HP DeskJet 6980
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"Good printer, but has a glitch" on by CTMPres
Pros: Speedy, good print
Cons: Picks up multiple sheets
Summary: This printer is very fast, and has good text print on even the fastest setting (fast draft). But the faster it prints, the more it picks up multiple sheets. It will print part of a page on one sheet, then the rest of the page on the next sheet it picks up. Slow it down to "Fast Normal" print, and it will pick up an extra sheet now-and-then. Slow it even more to "Normal" and it will print properly.
Fanning the sheets before printing doesn't seem to help with this glitch.
Otherwise, this is a nice little machine. -
"Nice speedy little printer with lots of capability at an awesome price." on by bschandl
Pros: wireless, wired, quiet, faster than some laserjets.
Cons: none that I can see
Summary: I purchased this printer a couple of weeks ago for college. It does a super job at printing, but I'm mainly excited about it's wireless capability and speed for the price! For me, this was well within my price range at Office Max and it prints faster than some laser jet printers. . .not to mention it's masive interface compatibility; LAN, wireless, USB, and pictbridge printing. You can even spend just a little extra to get the duplexer. Plus, it has a nice sleek modern look.
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"Great value-priced printer, packed with high-end features" on by bumstedmans
Pros: Built-in wireless and wired networking, speed, double-capacity cartrage, bluetooth option, Killer looks!
Cons: Buggy software for Macs, wireless didn't work too well for me
Summary: I too puchased this for college. As a student, I was in need of a low-priced printer that produced good print quality. The 6980 meets both these standards, and then some. Its speed is outstanding, and its print quality is equal to that of other HP printers that cost hundreds more. Furthermore, its design is suberb. The pictures don't really do it justice. Not only does it have a really nice glossy finish, but it is built solidly. Compared to most of the other HP printers (namely all the lower-end all in 1s, and the office-jet line) the 6980 feels like it was put together solidly, with good-quality materials.
Because I am taking both a laptop and desktop with me, I was in need of a printer with networking support. Currently, my 6980 is plugged into my router, where it then is broadcasted to my wired and wireless computers. So far, this setup has worked great, and set-up was pain-free.
Despite all these good points, I do have two problems which prevent a score of 10. First, my original intent was to use this printer's wireless connection to set up an ad-hoc connection (a direct network connection) between my laptop and printer (a process clearly explained in the manual). However, I was unable to do this as my notebook would refuse to recognise the network that the printer was supposed to create. hmm.
also, for those mac users using an Apple with an intel processer, you may encounter some software bugs. I found that the printer setup utility runs very slow, and crashes every time I open it. I am assuming that because my MacBook must run the conversion software because this program is not written for intel macs. However, I expect that this will be patched in the future.
Even though I ran into a few problems, I'm sure I made the right choice. -
"Disappointed with connectivity" on by zernie
Pros: Nice color and packaging
Cons: Wireless connection never worked
Summary: Basically, I never got past the wireless connection setup after 4-5 hours of tech support. I returned the unit. I have a home network with 3 computers and a Linksys wireless router. I currently use an HP computer on one of the computers. This computer acts as a printserver. Based on the price and the reviews on this site I bought this unit direct from HP.
After 3-4 hours with the chat tech support, they realized that the disc supplied did not have the correct drivers. All my computers have XP or XP pro. They supplied drivers for ME and 98! The tech support person said they would send me a disc for free (WOW!) I suggested downloading the drivers and they said they would use generic. I gave up after their suggestions disconnected my laptop from the wireless router. After 4 support techs, I gave up on them. The initial tech sent me a web link which was exactly like the manual.
It may be that this connection would have worked flawlessly had they sent a good software disc, since the "easy secure setup" buttons on my router and printer seems to work fine. It was the software install that gave me problems, along with the arrogant tech support personnel. I am no longer an HP fan. -
"Set-up is a disaster" on by seadog4
Pros: Sure it's a great printer
Cons: ... if you can get it to work
Summary: I've now spent over 4 hours in two separate sessions on the phone with HP trying to get this printer to work. Everything connects just fine-- the computer and the printer communicate, etc. Problem is that when it comes printing time, the printer spits out a blank page. Four hours on the phone with HP and the best that they can come up with is that there must be software inferference, that the fault is not theirs so I can't return the printer, and they don't have customer service.
I'm sure the printer is great if you can get it to work, but after my lackluster experience with HP, I'm not about to try again.
