Opinions of an HP printer/ scanner

[Rwy in Sight]

Ι found this printer - scanner -HP PHOTOSMART AIO B109A Q8433B - and I would like to have your opinion about its reliability and cost of operation.

So, I would appreciate any comments from user of this printer to know if is worth buying or looking for something else?

Rwy in Sight

[frostbite]

You can probably rely on the printer being good, and any software that comes with it, not so good.

[green granite]

Review by PC Pro: HP Photosmart Wireless All-in-One (B109n) review | Printers | A-List | Reviews | PC Pro The sting is in the tail

There's better news when we examine running costs. The four HP 364 inks are available in XL variants, at £11 for each colour and £17.50 for black. This works out at a reasonable 6.6p per colour page and 2.2p for mono, so the HP is a decent all-round economy choice - the speed is good and the inclusion of Wi-Fi belies that price. That saving is ultimately reflected in the quality of the prints and of the device itself, however, so if wireless is a must we'd recommend spending a bit more on the superior Canon MP640.

[mixture]

The old story in IT, you get what you pay for. With an "All In One" device (irrespective of manufacturer), you should expect compromises.

I have not had experience of that particular model, but have with the 7210 model ... there I found bloated driver software and lacklustre printing/scanning abilities. Maybe I'm being harsh ... maybe I'm not the intended market for that sort of consumer product .... but I wasn't too fond of the "All In One" concept and have decided to stay with seperate components ever since.

[Blues&twos]

We have an HP all-in-one scanner/printer/toaster etc.

Product seems good for our use (purely domestic stuff), but the HP software is a pain in the arse, and took about a million years to install itself. I have since uninstalled a number of components.

[Keef]

I know several folks who bought "all in one" machines. They worked OK, although the software in most cases was totally OTT. They provided a nice, simple photocopying facility.

But when any one bit goes on the blink (which it will do, eventually) you have to replace the lot.

If you have the desk space, separates are a bit dearer, tend to work at least as well, and seem to go on for ever.

I just scrapped a 12 year old colour scanner. It worked well with XP, but there isn't a Win 7 driver. I put it on the shelf when I went to Win 7and threw it because there isn't room for storing old stuff in the new house.

[Rwy in Sight]

I decided to go for an HP LaserJet P1005 after considering and steering away from the idea of the multi function machine.


Thanks for your input which was of great use.

Rwy in Sight

[ExSp33db1rd]

Keef

Maybe try VueScan to use your old scanner ?

I had the same problem with an Acer ScanPrisa 640 U, i.e. no drivers for Vista and my laptop, but have just bought a new desk top machine with Windows 7 and discovered VueScan - and I'm using my existing scanner again. The programme claims to re-activate many old scanners that are still mechanically sound, just need the software.

I think I had to pay around $30. U.S. for the download.

It's not quite do user-friendly as the MiraScan programme that originally came with the scanner, but it does what I want it to.

[frostbite]

threw it because there isn't room for storing old stuff in the new house.

I'd have given you 5/- for that.