(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Color scan | |
Grayscale scan | |
4x6 photo | |
Graphics | |
Text |
Unfortunately, the C4280's print quality left a lot to be desired. The text prints were overly dark and the characters too thick. Everything looked bold, and the actual bold text looked swollen. While the characters were formed well, everything was shrouded by a shadow or smudge, even on HP's coated inkjet paper. The color graphics print was better, with nice color saturation, good handling of barcode patterns, and sharp detail in the photo elements, but we noticed graininess in color blocks and the gradients were beset by faint vertical lines. The 4x6 photo prints were just OK; the colors could use some brightening, and we would've liked to see a sharper image. We also saw graininess in color blocks.
The C4280 did a pretty good job with grayscale scans, though we saw compression in the dark end of the grayscale, resulting in lost details in the shadow areas of pictures. It handled color scans better; the colors were true, and details were sharp. Overall, we preferred the print quality and task speeds of the slightly more expensive Canon Pixma MP460, with the exception of color scan quality.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Color scan | |
Grayscale scan | |
Photo | |
Graphics | |
Text |
Service and support
HP backs the Photosmart C4280 with a standard one-year warranty, which is on par with the competition. While under warranty, you can get free, toll-free phone support 24-7. HP's Web site has downloadable drivers, software, and manuals; e-mail and online chat tech support; FAQs; and a troubleshooting guide.
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