HP Deskjet 9800d > Reviews > HP.. A more colourful source

Author's product rating:   

Picture quality	Excellent
Printing speed	Fast
Colour sensitivity	Excellent
Ease of use	Very easy
Value For Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	TOP Photo editing and photo printing
Disadvantages:	Could go on a diet

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

**HP DESKJET 9800D**

-Hewlett and Packard > Summary-

HP-- The ideology of Hewlett and Packard was always to build products for mass production; so it was logical that they produce products that was for companies to mass produce data themselves through printing. HP production teams throughout the world have mixed functionality, innovation and reliability, since 1939, HP have the biggest ever computer/hardware product ranges from one company branding -- HP. All together a typical HP product from drawing board invention to the many retail outlets takes 2.5 years.

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The URL's link for Hewlett and Packard is:

-www.hp.co.uk -- www.hp.com-

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-Welcome to the HP Deskjet 9800D Printer-

Now if you have a business that produces data processing manuals for your clients and you want a quick print processing format, that can be left for 20 minutes while you do some work. This HP Deskjet 9800D will do a great job for you. The printer is already print job formatted so there is less chance of any problems while being left unattended. Personally, I use this printer only for colour copy advertising when a high quality visual is required for a media advert/campaign, but for me it is becoming less required as DVD formatted visuals are fine for most print production teams. However, the 9800D does a fantastic replica of what you will be getting in print format.

-HP Deskjet 9800D series and it's functionality-

This printer is ideal, for any middle weight business -- that systematically prints out campaigns for mail-shots, small advertising campaigns, self- help manuals for a production line. This type of printer would be still stretched for mass/extreme print jobs of excess of 5,000 copies at one sitting. If you require that amount, it would be advised to spread out the production line over a period of time... I advise over a 5 day period. Like most HP printers (not the All in One printer,fax,scanners) the standard 3 button utility is the main functions. On/Off power button (indicates power) – Ink monitor icon button (indicates whether the ink is running low)– Paper tray button (indicates whether paper is in the printing tray) All 3 work efficiently and is explained in the manual

-PC/Mac Installations-

Installation of all printing utility drivers and HP software which is called 'PhotoPrinting' are on the disk provided. The Installation is easy-to-use and does not take more than 7 minutes to install. Mac users are also able to install this printer, so click on the desktop icon when disk is inserted and follow instructions. The HP 9800D is USB/Cable enabled. Depending on your computer processor speeds you may have to restart your computer for the computer to access the new printer hardware utility. A small printer icon should appear at the foot of your toolbar. This will be activated when prompted.

Make sure that the black and colour ink cartridges that you are using are compatible with this type of printer brand. A list is evident on all cartridge packages. The packaging will list the HP Deskjet 9800D if compatible. Please note that the cartridges will have to be changed or swapped more frequently than a standard printer. The cartridges are on the right of the printer, as you look at it , in the picture provided.

HINT: For all ink cartridges/refills buy online at Inkclub, or ink.com as the deals are 15% better than the extortionate prices of ink cartridges that you can purchase at a retail shop such as Staples or Officeworld.

-Paper tray-

The paper tray is adjustable and can be removed for paper refills. It is aided for A3 sized paper documents and what is very useful to paper size variations - is that it tells you on the A3 paper tray where to put the relevant size paper formats ready for a print run. Very helpful for non wastage due to the fact you do not need to test print a sheet; especially in this increasingly eco - orientated business world. The paper tray is of top quality and certainly is an unique selling point for eco-warriors. However, most importantly the quality of print is superb. No problem with alignment as of other earlier Deskjet models outside the 9800D series.

-Printing-

Ideally, with the help of HP's 'Photo-Printing' software such as determining the print resolutions and cropping/editing the inpending print run. The 9800D is a printer that would satisfy the wilful eye of an amateur photographer, though is questionable for the professional photographer who relies on that bit of quality. The 4800 dpi X 1200 dpi is still wanting for quality when dealing with hyper specification cameras that show visual qualities of extreme professionalism. Having said that this printer version is close to 95% there. Not bad for an inkjet that works with a twin set of colour and black cartridges.

-Spooling-

Yep, this is a weird phrase when used when collecting data from the PC to the printer. The length of time differs from how big the file is. I have found with this printer that the big file can take quite a while for the actual print job to take place. It can take up to 1 minute from after the prompt. Being quite an impatient person, I have kept on clicking the printing prompt button and found a spooling list dialogue that promptly confused the Deskjet and it can stall the whole process. It is mundane but very important to firstly be patient and if like me are not…. Click onto the toolbar printer icon and open up the printing lists and start cancelling them. Then start again. This is the only small irritation but it is worth a mention.

-Printing versatility and extras-

It is very difficult to explain the weight of the printer but due to the A3 papertray unit and the depth of the printer, it weighs in at a hefty 12kg. This printer will require a secure table in a corner of the office to occupy it's function and worthiness. What hasn't been mentioned yet is the automatic 2 sided print option. No fiddly swapping of paper/print as of old is required. If the design of the print job is well formatted on the computer, the A3 format will work a treat. The printing specifications for the HP Deskjet 9800D are:

BLACK – 1200 DPI (dots per inch, that is pixel dots) 1200 DPI X 1200 DPI
COLOUR - 4800 DPI X 1200 DPI

- Hiccups -

The printer is susceptical to print out text more slowly than photo's, I'm unable to workout why, but it is well documented. CNET.COM has marked the 9800D series only 6.4/10. A little unfair but they do have their own criteria. Considering that most businesses and individuals would print out text, that is where it is marked down. The size may have an impact as it does have a weight issue. Again the printer is just over two years old so that may make another dent in the CNET rating. The papertray capacity is only 150 sheets, I feel that this is a little shallow considering the printers capabilities, HP seem to have concentrated on size of paper rather than quantity of paper in the print run. These are only small hiccups that many businesses have resolved, and sought after other higher spec models, for mass marketing.

-My Verdict-

I have no doubt that the HP Deskjet 9800D is a printer for business (non-mass production) campaigns. The photo printing is of a very high standard. It will do any organisation/personal user proud. It is a fast picture operation, yet a slower text printing operation. HP are very good at not handing out spy-ware that systematically invade your monitor. It is not an award winner, but that is because less volumn sales have been made to individuals. It is a heavy weight in all print media technologies.

-Price-

This printer retails at £308.00 depending on supplier. Originally £495.99 -- Value for money 7/10.

Thank you for reading this review.

I’m happy to answer any questions.