HP Photosmart C8180 All-in-One

Pros: Built-in lightscribe, great wireless support and setup (802abg, bluetooth), touch-screen interface, compact size, fantastic photo-printing, simple cartridge management

Cons: Expensive photo-printer, expensive and small ink cartridges, no ADF, No Photo-Lightscribe printing w/o USB connection

Summary: I purchased this printer last week, and I'm impressed with what it's done so far.

Without any issues, I can snap a picture on my cell phone (3MP) send it to my printer (when within range) and it will automatically print a full borderless 4x6 print with excellent resolution - two clicks, no PC needed, no printer interaction required: Impressive.

This is just one of the many triumphs of this printer. I've had a plug-and-pay experience so far. Setting it up on my wireless network was a breeze. I use WPA encryption, and getting the printer to join the network was no problem. Software setup from my PC was even easier. I didn't need to know the IP and it only upgraded existing drivers and software I already had - it didn't require a full install of new HP software; this was another big point in HP's favor.

My biggest surprise was the Over-The-Air scanning capability; I configured what 'ScanTo:' buttons I wanted to show up on my printer, placed an item to be scanned on the glass and hit scan - a preview automatically popped up on my PC and asked to me confirm and set resolution for full scan - NICE.

To my surprise though, the printer offers no OTA support for photo-lightscribe printing. So while you can imprint basic Header and two sub-titles onto a disc, you'll need to be connected via USB to be able to print a full resolution greyscale image to the CD (which can take up to 15 minutes).

This is my first light-scribe device/experience and I'm a bit disappointed. The images I've printed so far, and even the simple text, looks faded and a bit washed out. While the laser burning feature is amazing (and should have been the standard years ago) I'm disappointed at the contrast resolution; the blacks aren't as truly black as they should/could be.

On the ink side, while I LOVE the new pictographic, simply front-loading ink setup, I certainly don't like the small size. This means more replacement with high-volume color printing for a cartridge that costs about the same as it's larger predecessor.

My last gripe is the lack of full functionality. I feel that the lack of an ADF as opposed to the simple flat-bed was a poor choice. Instead of making the device more versatile, it pivots it toward dedicated photographers; since it is removable, I feel HP should offer an ADF option instead of the Negatives scanner.

All-in-all, a great device that's worked very well so far. While not for the faint of pocket book, it's a definite recommend for the basic AND advanced home user.