|
|
|
|
March 15, 2006 Print, Scan, Copy, Fax
It copies, it prints, it scans, it faxes, it leaps tall buildings with a single bound--just kidding on the last one--but the HP Photosmart 3310 All-In-One (HP, Windows or Mac, $350 after rebate) does all the other jobs and then some, and it does them very well, thank you. We were impressed with the ease of use, quality of output--especially in photos--and extensive features in this comparatively small desktop unit. It’s ideal for home or SOHO (small office, home office). The details: The All-In–One can operate as a stand-alone copier, hosting a wealth of features. It makes up to 50 copies at a time, in black and white or color, at 30 pages per minute. You can reduce or enlarge copy size from 25 to 400 per cent. The unit boasts a flatbed glass copy/scan plate with removable cover, making it easy to copy from boxes, newspapers, magazines, books and such. The main paper tray holds 100 sheets and handles paper, envelopes, overhead transparencies, transfer sheets, card stock and other papers, with sizes from 8.5 x 14 to 3 x 5 inches and weights to 110 pound. A dedicated photo tray holds up to 20 sheets of 4 x 6 inch photo paper. Need a quick copy of a 4 x 6 inch snapshot? Just put the original on the copy/scan plate and push two buttons--in 30 seconds you have a borderless 4 x 6 copy.
The All-In-One has built-in memory card readers for compact flash, SD, XD and memory sticks and a front panel USB port. Plug in your digital camera or USB storage device or plug in a memory card into the appropriate card reader, and the images are displayed on the 3.6 inch color display. Without using your computer you can print a proof sheet of thumbnail images of your photos, select one or more to print, and do basic editing (color, brightness, cropping, red-eye and the like). You can also view videos and print nine sequential images per page from video files. If your digital camera supports PictBridge, print your photos directly from the camera. If you connect the printer to your computer, you can use the memory card readers to read cards into the computer and the USB port as an extra port. Printing uses six ink tanks featuring color print resolution up to 4800 x 1200 dpi and 1200 dpi printing black. Each ink tank is monitored, and you‘re notified when one is low or out. You can then change that color only, rather than having to change a multi color cartridge and wasting ink. Photo print quality on HP’s photo paper was amazing, and HP claims their new Vivera inks will produce prints on HP Photo Paper that are "archival for generations." If you use HP’s Photo Value Pak, cost per 4 x 6 inch print is about 25 cents. When the unit is connected to your computer you can print text, graphics or photos from your favorite application. Included with the Photosmart is HP’s Image Zone V5.0 photo software, which lets you view, edit, print, share and backup your photos. You can also create album pages, photo calendars, labels, cards, flyers, brochures and more. Share your photos by sending them via e-mail from the program or uploading them to HP’s on-line service, Snapfish.com, for others to view. As a scanner, the unit has an optical resolution of 4800 dpi and 48-bit color depth (that’s good). You can scan photos, graphics or whatever into a program or directly to a memory card or USB storage device plugged into the unit. A plus with the All-In-One is the ability to scan photo slides or photo negative strips. An included film holder for this purpose is stored in the cover. This feature offers a terrific way to get quality, inexpensive prints from your slides. One of All-In-One’s functions is a fax that sends and receives faxes in black and white or color. Send a fax from the All-In-One front panel or from any Windows application that you could normally print from. You can program the fax speed dial phone book from the front panel or from the computer by using the included HP Solution Center software. You can create group faxes, and any faxes can be scheduled to send later. There’s more: the unit includes a built-in wireless adapter for connecting to a wireless 802.11 b/g network. Or, using the optional Blue Tooth printer adapter, you can wirelessly connect to a Blue Tooth capable computer or cell phone. The later allows you to print pictures from your Bluetooth enabled cell phone. The unit can also be connected via wire to a network printer adapter.
If you don’t want the fax and wireless features, the HP Photosmart 3210 All-In-One (HP, Windows or Mac, $250 after rebate) has the same features, except for a wired-only network connection and no fax capabilities. |
