HP Photosmart C4280 All-in-One

Pros: Small footprint for all it does; decent print quality for the money; essentially got it for free with a rebate

Cons: Quirky software, unreliable hardware

Summary: I don't usually write reviews, much less bad ones, but HP has earned this one. Once upon a time I had an HP printer that was a real tank--did everything I asked of it, and more. The last two, however (including this one), died within two weeks of being taken out of the box. From my experience alone, I'd have to guess that either their quality control has hit the skids, or they're simply trying to get their products to do too much at too low a price point.

The 4280 I had insisted on trying to reinstall the drivers everytime I reconnected it to my computer. Weird, but tolerable. However, after printing roughly 500 pages, the feed mechanism went haywire and everything created a paper or carriage jam. It's still under warranty, and I'll presumably be able to get it replaced, but I'd really rather not.

I know, I know, you get what you pay for. And I'm not out any $, just annoyed by the experience. But these guys are going to kill their brand by selling junk like this.