I have been without a printer or scanner at home now for a number of weeks and have found that to be greatly restrictive. It’s a classic case of not missing something until it’s gone I guess, the amount of times I went to copy a document, scan an image or simply print a document for reference and couldn’t was numerous to say the least. Thankfully that has all changed with my purchase of the HP Photosmart C4780 – without doubt a great step forward for HP and the best print hardware I have owned.
The HP Photosmart C4780 provides photo lab quality images, laser-quality text output and a host of features useful in my daily work flow. Out of the box setup was quick and painless, everything was wonderfully packaged and installation consists of power supply connection, ink cartridge installation, cartridge alignment and software installation. The printer functions on both Windows & Mac with my installation taking place on Mac OS X 10.6.2. The software CD provided is a little outdated so I advise that you visit HP and download the most current version to maximise functionality, the file is approximately 130MB in size. Once installation is complete the first thing that grabbed my attention was just how cool the printer looked, gone are the days of vanilla coloured beige machines – this is 2009 and black is back!!
In addition to printing the C4780 also provides for scanning and copying, which can even be performed while your computer is turned off. The device features a touch sensitive control panel that allows for all operations to be performed with ease. With the HP Photosmart C4780, you can print direct from your memory card. The inbuilt memory card reader lets you simply slip your card into the slot, and instantly view your pictures on the colour display. The all-in-one automatically removes red-eye and makes other adjustments to make sure you get perfect prints every time. Print speeds are very competitive with 29ppm black and 23 ppm colour, moreover the quality of the prints is the best I have seen for a non-laser device – crisp, sharp black text and vibrant bright colours are produced each and every time. This is largely due to the dual drop weight technology whereby small and large ink droplets are combined to create greater ink coverage on the page, increasing image quality and reducing the visibility of ink droplets.
For the first time ever I now don’t have to concern myself with the ugliness of a long USB cable between my desk and the placement of my printer. The distance was never far but it was inconvenient, now I can connect to the C4870 via a wireless connection and print documents & indeed scan images without the need for any cables. The wow factor continues with the HP iPrint Photo application which is available for free from the iTunes App store. It allows for quick and easy wireless printing of 4 x 6 photos from your iPod Touch or iPhone to the printer. The application is fully compatible with Apple’s Bonjour technology. ENERGY STAR qualified, this printer is optimised for efficient energy use. That means it will save you money by reducing energy costs and help to protect the environment without sacrificing features or performance. HP products that earn the ENERGY STAR qualification minimise greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the risk of climate change by meeting strict energy guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The combination of wireless technology, high quality print functionality, sleek design and rich feature set make the C4780 the best printer I have purchased. I have always been a fan of HP all-in-one printers and this is the perfect example of why.
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