One of HP's best...
Written: Nov 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Speed / Incredible photo reproduction
Cons: Ink use
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| jeffpresto's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Deskjet 952c InkJet Printer |
I picked this printer up at Office Max for $250 with some sort of mail-in rebate deal. This printer was to replace our older HP 693c model which had given out. This price range is typical of the higher-end inkjet market, but not as high as proffesional-grade printers.
The design is pure HP, and it's interesting to see how the style of HP printers has progressed through the years.
Upon setting up the printer (in which I went the faster and more reliable USB option) and installing the ink cartridges, I was pleasantly surprised to see that instead of having to calibrate the cartridges manually (as in older HP printers), the 952C automatically aligns the cartridges via a blue optical sensor. This proved a very interesting site to take in! After everything was set up, I started printing things to see how the 952C stacked up.
First, I tested the text printing speed, since I would mostly be using this printer to print out documents. I was amazed by the speed in which the 952C printed text documents on the "Normal" quality setting. This set the printer up on my opinion from the start. Next, I grabbed a few photos off the internet and tested the photo printing capabilities of the 952C. HP included a nice sampler pack of variouse special papers. Of those papers, a few sample 4x6 glossy photo papers with tear-off handling tabs were included. I printed a picture of one of my favorite cars, the Honda S2000, on one of the 4x6 photos. I was amazed at the quality when it came out. It looked like it came directly from the photo lab! The colors were right, the blacks didn't have a green-ish tint as some printers tend to create, and the resolution was unreal. After showing some of my friends, they asked where I took the photo! Then they saw the HP marking on the back of the photo, and were astonished.
Comperable results could also be achieved on normal paper, but is not as nice, which is expected.
After a few days of playing around, I noticed one of the major flaws of the 952C - ink use. I was checking the nice configuration software included, which contains a visual display of estimated ink levels. The black was only 3/4 full, and the color less than 2/3 full! This printer, although it produces amazing images, is an ink-hog. Add to that the unreasonable prices of ink-cartridges ($25 - $35 each) and this adds up to an expensive printer!
All in all, I recommend the HP 952C to most users. Even though it uses more ink than I'd like, you simply can't beat the speed and fidelity of it for the money.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jeffpresto
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Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 5 members
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