Pros: Works well with Mac; prints on cd/dvds; quiet; reasonable price
Cons: Would like single color inks instead of tricolor
The Bottom Line: Get this printer if you need a printer with all-in-one features (print, copy, scan) and the ability to print on cd/dvds. Not best for great photos, but very good text.
xopinion's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Photosmart C5580 All-In-One InkJet...
I bought the Photosmart c5550 (same as c5580) a few months ago to replace my old Photosmart 2410. I tried more expensive HP printers, like the Photosmart c8180 and the Photosmart c7280, but found that the HP 02 inks smear beyond readability when slightly wet. The c5550 - with HP 74 and HP 75 inks - can handle droplets of water without smudging. That's an important consideration if you plan to print on envelopes. I also chose the c5550 because I like the idea of being able to print on cd/dvds.
I use a MacBook Pro and connect either via USB or Bluetooth. The Bluetooth only works for printing, so I connect via USB to scan items or download pictures from SD cards. I have tried every printer feature and they all work fine with my Mac, including printing on cd/dvds.
With regards to printing on cd/dvds, the HP Help offered is very sparse, so here's some info that may be useful. In order to see the Create option not grayed out in the Photosmart Studio software, you need to first select an image from your files. Once you do that, the Create option is available to you under the Task menu. Select Create and you will be able to continue to create your image and type in text for the cd/dvd label. Then pull down the printer's cd/dvd tray, put your disk (white printable side up) on the cd/dvd tray (that's the removable thing on the bottom left of your paper tray), line up the removable cd/dvd tray with the printer cd/dvd tray - there's are green lines that line up. Be sure the back of your printer is at least 3 inches away from the wall, as the removable tray will slide in and out a few times as it prints. Hit the print button and the printer will do it's thing.
In comparison to the more expensive models that I tried, this machine is pretty quiet and does not randomly burp and make other noises like the others. This machine does not make any noise when not in use. (I usually have it turned on.) It also does not rock or move a lot when printing. It sits on a wooden stand on my desk, so it's not in my way. It starts quickly when I push the on/off button and shuts down quickly too.
The print quality is very good. Here, though, the more expensive printers did better photos with richer colors and a little more depth. However, the text on the c5550 is sharper. That's okay with me because I have other professional level printers to do photos.
The c5550 is a nice, solid printer that works well with Macs. Since I also have Windows XP installed on my Mac, I can say that this printer works well with Windows too. I've had this printer for over six months and have not had any problems. I highly recommend this printer, especially if you want to print labels/graphics on cd/dvds. If you plan to print professional level photos, this is not the right printer for that job.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100 Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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