Hewlett-Packard Wireless B110a e-All-in-One > Reviews (1)

I bought the HP photosmart CN245B wireless printer after extensive research both on review websites and in store. I came to the conclusion that compared to other models (such as Kodak - though the printer cartridges are extremely cheap and epson) this HP printer gave the consumer a lot of tech for their money, this is thanks to their new cloud thinking. This is where your printer is designated a specific e-mail account, when you e-mail a document or picture from anywhere in the world to you 'printer's e-mail' address it will print - providing your printer is turned on. Now that to me seemed astonishing because it meant whilst on holiday I could send people photos, or when I simply saw something I found interesting I would take a picture and send it to this e-mail address and it worked effortlessly and smoothly (important to no e-print, the name for the cloud technology HP use is only available on new, wireless printers in their range).

The setup of the printer contrary to other reviews I have read was simple, and efficient. There was one program HP supply and it runs you through step by step and checks your wireless connection in the conclusive stages. Even down to the registering of your product unlike others I have had to put myself through was non-laborious.

The product itself looked stylish and HP had obviously spent some time designing every aspect (it may sound silly but even the scanning lid closed 'nicely') and the high gloss top and screen looked the part. Only downfall it is slightly too chunky to be placed on a small home or office desk. The inks provided by HP lasted me for all of the two weeks i had the product and estimations predicted I still had over half full (and in that time i printed a 12 page document, and other shorter document and a selection of high quality photo's) which shows that you don't especially have to worry about the costs of ink straight away.

Which leads me onto my next point about the cost and purchasing of inks. Recently how much ink could cost you and currently costs you is a topical issue in adverts and in the media. I for one was enticed thinking that before it was on average cheaper to buy a new printer than refill the cartridges. So i have two recommendations: firstly recycle your old ink cartridges especially if you use an older version of a HP, Lexmark or Dell printer you can earn up to £4.00 for each cartridge - they send you the prepaid envelope and the mechanics run smoothly (however if you have a epson printer or a split ink, as in four ink cartridges you will gain no financial reward just the good feeling knowing you have helped save our planet from global warming, and be aware that you have to reach a minimum pay out of £25 before they send you a cheque, which is common sense as they don't want to be sending you a 50p cheque. The website I used was cash for cartridges and here is a link to how much they pay for each cartridge: http://www.cashforcartridges.co.uk/ink-c​artridge-recycling-prices)
My second recommendation is buy cartridges of Amazon, in some case I saved over 50% on some ink cartridges compared to other retailers- even if they have buy one get one half price, such as staples, but beware I personally would only purchase the manufacturers cartridges as then I know the ink cartridge will perform well and last longer.

Sadly my great experiences ended within the 28 days of purchasing the HP product. My printer suddenly stopped working wirelessly, the installation CD did not recognise or even identify the printer it had vanished. What had happened was whilst turning in and out of sleep mode the IP address rather inconveniently had altered itself - just brilliant. This meant that i could not use the wireless facilities as my router could not connect to the printer either. Luckily these problems usually occur within the first 28 days, and when they did for me I rang the retailer's customer support (John Lewis, who dealt with it extremely well, thanks!) and they simply told me to take it back. I did so and was given a better model, due to low stocks of my printer and so far I have been impressed with this model (The HP Photosmart Plus CN216B All-In-One Wireless Printer which though is slightly more expensive, £99.99 compared to £86.99 - both prices quoted from John Lewis - i believe it is just a more reliable printer and better spec, but the £99.99 is a sale retail price not a RRP)

Overall I was hugely disappointed with my product it was working so well and efficiently then literally disappeared and was undetectable. It was a real shame - my suggestion for anyone who is wondering whether to purchase a wireless printer is to continue and do so, though they are tricky to handle when they go wrong (many people encounter small problems and know how to fix them, usually leaving help on the internet so search if you need help there is always someone to ask) the advantages of a wireless printer is just immense the fact that you could be sat in bed, watching TV and click print to as many documents as you want then collect them when you feel like it. I would highly recommend however purchasing an extended warranty or at least keeping your warranty/ receipt safe.