HP 2355v: Really is an all-in-one printer (and great with photos too!)
Written: Mar 18 '05
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Pros: It's a printer; a scanner; a copier; and prints photo-quality pictures
Cons: Ink cartridges are expensive; had to buy USB cord separately.
The Bottom Line: Good full featured printer for the money. Make sure to factor in cost of ink; paper and USB cable into your purchasing decision.
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| caroleg's Full Review: Hewlett Packard PSC 2355v All-In-One InkJet Printe... |
Sometimes it seems that if it's not one thing to fix, it's another. After just spending $2000 to get my 7-year old car fixed, be darned if my 10-year-old dependable HP DeskJet didn't die on me. With a consulting business run out of a home office, I need a printer. It doesn't have to be a high-end one as so much of what I do is done electronically these days. So, on a recent trip to Target, I headed over to the printer section to see what HP had to offer these days.
I looked at the simple printers that came in around $49. These had the same features as my old printer that cost $169 when I bought it 10 years ago. The all-in-one printers caught my eye primarily because of the copier feature. With this feature, I no longer have to make a trip out to Kinkos or to my friend's real estate office to use his printer. There are also a lot of digital photo printing features with the printer that while they weren't the main purchasing decision for me, I'm really coming to appreciate.
So What's so Great About the HP PSC 2355v series all-in-one?
Well, it's not the name of the printer! Kidding aside, This little machine will let you can a photo, picture, drawing or document. You can view what you've scanned in HP Image Zone which is software that comes with the printer that can be loaded onto Windows or a Mac. You can also make copies - in color or black/white and choose the quantity, quality, and size you want. (NOTE: the printer is looking for 8.5" x 11" or smaller images. If you do a lot of stuff on legal paper, you may want to keep shopping for another printer.) And, of course, it prints in color or black/white from all of your software.
Printing Photos Is Really Cool
So, while I bought this for business, I'm really starting to play with it with my digital images. I've got an Olympus D-550 Zoom camera that takes some great pictures. Generally, I upload the images into Picasa, a software package that's now part of Google, and work on things like red-eye and cropping. Then I upload them into Ofoto where I share them with friends and family and order my prints. This could quickly become a thing of the past.
Now I just pop out the little memory card from the camera and stick it into one of five different slots on the printer. I can see my photos in a little window on the printer and can actually do some editing right through the printer. I also have the option of printing a proof sheet or printing straight to photo quality paper (which HP gives you some samples of with the printer.)
The printer takes up about the same amount of space that the old one did - maybe even a little bit less. It's nice looking gray printer which looks nice with my ThinkPad laptop. The quality of printing is what I would expect from HP which is good. (If I wanted high-end color laser quality, I would pay for it along with the cost of supplies, but I really don't).
What Don't I Like About the HP 2355v All-In-One?
I didn't like getting this all the way home only to discover that my old printer cable wasn't going to work and that there was no USB cable in the box. This required a trip to the Staples in walking distance of my house for another $29.99 purchase. (NOTE: I didn't have to spend this much, but I went for the 11' cable that for $5 more they promised would be better with transferring large images back and forth and I was tired of shopping so I threw it in the basket). I also had to purchase additional ink which is never cheap. This printer also doesn't hold a ton of paper in the tray. Not a big issue as I don't share the printer with any one and I don't print large documents, but it's something to know about.
Compatability and Software
Along with this printer comes software for Windows and Mac operating systems. I run Windows XP Home so I'm fine with this. It was a drag loading the printer drivers and getting things rolling as it took about 15 minutes. (I was a little impatient after discovering that I needed to make an additional trip out for the USB and wanted to get printing!) I confess that I haven't loaded the additional ArcSoft Creator software for home scrapbooking; the Arc Software Photo Impression software; the ArcSoft Photo Printer software that comes free with this printer. But know that it's there if you need it. Some day I will get to it I'm sure. Also, the HP Image Zone software is pretty full featured. You've got a lot of photo editing features with this beyond what the printer can do itself.
Wrapping It Up
If you are looking for an all-in-one printer (minus being a fax machine), then this is a very good one. It works as well for business as it does for fun. If I would have bought a printer with all these features 10 years ago when I bought my old DeskJet, it would have cost me about $650. This is a good little printer for the money. (Just make sure you add in the cost of the USB cable and ink when you are making your purchasing decision.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 178.99
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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Epinions.com ID:
caroleg
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Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 151
Trusted by: 185 members
About Me:
Live in Boston. Enjoy lots of home & garden things - especially epinions.
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