- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 4 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"This printer prints GREAT pictures for not a lot of money."
Pros: great photo quality, low cost per photo, individual inks and fast printing
Cons: average software bundle
Summary: Wow! I get to be the first to review this printer.
Introduction:
I bought this printer two days ago. After a few days of online research, I was shopping for a new printer and was considering several options. I checked all the usual websites, including this one. Unfortunately, this printer is so new that no one has reviewed it. So, I wasn't sure what to do. Since I always check the most prominent websites for technology reviews, I was taking a gamble on this one not having any information about the product other than HP's own press releases.
Well, after some consideration and an impulse, I decided to buy the HP Photosmart D7160. My previous printer was an Epson Stylus C84, which is a great printer in it's own right. So, I am taking the next big step into home photo printing. With 6-ink printing and direct digital camera memory card access, I have jumped into the 21st century home digital photo lab.
I've concluded that this printer is replacing the HP Photosmart 8250 which is last years model in this price category. The 8250 Got a "Good" review from CNET. This printer uses the same economical inks as the 8250 from last year, and apparently the same print engine. This helped to influence my decision.
First Impressions:
Upon first look, this is a very handsome machine. I could have bought last years 8250 on clearance, but this one looked much nicer. This printer is suitable for display in a home office or at the workplace. Also, I find this printer to be well constructed. It does not feel as flimsy as other printers I have owned/used in the past.
Installation:
Setup took only minutes. With the included software on a Windows XP machine, installation was a snap. There were no issues for me installing this printer on my Windows XP machine.
Features:
This is a typical "photo" printer with built-in card reader, PictBridge connect port and LCD display for selecting photos to print. Also features 6-ink printing for lab quality prints with 6 individual ink cartridges for economy. Has seperate trays for plain 8.5x11 paper and a photo tray for 4x6 photo paper. This printer has a great set of features for this price range. See the full specification under the specification tab.
This printer also features automatic paper detection when using HP papers. Little printed markings on the back of the paper are recognized by the printer to determine the type of photo paper that is loaded in the tray.
Ease of Use:
When I was out shopping for which printer to purchase, I brought my camera card which had several photos on it so that I could test out prospective printers. The place where I made my purchase had the printers loaded with paper and I was able to do a test print. I was able to produce a photo with no prior experience with this machine in about 30-45 seconds.
The LCD display is bright and easy to read. The built-in wizard and menu system is fairly easy to navigate. From the time you insert you memroy card and producing your first print should happen in less than a minute.
Print Quality:
Well, this is usually the most important factor for most digital photo enthusiasts. I will admit to being a person that expects the best possible quality. This printer delivers on photo quality. I have printed several test photos both 4x6 and larger 8x10. I am very impressed thus far. Even at normal quality photo setting, the prints look amazing. I showed some prints to a friend and they thought I had them developed.
These prints show absolutely no detectable graininess at all. Prints are very vivid and natural. The color is very accurate on my test prints. I am using HP's "Advanced Photo Paper" which is included with the HP Photo Value Pack. The "advanced photo paper" is designed to work with HP's Vivera Ink. The prints are dry instantly and can be handled right off the printer.
Speed:
Well, I have not seen the 12-14 second photo print times that HP advertises, but that is probably for Draft quality. I have seen a photo materialize in about 20 seconds on Normal quality. That is amazing unto itself. I am very impressed with print times. I used to wait for 2, 3, 4 minutes for a 4x6 photo print with my old 4-color printer. (With 4-color printing you typically have to set your printer to the highest possible resolution/print quality to get good looking prints that are not all grainy. This takes considerably more time to produce.)
Text pages print in seconds. Text quality is good. "Laser" quality on "inkjet" paper.
Economy:
According to HP you can print 4x6 photos for just 24cents a print, yet I cannot verify this. I do know that the HP Photo Value Pack "02" series is a great deal. With the HP Value Pack you get a 150 pack of 4x6 photo paper plus all 6 ink cartridges for $36 bucks! If you were to buy each cartridge plus the paper seperately, you would spend about $90. This was the final component in my decision. I determined this was one of the best, most economical printers available.
Conclusion:
If you are considering upgrading your old non-photo/4-ink printer this is an excellent choice. If you are looking for an economical "photo" printer for printing everyday photos and the occasional framed 8x10 portrait, this printer is certainly capable. This printer has a great feature set, and excellent print quality. Plus, you can print photos without a computer attached! This is one great printer!
Thanks for reading.
