- Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 199 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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41 out of 44 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Does anybody read the directions?"
Pros: I am in awe of this machine
Cons: You might be required to use your brain to set it up
Summary: I frequently find myself buying high tech products after doing research online where others have had no luck with the product. I get the product home and am able to set it and get it running without too much difficulty. My decision to buy this printer is another perfect example.
A review a few days ago said that his copies were "flying" out of the unit and there was no mechanism to catch the copies so he just had to stand there. Well, right there in the "start here" guide is a box with a pretty picture explaining how to flip out the copy tray extender to prevent this from happening. Another reviewer says he was not told to disable his antivirus software before beginning installation. Well, that is spelled out in the manual as well. In fact, it is step #1 under the "install the software" section. The only thing I can think is that most people think that you can just pull a computer type item out of the box and just start using it. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This is a $500 multifunction printer, not a pencil. You may have to engage a few neurons.
Here's how I got up and running. Following the directions, I first connected the unit wirelessly to my network using the front panel of the printer. Then I did an "express" install using the supplied CD on my 3 yr old XP home machine. The full install had all the photo editing bloatware and I dont need or want that so I saw no reason to install it. I also installed the Mac software onto my laptop at the same time. Installation on both machines combined took less than 15 minutes. Then, I did run into a little confusion. A wireless connection wizard came up so I went through that eventhough I thought I had already set that up. Didnt work. Then I remembered that I had implemented mac address filtering on my router and so I had to go make some adjustments there. I messed around with the wireless stuff for about half an hour (I had some trouble with my WEP key as well) and then it was working. Since then, I have just been playing with all the features.
Things I have tested, set up or noticed:
1. Scanned a picture right into Adobe Photo Shop Elements.
2. Duplex copy. Seems to work OK but the copy did seem to be out of alignment a little. Many have complained about this and I would agree that it may be a legitimate problem.
3. Transfered pictures wirelessly to my computer using the card reader. But it transfered them slowly when using my 6 megapixel camera. I have a b network and not g so that would probably improve it quite a bit. So for now, I will probably continue to use my usb 2.0 card reader. The wireless transfer WAS faster than if I were using a usb 1.1 card reader.
4. I put envelopes in the top tray and paper in the bottom tray. The printer automatically prints from the correct tray depending on if I am printing envelopes or regular documents.
5. This puppy prints FAST!!!!!!
6. In the fax software, I was able to fully customize the look of the cover sheet and put my company logo on it and then set it as the default. Nice.
So I give this guy a nine out of ten because of my little snafu with the wireless setup. It would have been perfect if it would have just worked right the first time, but I will admit that it probably was my fault because of all the things I forgot to change on my router. Potentially, I could have been up and running in 15 minutes. I think this machine is amazing and worth the money that I paid for it. You are going to be hard pressed to find another machine that offers as much as this one does. So go buy it. Take it out of the box and put it together. Then allow it to acclimate to its new environment for one day before turning it on. During that time, READ THE MANUALS!!!!Updated
OK, I have been using this machine for a couple of weeks and could not be happier with my purchase. I have used every function from both my Mac and my PC, both wireless. I have had very few problems. I have had a couple of "connection" issues, but both were resolved quickly. Once I restared the PC and the other time I restarted the print spool. Other than that, no problems. I find the speed of the printer to be exceptional. The photos I have printed have been incredible and I'm not even using the 6 color ink system. If you buy this thing, do yourself a favor. Read the direction. Do some google searches to find resolutions to problems other people have had and you will have very little problem with this printer.
- 6 replies to this review
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This review is way too positive! This is a fine piece of hardware. The software required to run it over the network is complete garbage. I have 3 processes running on Windows now, and it hasn't printed anything. Start any process and you'll get a few more. Using it to scan over the network is an exercise in frustration. The included HP Director software fails to launch most of the time. When it does work, it usually dies after 3-4 scans. The only way I can work with it is the embedded web server which offers a scan feature- jpg only.
HP makes some good network scanners that we have at the office, they cost about 7 times what this all in one did. Now I know why. -
Thank you for the comments. They have been a big help. Sometimes people do not read the manuals, have problems, and blame the machine. Reading DOES help.
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I wish that I had the experience that you had. When I used the disk to install on my less than 1 year old PC, I was informed (by the software) that the software that I had on the computer was newer than on the disk and prompted me to connect the USB cable, which I did. The install new hardware wizard popped up but could'nt find the software. I tried the disk again, but no luck. After three times of being trapped in a loop, I called HP support, who informed me that there was probably a conflict within the software. He then "took over my computer" and gor the next 30 minutes proceeded to fix the problem. In doing so, he went into my registry amongst other places. At the end of nearly three hours, the printer was not working with the computer and my computer was behaving quite oddly, with windows popping up all over the place and no system sound. Could he fix this problem? No. He was a printer guy, I guess. He would refer me to another call center that would help fix the problem that he created. Well they couldn't help either, so I had to perform a system reboot. No peripheral should take this long to set up (and not get set up. Oddly, I have an HP computer as well. I would think that these two were "meant for each other." After having the printer less than one day I returned it. I was really looking forward to having this device in my home office, too.
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Thanks for the very detailed review of the product. Since I, like you, do indeed read the directions before installing anything, I find that I often have no problem installing software and hardware that others have struggled with. Very useful post. Thanks much.
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Thank you all very much. Everyone gave a lot of good information and feedback. I now feel much more informed ny everyone's commments. Thank you for your endeavor and report.
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I picked Dangerfish?s comment string to raise my issues because 1) he seems knowledgeable, 2) experienced with the 7410 and 3) is reasonable in his comments.
I have four HP printers in my office, two low cost personal and two high(er) cost all in ones including a 7110. All of them pull in multiple pages at once when printing on thicker stock such as labels or pre printed check forms. I am not surprised this happens with the low cost printers but am with the higher cost all in ones. I will consider replacing the 7110 with another all in one and for reasons I don?t even understand am still leaning towards HP. Does anyone do extensive label/check or other form printing on the 7410 and if you do, do you have this problem? How about other sub $1,000 all in one printer alternatives?
HP OfficeJet 7410:
