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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 16 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The good: Prints high-quality photos and reasonable text quality on inkjet paper; works with many different memory cards and devices; USB cable included; easy setup.
The bad: Slow; low-quality graphics printouts.
The bottom line: The Photosmart 7350 compensates for its slow performance with decent output and a slew of connectivity choices.
Specifications: Printer Type: Photo printer - Ink-jet - Color ; Max media size: A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in) , Legal (8.5 in x 14 in) ; Connectivity technology: Wired ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 11/13/2002
- Updated on: 11/20/2002
- Released on: 07/29/2002
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 NASA-worthy control panel. |
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However, whereas the 7150 wears a chic and simple line of buttons down its front, the 7350 sports a bona fide control panel, with a little LCD for PC-less printing and a lot of buttons. You'll also find several card slots that support CompactFlash and Memory Stick, among others, grouped with the controls. Need to print from your PC? The 7350 connects to your computer via USB or the standard parallel ports. To our pleasant surprise, a USB cable ships with the HP; most other printers don't come with any cables these days.
 Ports for all connections. |
 CD isn't just for drivers. |
Despite these nifty features, the 7350 is a breeze to set up. The included poster walks you through the simple installation process; few regular computer users will have any problems. In case you run into difficulties, the printer comes with a helpful, 60-page manual with more detailed help and troubleshooting. The included CD contains both Windows and Mac drivers, help files, and a smattering of image-handling software (see next page).
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Media-card reading is fundamental. |
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In addition, the 7350 ships with handy image-management and manipulation software. HP's Photo & Imaging bundle includes HP Image Editor for--you guessed it--image editing and HP Memories Disc Creator (for Windows only), which lets you organize and burn images on CDs using a CD-write-capable drive.
Photo software for photo printer. |
 Optional photo ink cartridge included. |
The 7350's printhead features two bays for its ink tanks. The first is for the color tank (tank no. 57), which includes three hues: cyan, magenta, and yellow. In the second bay, you can insert either the black tank (tank no. 56) or the photo tank (tank no. 58). The photo tank includes light magenta, light cyan, and black and is supposed to enhance the quality of photo printouts. Beware, however--printing a lot of black text with the photo tank can be costly; when the black runs out, you have to replace the whole tank. Fortunately, according to HP, the photo tank doesn't make much difference in photo printouts, unless you print from a very high-quality photo file. Only seasoned professionals would detect a difference.
When you're ready to print your pictures, whether from a PC, a digital camera, or a media card, the 7350 has you covered. It reads many different media cards, including CompactFlash (Type II, which works with IBM Microdrive), Memory Stick, Secure Digital, and SmartMedia, and it even has a second USB port to use with digital cameras. Just plug in your camera and print away. Media card support comes in handy if, for example, you want to transfer pictures between the digital media and the computer, without having to tax the digital camera's battery. With its cornucopia of printing options, the 7350 is one of the most versatile printers we've seen.
Sadly, the 7350 is a slow runner. In CNET Labs' tests, this printer took up to 4.5 minutes to finish our 7x10 color test photo. Granted, printing a photo is a demanding task, and several photo printers we've tested have exceeded 4 minutes per page, but no worthy inkjet should take more than 1 minute to finish a page of normal text on plain paper. The 7350 completed only 91 percent of an 8x10-inch picture in 1 minute--one of the slowest print speeds we've seen in a long time.
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Inkjet printer color photo speed Minutes to print a color photograph (shorter bars indicate better performance) |
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Inkjet printer quality
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In terms of quality, however, the 7350 neither delights nor disappoints. It generated near-excellent photos; sharp-looking images displayed lots of detail and convincing skin tones. But though photographs are the most important measures of a photo printer, freelance photographers and serious hobbyists can't always afford to purchase different printers for different tasks. Therefore, a decent, consumer-priced photo printer should also cover text and graphics. The 7350 delivered professional-looking text that appeared only slightly undersaturated on inkjet paper. On the other hand, text on plain paper and graphics seemed average. The graphics printouts on plain paper appeared grainy and light. On better-quality inkjet papers, graphics looked oversaturated and grayish. Text on plain paper was jagged, bleeding, and hairy. The moral? For better text, buy better paper.
Color inks go over the top. |
 Slow speed, decent photos. |
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Inkjet printer text speed Pages per minute (longer bars indicate better performance) |
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In the end, a printer costs you more than just its sticker price. That's why we're glad that the 7350's black ink costs a reasonable 5 cents per page of text. At 55 cents per page, however, HP's color inks are among the most expensive we've seen in a while, even for a photo printer. (We consider 25 cents per page on the high side of average for color inks.)
It's likely that you will not run into any technical difficulties with the 7350. But in case you do, HP backs the printer with a standard one-year warranty. You can reach phone help via a toll call Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. When we tried the number, we got a hold of a human being after only a few voice-activated steps. The friendly techie possessed a great deal of knowledge about the product and solved our problems with finesse and accuracy.
Product-specific online support.
For less complex problems, HP also provides an 24/7 automated help system via toll-free phone call, and HP's Web site provides software updates, printing tips, and manuals.
User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 16 reviews
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