Quality prints, Good scanner, quick and reasonaby priced
Disadvantages:
annoying low ink pop ups
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
You get to a point with your old computer when you feel enough is enough. I'm bored of waiting endlessly for the tired old processor to finally open that document so I can finally print that all important letter which should have been sent last week. When it finally decided to pack up altogether I thought fantastic now I can get a really good pc and end those boring waiting sessions with your processor working in overdrive. I found a pc I wanted but it did not come with a printer so I would need to buy a new one because there was no way on this earth my old Lexmark Z25 which barely coped with the most basic of printing was going anywhere near the new PC.
I decided I would look elsewhere for a printer because I have found generally you will pay more in specialised computer stores for products found on the high street. With Tesco and Asda now including an extensive range of electronics I thought it would be a good idea to pop along and see what they had to offer.
So I arrived at the Tesco Extra electronics department and was confronted with loads of all; in one printer's. How on earth would I decide which one to take home? I found Tesco has a wide range of Lexmark printers but with previous experience I decided against these and wanted to try something new. I came across this model HP DeskJet F380.
First impressions ------------------------- Great design and looks absolutely fantastic, HP have opted for a Mac look to follow the recent trends of the Ipod and the growing sales of Apple Macs. Its appearance is curved, glossy white top and grey matt sides. Approximate size of the printer is 16" wide by 10" deep and 5.5" high. It does seem a little bulky but for an all in one printer was actually on the smaller size in comparison to other models. The lid for the scanner feels a little light and flimsy but is actually surprisingly strong. No need to worry about breaking as you become a little heavy handed with the printer. 8 buttons along the left hand side of the printer corresponding to their appropriate functions. A small number display from 1 to 9 tells you how many copies you have selected to be printed.
Ok it looked good and the price was very reasonable at £39.97 about the same price as the cheaper models in store. I thought I would look at the details of the printer before I rushed in and bought the printer on impulse.
Technical Info ------------------- All In One Printer including Print Copy, Scan and Photo.
Prints 20 pages per minute (black) and up to 14 (colour) Scan at 1200 x 2400 DPI (dots per inch) Print at 4800 optimised DPI
PC specs
XP, 2000 SP3, 98SE, Me Pentium®II 128MB RAM 475MB HD CD-Rom drive USB HP Cartridge 21 (Black) HP Cartridge 22 (Colour) HP Cartridge 58 (Photo)
Cartridges -------------- I have found that in the past the cartridges for certain printers are almost the same price and sometimes exceed the price of the actual printer itself. I thought it would be a good idea to look at the price of Cartridges before I took the plunge and purchased the printer.
Black Ink Cartridges are HP No 21, HP say these cartridges are great for home users and print with great clarity. This isn't ideal for high yield users and printing document after document will probably leave you running to the shops for a new cartridge before you have even learned how to use the printer's functions. Although you will be happy to learn that the price is very reasonable usually around £12 but look on Ebay for a bargain or have the old ones refilled for a smaller fee.
Colour Ink Cartridges are HP No 22, again not for high yield users but ideal for the home user and students for all of their coursework and other pictures diagrams or just colour documents you may need to print and around £12 for a replacement.
Photo Ink Cartridges are HP No 58, I have yet to purchase one of these cartridges as I still prefer the old fashion method of taking your prints down to the developers to get the professional prints but I am sure with all the technology available perfect prints are almost certainly available in your own home using the PC. Approximate costs for these cartridges are £13.
So I took the leap and decided that it was a good buy and stumbled off to the checkout. Great savings and Clubcard points too! (HeHe)
I got the printer home and couldn't wait to open the box and setup the printer ready to use.
Warning! Before you attempt setup for the printer it's a good idea to read the instructions for quick setup as failing to follow the correct procedures will result in the printer not working.
Scanner ------------ Using the scanner function is very easy. Press the SCAN button on the top and the process is almost automatic. You can make changes to your document in the preview menu which will pop up on screen in the usual way as any scanner will do. You can choose to scan single photo, or scan multiple photos to individual files .
Copier ---------- The copier is simple to use and is also available even when the PC is not switched on. Place the document on the screen area press the SCAN BLACK or SCAN COLOUR buttons on the top of the printer and 'voila' instant colour or black and white copy depending on your choice.
In The Box --------------- HP DeskJet F380 Printer Quick Step Guide Manual 3 CD ROM's (windows, mac and a manual on disc.) Power cable Colour and Black Cartridges.
Note: No USB Cable is supplied with the printer. Unpacking is quick and simple and the instructions tell you where every item is packed. HP has packed this model very well and all of the boxes contents are nicely place in different parts of the printer to avoid damaged and tampering with the contents.
Setup -------- Very simple if done correctly but do not attempt to do it without instructions. Following the simple setup in the instructions takes approximately 5 minutes. Installing software takes a little longer with a large amount of information to install on the PC but still only about 10 minutes. It is very important to follow the instructions with this product as setup is done mostly before you even attached the printer to the PC.
Printing ----------- Printing with the machine is very good. It's quick and sound is very quiet, it's a lot quieter than other models including my old Lexmark Z25. Within seconds a single word document had been printed.
One annoying feature with the HP is the software installed pops up when the ink level is low and continues to do so with every print. It does allow you to buy online but more often than most it's very annoying.
Evaluation --------------- Great printer, great price looks fantastic and all of its accessories are well priced too. Why wouldn't you buy this product? It's worth every penny. Apart from the annoying pop ups this printer is flawless.
More details
Reliability
Good
Design
Excellent
Range of extra features / functions
Good
Instruction manual
Very useful
Manufacturer Support
Good
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