Looking for a decent printer for less than $100 was supposed to be a chore. Then I found the HP DeskJet 842C at Office Depot for $80 (well, after a $30 rebate, anyway). I own several other Hewlett Packard products (calculators, laptops, etc) and so have a respect for their quality. I was surprised at how cheap it seemed, especially when noticing that the specs on the 842C rivalled several of the slightly more expensive models.

I was initially kind of irked by the fact that the printer didn't come with the cord to connect it to your computer (which apparently isn't anything unusual, but I still think it's a crock), and so had to shell out an additional $25 for a USB cord. My first installation didn't work, but it turned out to be a problem with my USB port, not the printer or the cord. Now I just use a standard parallel port connection, and I have never had a connectivity problem with the printer.

The only other issue I've had with the DeskJet 842C was that, a couple of months ago, after upgrading to Microsoft Office XP, for some reason some of the default fonts would not print right when attempting to print documents from Word. Fonts would get messed up and random gaps would appear within the body of the text. I couldn't tell whether the fault belonged to the software or the printer. I tried reinstalling the printer drivers, but that didn't clear things up. Only a hard drive reformat (for unrelated problems) and a complete rebuild of my system resolved the problem, but now we're back to tiptop performance. Now that I know the printer wasn't fried, I'm a little more at peace with my purchase.

Overall, I would recommend the HP DeskJet 842C. It is a breeze to install and operate, as it is really about the most basic kind of printer you can find. But the resolution is great for the price you pay--the only thing worth considering is the cost of replacement cartridges. I just recently had to replace the black ink cartridge (after about six months of use), at a cost of just under $30. If you print in bulk, you might look for a more cost-effective method. For the occasional user, such as a student like myself, this one is definitely worth considering.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 80
Operating System: Windows