- This Printer comes with Power cord, Reusable tote, Accessory bag, HP 564 black cartridge (approx. 250 pages), HP 564 cyan, magenta, yellow cartridge (approx. 300 pages each), CD with software and Reference guide.
- Now AirPrintcompatible. Simply print from iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
- Use the auto-engaging photo tray to easily print lab-quality, smudge-resistant photos that last.
- Get fun and useful templates for calendars, games and more, using HP Quick Forms.
- Print and share from multiple PCs in your home, using integrated wireless.
- Reduce waste by choosing an all-in-one that is shipped in an innovative, reusable tote bag.
The printer was packaged in a light weight tote bag in the box, so I could just easily pull out the printer. In the box, there was a complementary 4x6 glossy photo paper (100pack) with a set of ink. A power cable and a brick came in a reusable cloth pouch, and I thought that was very nice idea since it''s less trash and easily recyclable.
Setting up the printer couldn''t be easier, even with wifi set up. I took about 15-20 minutes to set up everything: wifi, hp software, and the first time printer warm up. I also did not need to connect any USB cable to set up; instead, I was able to connect to my wifi network without any hassle. This printer alone acts like a computer, and it included a step by step set up assistant on the main screen, which was great. The instructions might show only WEP for security option, but I was able to connect to WPA2 with no problem, even in the closed network (airport extreme.) And since this printer has wifi connectivity, I didn''t need any extra equipment to buy, and I figured that''s why the printer didn''t come with a USB cable.
Printing was also as easy as pie. I was satisfied with the sharp and fast printing result in both b/w and color documents. What was more satisfying is photo printing. I tried professionally prepared images on this printer (4x6 photo glossy, in photoshop with proper setting) and the result was better than my expensive Epson photo printer. I was surprised how accurate the color was, although de-saturated black and white photo print showed a bit of green cast.
Scanning and copying also do their job very well. I was able to scan easily with or without HP software on Mac. Copying is another simple and cool feature. I didn''t even need my computer on. All I needed to do was press one button. If you need to change setting on any features, you can do that as well with no effort on its easy UI screen.
Apps! I never knew printers had apps. Yes, why not? As I mentioned, this printer acts like a computer, and it''s connected to the Internet. Applications included: Yahoo and MSNBC, PBS Kids (great for coloring sheets!!!), Sudoku, Disney, USA Today, Quick Forms, Dreamworks, recipes, Nickelodeon, weather, and coupons. It''s just amazing what printers can do now. My three old son saw me printing a coloring page from PBS Kids app, and now he can just do that by himself, similarly as if he was navigating an Iphone. (Actually the screen looks like a big Iphone.) Also, I can manage these apps from the HP website that my printer is connected to (registration required.)
Snapfish is another nice feature about this printer. There is a SD/MMC card slot that this printer can read photo files for printing and uploading/sharing to snapfish. With this HP photo smart printer, I really don''t need a computer to print photos and share online with friends and family. I only wish this printer had a USB slot instead of a SD/MMC card only slot. I know SD/MMC cards are kind of standard these days, yet there are also people with CF cards and other types.
The most advanced feature this printer can offer, I think, is the ePrint. This printer has its own email address, so just by sending an email to the printer, it will print out documents and photos. This is really useful if you have a smart phone and don''t want to buy a printing app which usually isn''t cheap. When I emailed a word file for testing, it printed immediately. Also, attached a jpg photo file to the email printed the attached photograph on the photo paper pulled from tray. The printer automatically decided where to print (between regular paper and photo paper) depending on the file type I sent to the email, which I can also manage in the setting.
Finally, if you have an iphone, you will love this feature. There is a photo printing app (HP iPrint) from HP in the app store for free. I was able to print photos from my iphone instantly(under same wifi network). I was so happy with this that I printed more than 50 photos, and the results were just wonderful. One thing I noticed was the photos were slightly lighter than what I see on my Iphone screen.
There are a couple of things I''d like to mention. This printer has a speaker somewhere so it makes button sounds. Since the buttons on the touch screen are pressure sensitive (I might be wrong), it''s neat to hear that button sound when I press something. I didn''t have to wonder whether the button was really pressed when touched. And this printer falls asleep after idle time; the illuminated power button will then start breathing (Mac computers do this during sleep mode. However, when the printer receives email or jobs, it wakes up instantly and starts printing. This may not be very important, but I could tell that HP paid attention to details when they made this printer.
Overall, this printer is most definitely worth the purchase. I have not stopped fiddling with this printer since I received it. I guarantee consumers will be happy with HP (finally!).
UPDATE
HP just updated their iPrint iphone app as universal binary some days ago, so it works beautiful on my iPad as well. Great for printing my kid''s iPad art work !!!!!
Buy HP Photosmart Plus Wireless e-All-in-One Printer (CN216A#B1H) Now
This is a fairly decent printer for the money, except that "for the money" goes a little further than the advertised price. I mean that after I had printed only around twenty pages in black and white, the computer told me it was running low on ink. Yes, like most inkjet printers, this comes equipped with seemingly trial ink cartridges. I cannot say that I like this, which is why I prefer laser to ink (for various reasons, not just because of the cartridges), but it is there none the less. This does have to be pointed out at the first of this review because the box might as well say: "ink cartridges required". With the latter concerned, this printer takes three different cartridges equaling the total sum of around fifty dollars. If you are going to purchase this be sure to add that extra $50 to the price so that it is more accurate.
As far as overall ability of this printer, it gets graded:
5 stars on user friendliness,
5 stars on looks,
3.5 stars on printing ability,
And 5 stars on function.
To setup and use this printer could not be any easier. When you first power on the printer, the on screen guide will instruct you exactly how to set it up with your computer and wireless connection. The screen itself uses a touch screen instead of buttons (there are no buttons anywhere); and where many products are plagued with faulty touch screens, this one out shines them all with a perfectly fluid, and sensitive touch mechanism. The latter is one reason alone to purchase this printer. The outlay of the screen is along the lines of a folder within your computer, with the interface of a web browser this being very comfortable to use for the majority.
With the wireless connection, you can stash this printer anywhere in the house as long as it is near a wall outlet for power, and in the vicinity of your wireless internet, should you have one. ***In order to use the wireless function you will need a wireless router.*** Setting up the wireless connection is as easy as waiting for the printer to find your connection, and typing in your security code, if you have one enabled. Total setup time for the printer is around 15 minutes. This includes, installing software on the computer, calibrating ink cartridges, setting up wireless connection, and printing test pages.
The look of the printer could not be any more simple. It is black and shiny, though the top portion of the printer (where you will be lifting a lot for copies and scans) is lined with rough edges so there will be less fingerprints. Overall a printer that does not draw attention to itself as a piece of computer equipment, but will merge very well with a household full of modern devices.
Printing on this machine can be a fast task, should you leave all the settings as they are. For example, when I was printing out resumes I adjusted the settings very slighty (changed printing on regular paper to premium), and the printing time for one page slowed down to around 30 seconds. Also, when printing on photo paper, the printer will retrieve the paper from a little 4" x 6" slot, but when printing out random images, could not get the photos to completely fill that area. Routinely I would print very big photos from my computer only to have them turn out like a 1" x 2" thumbnail (and yes, I adjusted the settings many times). Moreover, the quality of the photos were not very good, usually being kind of grainy. Scanning and copying are very simple on this machine, however in order to scan something you will need to first go to your computer and open up the HP PhotoScan software that came with the printer. When adjusting scanning details past 600dpi, the scan time can be sort of slow (average 30 seconds to a minute, depending on size). Overall, the ability of the printer is a little mediocre.
As stated before briefly, this printer is fun and easy to use. By fun, I mean that you can print many different things from this printer from their "app" menu, as well as download more directly from the printer through HP''s own store (which is free). For instance, you can print notebook paper, a maze (easy, medium, difficult), suduko puzzles, even pages of newspaper all from the touch of your finger, and from the printer''s wireless connection. Moreover, you can print calendars and pictures from your phone directly on the printer.
I am not imploring you to buy it nor am I deploring you from doing so; however if it is the ease of use with the many extra utilities that you want, this is it. In the end, this is an average printer with a deceptive price-tag.
Read Best Reviews of HP Photosmart Plus Wireless e-All-in-One Printer (CN216A#B1H) Here
HP Photosmart Plus B210 e-All-in-One Printer (CN216A#B1H)
I got this printer to replace another older HP printer that I had damaged during a move. So far, I am still impressed with HP for both computers and printers.
I love the packaging with the new HP printers; the all-in-one was in a carry bag to aid in making removal easier. Another great feature is that HP included a whole pack of 4x6 advanced photo paper.
I added the ink cartridges, plugged it in and started the software. I had no problem connecting to my router (I am using WPA security instead of WEP for the router). You can also print and scan directly from the printer and not use the computer at all.
The picture quality is outstanding, bright, clear and sharp colors all in no time at all.
My other two printers had five ink cartridges and I wasn''t sure how this printer would compare with only four ink cartridges. But I am really glad to see that the quality is impressive. When doing a side by side comparison of the same photos the B210 HP printer (4 cartridges) and the HP Photosmart Premium C410a (5 ink cartridges) the photos are slightly lighter.
From an operation standpoint, the touch screen is nice and easy to use. The scanner operates easily. You can scan from the printer or computer and save or directly print. We scanned a lego "heart" my son made and then printed it and it looks just like the lego creation. The quality of the photo was really good.
The photo software included has many options and backgrounds and is very simple to use. There are landscape photo book pages, square photo book pages, prints, collage prints, photo cards, quarter fold greeting cards, single page calendars and photo cubes. There are themes such as birthday, love, travel, etc. Designs under each theme allow you to choose the perfect background for your photos. You can also add text and touch up the photo fixing red eye, brightness and cropping of your photo.
I scanned documents and they came out fine. I would recommend gray scale for lighter or not solid black and white (like a picture drawn in pencil). For solid black, choose black and white when printing a scanned document.
I printed out some worksheets and the quality for those are fine and clear.
After printing 27 4x6 photos, 3 8x10 photos and over 85 worksheets (black and white), the ink levels are more than half full. The black ink is more than ¾ full.
Just an FYI, if you are shutting down your computer and printer for awhile make sure when you go to turn both on that you turn on the printer first. This has to do with the correct IP address being recognized for wireless printing. Also, if you are alternating printing both photos and regular documents make sure you check properties so that you have the correct tray chosen (photo or main tray) and check the correct paper and size.
Overall, I love this printer and I am very impressed with the photo quality and ease of use.
Want HP Photosmart Plus Wireless e-All-in-One Printer (CN216A#B1H) Discount?
Arrival:
When the printer arrived along with two others, I have to admit that I was worried. The shipping box was pretty well battered, on corner and side totally crushed. Nothing rattled around inside, but still, it wasn''t pretty. Thankfully, after a full inspection, I found nothing had gotten to the HP box inside, only the Amazon box has been damaged.
Inside the box along with the printer was a full compliment of printer ink cartridges, a zip up bag with cables, and even a carry all bag for the printer itself. The bad seems to be the thing for the new HP printers. I''m not sure how many folks would carry around a printer this size, but, it''s a decent enough bag.
Setup:
Setup took about 30min, most of which was spent unboxing, taking off the protective tape, and waiting on Vista to load up the drivers and software. Pretty much, just plug it in and follow the onscreen instructions. That was all there was to it, which is a plus for the non-tech types. It found our home network quickly, and the onscreen instructions and demo movies for setup were spot on, and repeatable across Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
Usage:
For this review, I''ll be comparing against HP''s similar models, the C410a and CQ140A#B1H. I feel this is a fair assessment of HP''s current top to bottom all-in-one wireless printer lineup. As of the time of the CN216A#B1H runs $90, the C410A $160, and the CQ140A#B1H $345.
Each of these units has the ePrint function, which lets you print from pretty much anywhere. You can use HP''s phone app or email the printer directly and it will do the rest. The printer figures out which paper should be used based on what you sent it and spits out the print. It worked pretty well, and I had some fun sending various things to the spouse as surprises (they sit next to the printer). Lag between sending and printing was minimal, maybe 1-2 min max.
While the CN216 has a larger LCD than the C410A, making navigating the menus easier, it doesn''t have double-sided printing, auto document feeding, dedicated fax support, or built-in wired networking. READ: If you don''t have a wireless network, this printer may not work for you! The scanner is on par with the much more expensive CQ140, 1200dpi, but lags way behind the C410A''s 4800dpi. Pages per minute printing in both black-and-white and color are off by just a couple of pages. All three use the same ink cartridges, however the CN216 doesn''t utilize the special photo black cartridge the other two do. This means you will eat up your black ink a lot quicker. And finally, while there is no dedicated fax support, the CN216 has eFax service. You get 20 pages a month free, and pay per page after.
I didn''t dig into the other features a whole lot, but dabbled with the online features. These some into place when the printer is connected to the internet (via your network) There are some game apps, and some web apps like MSNBC and Yahoo, as well as some kids sites. You can easily pull these up and print directly from the site preloaded pages of Sudoku, coloring pages, top news stories, etc. You can also install more apps. It is a pretty nifty feature, and I was able to print a page of Sudoku in about 30 seconds, and the top news stories easily as well.
Speaking of ink, we tested the ink out on multiple types of photo paper. My general rule of thumb is to use the same brand photo paper as the printer. After all, it would make sense for them to formulate their ink to match their paper and vice versa. Interestingly, all the photos we printed came out the same in appearance. However, I noted that the ink didn''t smear when some moisture (spit) was lightly rubbed on the HP paper, though it did on the Epson and Kodak premium paper we had around the house.
Bottom Line:
Overall, we really like the CN216 is a decent home printer, though it lacks some features found in similar models from HP and other vendors. Compared to the models mentioned in this review, it performs on par with the expensive CQ140, but missing only the tablet and duplex printing function. Given that it''s also $250 less, I''m willing to be forgiving on that.
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I bought this printer because it had the features I was looking for and looked like a bargain.
The wireless setup was relatively painless, but the wireless router forces a renew every day so we have to reconfigure the printer nearly every time we want to print (from Linux and Apple). Setting a static IP on the printer is not an option as far as I can tell.
The scanning capabilities have been pretty good.
The printing capabilities stink. Even as I write this review the printer is "thinking about" printing about half the time it never prints and I have to cancel. Pages are ejected onto the floor even with the pathetic piece of kickout plastic designed to prevent it. Sometimes a printed page is sucked back up into the printer causing a nasty jam with a page on top and bottom that''s very difficult to clear. I know that sounds ridiculous and silly, but it happens.
The TouchSmart screen is not as useful as one might think. The only thing I''ve found useful on it is the Setup. Never tried the Copy feature.
Avoid this printer if you''re looking for something reliable and won''t frustrate you.
