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Hewlett Packard HP DeskJet 3420 Ink-jet
Printer |
Overall
rating:  Reviewed by 8 Epinions users - Write a review |
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| Paper
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| Read Review of
Hewlett Packard HP DeskJet 3420 Ink-jet Printer |
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| Review Summary |
About the Author |
This
HP Desktop is a decent low cost printer for light
jobs. Jul 23 '03 (Updated
Nov 11 '03)
Author's Product Rating

| Ease of
Use: |
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| Paper
Handling: |
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| Pros Low cost, small size,
lightweight,
fast
Cons Surprisingly
loud
The Bottom Line A good
little printer for a low
price.
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| Full
Review |
I got this printer to go with my HP
Pavilion Home Computer.
WHAT YOU GET
A pretty small ink jet printer. It looks a
lot like a breadbox. The printer works in both
black & white and color. There is a disk to
help you install the printer's drivers to your
home computer. However, I have an HP computer and
the printer installed automatically without the
disk.
You also get two print cartridges.
One is black only and the other has the color ink.
The cartridges appear to be smaller than
cartridges I use with other printers.
You
also get two glossy instruction pages: one for
Windows and one for Mac that explain a quick
install. I used the one for Windows which was easy
to understand and use. You also get a short manual
that explains the operation in more detail.
WHAT YOU DO NOT GET
You do not get
a USB cable to attach the printer to your
computer. I bought a USB
cable through hpshopping.com. I couldn't find
the cable with the model number that the
instructions recommended. However, the cables are
supposed to be standard, so I wasn't too worried.
The main decision point is the length that you
want your cable to be. I ended up buying cable
number C6518A at hpshopping.com
for $19.99 plus 4.99 shipping. This cable worked
fine.
INSTALLATION
Installation
was easy. Once you get the cable, you plug one end
into the printer and one end into the computer. My
computer immediately recognized the new hardware
which activated the install wizard program. The
installation wizard guided me through the rest of
the set-up. The whole process took about 3 minutes
and I didn't need to reboot the computer.
The first time that you try to print, you
will get a message asking you to calibrate the
printer. This involves using the software provided
(the software installs a handy icon on your
desktop) to print two pages and make sure the
lines match up. It takes about 5 minutes.
HOW IT WORKS
This deskjet works
pretty well. The paper jams only rarely and it
works surprisingly fast. My only complaint is that
it is loud compared with all of the other printers
I have used before. The print quality is about the
same as other ink jet printers I have used.
This printer also interacts very nicely
with my computer - there are no weird glitches and
documents start printing very quickly. Since this
printer and my computer are both made by HP - I
assume this interaction was by design. I dont'
know if this printer would work as well with other
brands.
If you are interested in printing
photos or posters or other creative endeavors,
there is some included software that can guide you
through the creative process. I am not really the
creative type and haven't used this additional
software.
REPLACEMENT INK JET CARTRIDGES
I have found the lowest price on Ink Jet
cartridges at Office
Max. They cost $17.99 for the black ink and
$21.99 for the color ink.
WARRANTY
There is a limited 90 day warranty.
OTHER INFORMATION
Customer service
by phone is only available for the first 90 days
of use. The phone number for the U.S. is (208)
323-2551. Once you go past the 90 days, you can
use the software provided with the printer that
has a pretty useful help section. There is also a
support page on the company's website at
www.hp.com.
RECOMMENDATION
This is
a great little printer for the money. The
construction seems a little flimsy, so I am not
sure it would hold up well under lots of use, but
it is fine with a personal computer. Except for
the excessive noise, it performs very well.
UPDATE: This printer works much better
with thinner paper. I recently bought a heavy
weight resume-style paper and find that it jams
frequently. Lighter weight paper rarely, if ever,
jams.
UPDATE: I am having problems with
the color ink. The color red appears as yellow and
other colors are off as well. There is no way to
callibrate the color ink so I guess I am stuck
with the problem. I am dropping the rating of this
printer to 3
stars.
Recommended Yes
Amount
Paid (US$): 40 Operating System:
Windows
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