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View Full Version : HP Photosmart A516



SgtM
12-28-2006, 02:08 PM
Go easy on me guys. This the first review I've written.
So the wife is big into photos. I can't count how many pictures we have or even the rolls of film still needing to be developed. Her mother got us this little printer for Christmas. Being that this is the first time I've ever used one of these, I was pretty skeptical at first. I had mentioned previously that I would prefer a high end printer than one of these.

Setup was a breeze. My 2yr old could have done it. USB cable, power cord, insert CD.

On with the test prints. The printer has a built in card reader to plug your memory card right in from your camera. It also has a USB port on the front for those cameras compatible with PictBridge. The LCD screen on top makes it very easy to choose what photos you want to print. Answer the little questions that come up on the screen, press the ok button, and you're printing. Printing from pictures stored on your computer is just as easy with the included software installed at setup.

I was pleasantly surprized when I found out last night (purely by mistake) that the printer is also bluetooth capable. The only con to this is you need a USB adapter to go into the USB port on the front of the printer. It's not built-in.

The quality of the prints (4" x 6")is outstanding. You can hardly tell the difference between these and regular film prints. Our camera is a 4.1 megapixel Fuji A345. Not the top of the line, but it does the job. Ink cartridges cost about $20, and we printed 67 pictures with the one that comes in the box before it had to be replaced. So the cost to print averages out to about 4 cents per picture.

Overall.

I'm very impressed :up: . Setup was a breeze, and this thing is super user friendly to get your prints. Ink is cheap compared to other printers, and readily available at your local office supply store or even Walmart and Target. Print quality is top-knotch. The only thing I can really find to complain about is the bluetooth not being built-in to the unit, but that isn't a big deal since our camera isn't bluetooth, and I don't have a bluetooth adapter for the computer yet. Pictures below.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/sgtm_usmc/DSCF1689.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/sgtm_usmc/DSCF1687.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/sgtm_usmc/DSCF1686.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/sgtm_usmc/DSCF1683.jpg

Mitternacht
12-28-2006, 02:10 PM
Unfortunately, my printer isn't that easy. Almost every month, I gotta uninstall and reinstall the programs for the printer; it's a Lexmark X83.