craftswoman's Full Review: Meade DS-2114AT (325 x 114mm) Telescope
Selecting this printer was an easy decision for me because my computer is also an HP product and I have been very satisfied with it. While it has taken me awhile to wean myself off my previous computer, a Toshiba, I can now say that I am very happy with my Hewlett Packard computer Big Shoes. BIG. because of the excellent customer service I have received. (How often can you say that?)
My Cannon i560 Tomorrow is Another Day printer died (again) and I had no desire to have it repaired. I didn’t do much research to see what was out there, except for a little online time and it really didn’t help much. I decided to go from store to store. I was lucky; the first store I went to had a new shipload of HP printers although the store clerk didn’t know where they were. Nevertheless, I found what I was looking for in an unlikely mid-aisle and put it in my cart. It was black, it scanned, it copied, and it printed. It was $80.00 and it was a Hewlett Packard product. That more than met my criteria.
One of the things that I love about this All-in-One is that the top of it is flat. This means that you can place a few things on top of it like the Basics Guide and the Setup Guide so that they are within easy reach for you when the printer functions are still new to you. Another bonus with this design is that it’s so easy to clean when it gets dusty. In addition, it’s easier to see the dust on a black printer. You may think, why would you want something that doesn’t hide the dust but the fact is, you want to be on top of dust so to speak because it is an enemy to printers, computers and the like.
I also like that you insert the paper into the same area as where you remove your printed copy. This was not the case with my other printer. You would have to insert it at the top of the printer (which was a long arm stretch for me when I was sitting at my computer) and then it would come out towards the bottom of the printer on an extended tray that took up space. On the HP printer, half of your paper is in an area within the printer itself and half is outside, saving you several inches of space.
Paper Specifications
Input tray capacity: Plain paper sheets: Up to 100 (20 lb. paper)
Environmental Specifications
HP recommends using a USB cable less than or equal to 3 m (10 feet) in length
Recommended operating temperature range: 59 to 86 degrees
Humidity: 15% to 80% RH non-condensing
SETUP
Setup is easy. Just follow the Setup Guide that comes in the box. NOTE: the USB cable does NOT come with this model. You must purchase it separately. Also, if you happen to have a USB cable, don’t connect it to the HP printer until step 14 of the Setup Guide.
INSTALLING THE INK CARTRIDGES
Installing the ink cartridges the first time is a little tricky. It’s hard to see what you’re doing and I was afraid I was going to break something. Just follow the instructions in the Setup Guide. I like the ink cartridges for the HP much better than the Cannon. The last time I installed an ink cartridge in my Cannon, ink leaked all over my hand. I wasn’t squeezing the cartridge, it was a faulty cartridge and may have been the cause of my printer failing. The HP ink cartridges appear to be much sturdier and better contained. Everything about the HP printer says superior design.
HP SOLUTIONS CENTER
When you are at the point that you need to insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive you will see that it places an icon on your desktop called HP Solution Center. This is a neatly arranged area that answers all your questions. It also tells you your ink levels if you have the printer on.
The first buttons you will see are:
Scan Picture
Scan Document
Make Copies
You can control what you want to do from these buttons with just a click. You don’t have to push the buttons on the printer! So, in the interest of time-saving, you can do everything from your keyboard and/or mouse.
To the right of these buttons are three other softwares that are included in this package:
HP Image Zone
HP Document Viewer
HP Photosmart Essential 2.01
HP Image Zone
When you click this button, it will pull up any photos that you have on your computer. You will be able to edit and/or transfer the photos to a memory card or other device. You can transfer images from your camera or camera card to your PC. There are also other options with a Help option.
HP Document Viewer
When you click the Document Viewer button, you will be able to select any document on your PC and open it up. You can convert scanned documents into text. You can fax documents. There are more options and also a Help option.
Photosmart Essential
When you click this button you can organize, share, or print your photos and more. There is also a Help option.
At the bottom of the HP Solutions Center screen are four icons:
Home
Help
Shopping
Settings
HOME
Clicking Home takes you to the main HP Solutions Center screen.
HELP
Clicking Help takes you to all the help you need and then some. The following are icons for help:
Try These First:
Check for updates
View common solutions
Documentation:
Product help
How do I?
Onscreen guide
Tools/Utilities:
Printer toolbox
Status
Technical information
Online support:
Product webpage
Contact HP
SHOPPING
Supplies and more for your printer.
SETTINGS
Here you can set up your preferred settings. I like to have the Preview button checked for copying and scanning.
ENVIRONMENTALLY CONCERNED HP
Up at the top of the HP Solutions Center is a silver icon of three arrows in a triangular shape. If you click this, it will take you online for product return and recycling information.
STATUS OF DEVICE
In the upper left-hand corner is a button that says Status. If you click it, it will tell you whether or not it is connected or disconnected. You can also check a box here if you want it to play a sound alert. There is also a link to cartridge information that you can click and order cartridges or find stores near you to purchase cartridges.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Information is well laid out for this printer: it’s easy to find, easy to read as far as print size, and easy to understand.
The only negative I could find so far is that at times the printer makes knocking noises when printing. These noises are pretty loud and I am concerned that any banging of that nature will only mean problems in the future. Time will tell. I’ve only had this product for a couple of weeks. So far, I am very impressed.
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