Entered CNET Catalog: 10/14/2001
SKU: 088698395141
Manufacturer: HP
Product summary
The good: Great graphics and photo print quality; lots of connectivity options; automatic duplexer.
The bad: Pricey; a little slow printing text; plain-paper text looks fuzzy; toll phone support.
The bottom line: The cp1160 is designed for desktop SOHO/business use and offers the connectivity and the flexibility to match, but its capabilities aren't quite in line with its price.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/14/2002
Easy out-of-box experience
It's very easy to get this printer up and running. After removing the packaging materials, snap the automatic duplexer (for two-sided printing) into the rear of the device and install the printer drivers from the CD. The setup program will typically launch automatically, so just follow the onscreen instructions. The cp1160 is compatible with Windows 95 and above and Mac OS 8.6 or higher. A setup poster walks you through basic assembly and setup, and a 28-page reference guide helps answer many of your setup questions (including those about support). However, you'll need to refer to the extensive documentation on the included CD for issues such as networking, IR setup, hardware and software compatibility, and LCD-panel messages.
The $370 cp1160's design departs somewhat from the HP norm. While it features the same silver and black styling of the Deskjet series, it's much boxier in shape. It measures 19.21 inches wide by 7.27 inches high by 7.06 inches deep, with an almost perfectly flat top. To expose the printer's guts and load the inks, a hinged arm swings out from the front of the printer like a barn door. The cp1160 uses a separate print-head/ink-cartridge configuration, so you'll need to install the four print heads first, then snap in the ink cartridges. The printer comes with one integrated color cartridge, even though there are three separate, color print heads. A roomy 150-sheet input tray comes tucked underneath the output tray on the front of the printer, and for $80, you can add an extra 250-sheet paper tray (as pictured above). Also on the front of the printer is a small LCD that shows the printing mode, the job status, the ink levels, and other information.
Keep your options open
The cp1160 also has a lot of connectivity options. It provides a USB interface for direct connection to a host PC, an IR interface for wireless printing, and a parallel-port option (through an extra-cost, plug-in module). If you'd prefer a network connection, the $600 cp1160tn includes an HP Jetdirect 200m Ethernet print server, which plugs into an opening on the rear of the printer. It also adds the aforementioned 250-sheet paper tray, increasing the total paper capacity to 400 pages.
The print driver offers a number of handy features. For example, it allows you to print watermarks, posters, banners, or multiple pages per sheet. You can also select the Automatic Paper-Type Sensor, which automatically determines the media type and adjusts the print settings accordingly. The cp1160 supports letter, legal, A4, A5, B5, and executive papers, along with several card and envelope styles.
Faster on graphics than text
The cp1160's performance strengths lie in graphics and photos but not in plain old text. In CNET Labs' tests, the cp1160 printed text at 4.7ppm (pages per minute), or slightly more than half its rated engine speed of 8ppm in Normal mode. This was faster than the $399 HP DeskJet 995C's 4.2ppm but notably slower than the zippy $179 Epson Stylus C80's 6.1ppm. However, the cp1160 finished a photo in 4.6 minutes--easily outperforming the Stylus C80, which needed 5.6 minutes. The HP DeskJet 995C took just 4.3 minutes to print the same image.
Overall, the cp1160 produced great-looking output. Text on coated paper looked excellent, with crisp, dark, well-rounded letters. The cp1160 also shined on plain-paper graphics and photos, producing excellent color matching and smooth, realistic-looking flesh tones. This printer struggled in two areas, however: On plain paper, text appeared fuzzy, with some overprinting errors; the colors in our graphics document looked oversaturated (though some may like it that way), with some banding on coated paper.
Average ink costs
Color inkjets tend to cost more per page than do laser or LED printers. The cp1160 is no different; it will cost you about 4.9 cents per page of text and roughly 32 cents per color page. The Epson Stylus C80 costs much less--3.4 cents per page of text and 23 cents per color page--but compared to all inkjet printers, the cp1160's ink prices are actually slightly better than average.
Typical support
The cp1160's standard service and support policies are typical for the industry. Its one-year limited warranty includes free telephone support Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT; unfortunately, it's a toll call. For $80, you can extend the warranty to three years with an HP support pack (which includes a retrieve, repair, and return service). The HP Web site offers a wealth of assistance, including FAQs, troubleshooting guidance, setup and installation assistance, driver updates, and manuals.
The cp1160 is ready for work with copious connectivity, great overall print quality, and an automatic duplexer. But here's the rub: While it offers the necessary speed and output quality for SOHO and business users who want high-end graphic printing, its struggles with text quality and speed make its high price a bit hard to swallow.
| Inkjet printer text speed Pages per minute (longer bars indicate better performance) | ||||||
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| Inkjet printer color photo speed Minutes to print a color photograph (shorter bars indicate better performance) | ||||||
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Inkjet printer quality
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| The HP color inkjet cp1160 prints graphics fast, but it's disappointingly slow with text. Although text printed on plain paper looked fuzzy, the cp1160's print quality was otherwise stellar, especially on graphics and photos. |
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1out of 1 user reviews
Not a bad printer overall
Pros: double-sided printing, good picture quality
Cons: Uses too much ink
- Double-sided documents work just fine for me
- I have never replaced the print heads
- It was a little pricey
- The printer makes a little too much noise and shakes the whole desk a little while in use
- really good photo printing
