HP Photosmart C6280 All-in-One

Pros: Network ready, duplex printing standard, Smart Web printing, easy setup, individual ink cartridges, quality output

Cons: No PictBridge port, no fax, lengthy software installation

Summary: For around $200, the HP Photosmart C6280 is a good, economical solution for those who want a Windows Vista-ready, networkable printer that provides quality printing, scanning and faxing. While it may not be a speedy, feature-loaded all-in-one, what it does, it does very well.

Setting up the C6280 was simple and connecting it to my wireless home network was far easier than I expected. It now supports two wired PCs running XP, a wireless PC running XP and a wireless laptop running Vista. No Canon all-in-one printer in this price range can do that. Better yet, the C6280 easily fits into the footprint left by the printer I replaced.

As a digital photographer, I am impressed with the photo-quality prints produced by the C6280. (I usually post-process my photos and print them through editing software, so perhaps I am getting better results than others.) I also see no obvious problems with the quality of the text, which is black, crisp, sharp and very readable.

As a writer, one of my primary reasons for purchasing the C6280 was to print copies of my articles from the Web. Using the duplexer and Web Smart printing, I can produce excellent, two-sided copies on heavy stock that are scaled to fit the page while filtering out extraneous, ink-wasting elements. Anyone who does a great deal of printing from the Web will consider these features major pluses.

While scanning and copying weren't high on my list of priorities, I have found that the C6280 more than meets my needs in these areas. I have had no problems navigating the menus to produce the results I want.

Overall, how well this printer fits any individual user's needs depends on the priorities of the user. The C6280 does all that I need it to do without breaking the bank.