam or even a bad photo. The photo sofware included with this printer is intuitive and very easy to master. This is the best printer I've ever had the experience of dealing with in this printer catagory (AIO home inkjets). Usually, I upgrade my printer every year to keep up with things, but I might just hold on to this one. I also may mention that this printer is currently being used with a laptop that features Windows Vista Home Premium. Although the HP C5180 is compatible with Windows Vista (you do have to download the drivers), the Photosmart software that comes with it is not yet compatible. Therefore, you will be able to use this printer with Windows Vista just fine, but you will be unable to use the Photosmart photo software until HP release the necessary drivers in the very near future.

*UPDATE* March 15, 2007
The full drivers for Windows Vista are now available for this printer. Thus, you can now use HP Photosmart Premier software which you can use to organize your photos, fix photos, OCR software,etc.. I enjoy this photo software quite a bit and it's very easy to use.

*UPDATE* April 3, 2007
The printer is still going strong, just as if it were bran new. I've experienced 1 paper jam from the 4x6 photo tray which was easily remedied. Other than that, I haven't had a single problem.

*UPDATE* April 10, 2008
My printer still works fantastic. I print regularly and have not had any performance problems. This printer has been replaced by the newer HP C6280, which is very similar to the C5180, but now it offers automatic two-sided printing and a slightly different interface on the LCD screen where you view your photos. I've noticed the C5180 on clearance in some stores such as Office Depot and Office Max for around $100.

*Update* December 12, 2008
The printer still  does great. This printer is now a few generations old, so likely you may not find it for sale. Also, the C6280 has been replaced by the C6380. The C6380 has a new pigment-based ink system.

*Update* October 10, 2010
We still have this printer and it still works like new. This is why I have always been a fan of Hewlett-Packard printers. Of course, this model printer is a few years old and therefore considered ancient. This C5180 printer has developed into HP's current $199 pricepoint printer the C310a, which looks nicer and has a few more bells and whistles. We've been considering upgrading our printer, but likely we'll grab one that fits our needs. (We don't print photos as much as we used to.) I've decided on the HP Officejet 6500 All In One, because it has the most economical ink costs on the market, much cheaper than even Kodak, and the quality of ink is so much better. Don't get me started on Kodak. Anyway, I'm glad this review has been so popular and I hope it's been helpful.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 199
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh