An average photo printer
Written: Dec 17 '01 (Updated Dec 18 '01)
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Pros: Fast, good quality full page photo printing, reads memory cards.
Cons: Jams once in a while ripping the paper, lines when printing color from PC.
The Bottom Line: I think this is a good printer for those that just like to print pictures or text in color without too much thought to quality.
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| genkle1's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Photosmart P1100 InkJet Printer |
Before anything else, I have to say that I got a REFURBISHED model from eBay.
Some stats:
Speed: black & white - 11 ppm (worst), 4.4 ppm (best); color 4x6 - 0.6 ppm (best)
Max Resolution: 2400 x 1200 dpi
Paper: 4x6 up to 8 1/2x14, envelopes (special tray for envelopes and 4x6)
Connection: USB and Parallel (cables not included)
Double sided printing option
Reads SmartMedia and CompactFlash cards
After working with this printer for about two months printing photos, brochures, displays and the like at work, I have to say that I expected a little more from a printer that costs new near $300.
I was happy with the workings of the printer itself; it was easy to set up and always easy to use and maintain. It came with a big color guide to setting it up, with every step explained in detail. It was a cinch, just plug it in, connect it t the PC, turn on both machines, and install the software. Took me about 10 minutes total.
It's very easy to see and reach inside in case of a paper jam, VERY helpful (especially after a Brother printer). But it tends to jam up more frequently than I was used to with my old Cannon printer, and it'd usually rip the paper inside itself. It'll keep printing on the leftovers, and you won't know that the jam happened until you look. The memory card access is VERY helpful because you can actually use them as extra drives on your PC, checking out the photos before you print them. Or you can use the printer display and buttons to find the photo you want on the card and print directly. The utilities that come with the installation are pretty helpful. There's a way to check how much ink you have left in your cartriges. You can align and clean the cartriges too. The alignment actually helps, I tested it a couple of times against CD label sheets, and it was dead on. But I can't say the cleaning did much, except waste paper and ink.
Now for the printing quality itself. In black and white, the output was great. The lines were sharp, and the grays were true. I printed AutoCAD blueprints once in a while, and it looked better on paper than on the screen. It was the color printing that I had problems with. When printing photos and the such from Adobe Photoshop, all images, regardless of the image quality or format, had horizontal lines across the paper about 1/3 of an inch away from each other. The print itself was great, it was the lines that drove me nuts. I was hoping it was the software that did it, but when I used the HP supplied image printing software they were still there. The only solution I found was printing directly from the memory cards in the printer. I figure it's either the connection (I used an Parallel connection, you can also opt for a USB) or something with the way the printer handles the files. Also, it might be the fact that it's refurbished. Otherwise, the job the printer did was great. Our displays were beautiful, full of color.
You get a lot of choices for what you can print with it. It can take anything from 4X6 photo paper, to 8 1/2 by 14 legal sheets. There's also a special place for envelopes.
I only have one complaint toward all new HP printers: they don't provide cables to hook it up to the PC. This one came with the Parallel cable, and the double sided printing addition because it was refurbished, but they usually come with no cable. You have to look for the notice on the box to see that there's no cable inside.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200 (refurb)
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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Epinions.com ID:
genkle1
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Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 1 member
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