HP photo printers. HP inkjet printers with CISS. What to look for when choosing

Printers have long moved from the category of luxury to the category of indispensable components for work and everyday use. Printing devices from the HP brand are a combination of excellent technical parameters and many years of experience to obtain the required results and fulfill all printing duties.

Printer Hewlett Packard. Varieties

The classification of printing devices from HP is as follows.

Based on the principle of the printing mechanism, printers are divided into:

• jet;
• laser;
• sublimation

By color:

• to monochrome (black and white);
• colored.

By maximum format:

• Legal (sheet slightly larger than A4);
• 10x15

By productivity:

• up to 4 pages per minute;
• up to 12 pages per minute;
• more than 12 pages per minute. By interface:
• via wired channels;
• via wireless channels.

HP color printer. Main features

HP printing devices are ideal for universities, small workspaces, government agencies and schools. As a rule, their excellent resolution plays an important role in printing. Bright distinctive feature printers from Hewlett Packard is a good quality/cost ratio. After all, the prices of the devices are quite affordable, and the quality is decent. We cannot ignore the compactness of Hewlett Packard equipment.

HP printer with CISS - savings available to everyone

If you have not yet decided where to buy an HP printer (HP), then we can recommend the now popular online store TM Lucky-print in Russia. This store will not only allow you to purchase a high-quality device with the possibility of delivery in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia, but also enormous benefits on printing. After all, many users this moment are among the supporters of economical file issuance. It is possible to print not only with high quality, but also always profitably due to the pre-installed direct ink supply device or DPS. By the way, the direct ink supply technology supplied with the device is already filled with photo ink of each shade! The same applies to refillable cartridges. At the same time, the quality of the output of digital files is ensured no worse than with the original “consumables”, but much more affordable.

conclusions

So, it’s definitely worth buying an HP printer (Hewlett Packard printer) if you decide to get the possibility of universal operation, availability useful functions, low operating costs.

A photo printer is a device designed primarily for printing images on special paper. That is why it is always colored and uses at least 3 shades. There are many such options on the market, but only a few can truly be called the best photo printers. We have compiled a rating, adding to it the best equipment for taking photographs at home and in specialized salons. Perhaps he will help you make the right decision.

This TOP includes companies that have been operating in the market for quite a long time and have already won the trust of customers. Basically, it describes the products of companies operating on average price range and premium segment. Each of these brands quite popular in the market and has earned a great name for itself. The following brands were in the top three:

• Hewlett-Packard is one of the most popular and prestigious companies in the field of office equipment production. It doesn’t have any cheap products in its assortment; it offers devices from the mid-price range and premium models. Basically, it produces jet-type units, which are suitable both for use at home and for office use a small team. This is one of the few companies that offer compact printers for printing photos. They differ from similar options in their bright color rendition and ease of use.
• Epson is Hewlett-Packard's main competitor, but, unlike it, it is not concentrated on the production of any one type of printer. He has inkjet, matrix, and laser models of office equipment. They are interesting because of their good resource, versatility in use various types paper and due to ease of use. There are convenient control panels, spacious ink tanks, large trays for sheets with automatic feeding. Some of them can even be connected to a PC remotely via the Internet. There are also products suitable for synchronization with mobile devices.
• Ricoh– this Japanese company is not so widely known in the Russian market compared to Epson and Hewlett-Packard. However, in recent years, its photo printers have been recognized as some of the best. It has models for printing in A3 and A4 formats; they are distinguished by their intuitive interface, economical ink consumption, and automated operation, which makes their use comfortable. Basically, we are talking about laser models, and therefore the price for them cannot be called low. However, the high quality completely compensates for this shortcoming; the photos turn out clean, clear, and bright, like those of professionals.

Rating of the best photo printers

The basis for adding office equipment to the rating was numerous positive customer reviews, successful results of our tests and high ratings from experts in this field. When analyzing the characteristics of all models, we relied on the following points:

• Ease of use;
• Efficiency of use;
• Economical;
• Versatility of use;
• Life time;
• Value for money;
• Type – for professionals or amateurs;
• Dimensions and design;
• Duration of the warranty.

Among the characteristics, we paid attention to product life, print speed, number of colors, noise level, print resolution, wireless connection. The warm-up time (for laser models) and the first page output, tray volume, type and thickness of paper used were also taken into account. Not the least place in the analysis of goods, as one of the selection criteria, was given to the reputation of manufacturing companies, which, due to their fame, often raise prices for their products.

The Best Compact Photo Printers

There are very few such models on the market; these include devices that can be carried with you and connected to phones or tablets. With their help, it is possible to print photos of limited sizes, on average, 7x15 cm. Despite their small dimensions, their cost is not low. Focusing on the quality of prints and ease of use, we have selected one of the best photo printers out of 10 models.

HP Sprocket, Black

Looking at the small size of this device, you don’t immediately understand why it is so expensive. However, the almost flawless quality of the prints and excellent color rendition clarify the situation. Of course, you can’t print large pictures on it, but it produces standard ones (7.6 x 7.6 cm) easily. The cool thing about this technique is the ability to send photos to it from a smartphone or tablet without connecting to a PC, which expands user capabilities and saves time. Despite its small dimensions, 10 sheets of photo paper can be inserted here without any problems.

HP Sprocket, Black is quite quiet and does not consume much power, 15.91 W. It is convenient to carry it in a bag and use it not only at home, since the weight of the product does not exceed 260 g. The device is easy to operate due to its well-thought-out design and “smart” software. On the left is the power button, on the back there is a charging indicator, a place for the cable and a reset button.

Advantages:

• Lack of retractable tray;
• Good printing speed;
• One year warranty;
• Availability of Bluetooth;
• Accepts photo paper with a sticky layer;
• High resolution images.

Flaws:

• Does not feed paper automatically;
• Limited photo size.

The Best Professional Photo Printers

These devices allow you to print not only photographs, but also various advertising booklets, brochures, and leaflets. Naturally, the cost of such products will be higher than average. Such devices usually work not only with A4 and A3 formats, but also with stickers. Of all the options available on the market, 3 units were added to the rating. The reason for this was their operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use.

This photo printer is the best for printing photos, particularly because it has built-in capacity ink tanks. There are a total of 6 containers available here, which are located as conveniently as possible and are not noticeable to others, being hidden under the lid. On one refill you can print about 1,500 color photographs in a 10x15 cm format. They come out smear-free, the paints dry quickly and, before use, special drying is not required, as is the case with many other models.

When ink runs out, compared to cartridge devices, the Epson L1800 inkjet photo printer can be replaced quite easily, and the cost of the service is significantly reduced. Reviews also write about the economical consumption of inks thanks to the printing technology in “drops” measuring 1.5 picoliters. Transporting this printer, which prints photos in almost any conditions, is carried out without any problems, although its size is considerable.

Advantages:

• Wide range of paper density - from 64 to 300 g/m2;
• Can print in black and white;
• Large resource - up to 75,000 pages;
• Good tray capacity – up to 100 sheets;
• Compatible with OS X, Windows;
• Complete kit for instant use.

Flaws:

• Supports A3 paper size only;
• The output speed of the finished photo is lower than that of text (191 sec.);
• Considerable weight of 12.5 kg.

This is the best photo printer in terms of functionality, which boasts a combination of high print quality and ease of use. Yes, its price is not low, but it is fully justified by the good results of use. Here, the unique Vivid Magenta color formula is taken as a basis, which allows you to obtain bright, rich, contrasting photographs. This is what makes it possible to call this model professional.

This is one of the few devices that, in addition to the main ink (6 colors - yellow, cyan, turquoise, black, light and rich purple), also uses gray shades. This ensures a wide color gamut, which accurately conveys the original tones when printed. The device looks even more attractive due to its flawless high speed print output - up to 150 seconds versus 191 seconds, which are observed in the previous version in the rating.

Advantages:

• CD/DVD printing function;
• Availability of a special tray for creating layouts;
• Good print head life;
• Meniscus control for precise positioning;
• Two ports for USB connection.

Flaws:

• It is a little noisy when working.

This is the optimal solution for both small offices, and for home use. This technique deserves attention due to its high-quality and at the same time economical printing. It can easily cope with a large flow of jobs, producing about 20 pages in one minute. No less convenient here is the fact that the printer supports working in Mac environments, Windows and Linux. The device warms up almost instantly and is ready for use within 30 seconds after switching on.

The Ricoh SP C260DNw laser photo printer works with paper in A4, A5, A6, B5, B6 formats, and therefore allows you to take not only pictures. It is very convenient here that you can load 150 sheets into the tray at once, and their density can be completely different, ranging from 60-160 g/m². Like all models, the cartridge life is strictly individual for different colors, of which there are four - yellow, cyan, magenta, black. However, this is enough to produce clear and bright images.

Advantages:

• Power consumption in print mode up to 58.3 W;
• Withstands up to 30,000 prints per month;
• The first page comes out in 14 seconds in any color;
• Can connect with smart devices;
• Refilling the cartridge is not difficult for masters;
• Doesn't damage sheets.

Flaws:

• Weight 23.8 kg;
• It's a little noisy.

The Best Photo Printers for Home Use

Such products are usually sold in the middle price range; they may have automatic paper feeding and a large tray. Most often, they support 4-6 colors, but the brightness and clarity of the image are acceptable. They are distinguished from professional devices by a lower print output speed and are not as good resource. These devices form the basis of the market. We studied 10 various options and taking into account their parameters, we selected the 3 best photo printers.

This is a multifunctional device with the optimal combination of quality and price, which is interesting primarily because it allows you to print photos and documents directly from your smartphone. For this, inkjet cartridges are used, however, they must have a special chip; other options are not suitable here. But this is precisely what ensures high quality and accuracy of the print.

Despite the fact that the device is not very large, it still has wireless connection, which means it is not necessary to keep it near the computer. Communication between them can be achieved with using Wi-Fi, and it is configured quite simply using a special adapter. For one price, the buyer receives a scanner and a copy machine along with a photo printer, which is very profitable. But in this model, the monthly load should not exceed 1200 pages in A4 format, otherwise it may fail prematurely.

Advantages:

• Color printing resolution – up to 4800 x 1200 pixels;
• Black and white images are produced at 1200 x 1200 dpi;
• It is not very noisy;
• Convenient control panel;
• Relatively light;
• Doesn't take up much space in the house.

Flaws:

• Does not independently determine the paper type;
• You must supply the consumables yourself.

The HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5075 M2U86C is a premium model, but it can't print and scan at the same time.

HP is one of the most best brands printers for printing photos, so you initially expect a lot from it. This model also did not disappoint, although outwardly it is no different from its predecessors in the rating. Its advantage lies in the use of original pigment inks of our own production, which guarantee professional quality prints, clear color rendition, durability and brightness.

This option is very beneficial for those who want to save on paper consumption, as it allows you to cut it in half thanks to borderless printing on both sides. Moreover, you can send photos to it from any device that can be synchronized with it, including remotely. All this is possible thanks to the 10/100 Ethernet option, and the HP All-in-One Printer Remote app allows you to scan photos even from a mobile device.

Advantages:

• 225-sheet tray;
• No paper jams;
• Withstands production of up to 15,000 pages per month;
• Finished prints do not fade in the sun and are stored for a long time;
• Easy to refill cartridges;
• Excellent performance;
• Automatic shutdown when idle.

Flaws:

• Does not support all paper sizes and types;
• Works only with Mac and Windows OS.

Canon Pixma G1410

...Having tried it Canon Pixma G1410, we found it suitable for printing photos on both plain and glossy paper...

Expert opinion

Externally, this model is very similar to the HP Officejet Pro 6230 ePrinter; it is also an inkjet version. With its help, it is possible to obtain fairly bright images with a resolution of up to 1200×4800 dpi. There is no blurring in the images and there are no complaints about color rendering. This effect is possible, in particular, due to the support of 4 colors.

The paint used here is not as economical as in previous models, since the minimum drop size is 2pl. However, even with such performance, this is one of the best photo printers for home on the market, and there is often no need to replace ink. For the price offered, this is just a gift!

Advantages:

• Colored water-soluble ink;
• Can print borderless;
• Reliable FINE ink system.
• One set of inks is enough for 7000 pages;
• Resource – up to 6000 pages;
• Low noise level;
• Ease of use;
• The tray is located on top.

Flaws:

• At high temperatures, small streaks of paint may be visible.

Which photo printer is better to buy?

When choosing the best office or home photo printer, you first need to pay attention to its color formula. It is advisable that there is a cartridge or containers for ink of at least 4 shades. The standard set is black, yellow, magenta and cyan. However, if there are more colors, the print usually turns out even brighter and more interesting.

For ease of printing, it is better that the device can connect to a PC wirelessly via Wi-Fi. No less relevant is the ability to transfer images directly from the phone, which is ideal for selfie lovers. Those who want to receive prints of various sizes should consider purchasing office equipment that supports A3, A3+, A4 paper sizes.

Here's what model you can choose based on different purposes:

• For fast printing Selfie images can be purchased from HP Sprocket, Black.
• The Epson L1800 is well suited for use in a photo studio, for example, for obtaining prints for passports and other documents.
• If you also need to print advertising brochures, in addition to photographs, you should pay attention to the Epson SureColor SC-P600.
• For working with paper different types and formats best choice there will be a Ricoh SP C260DNw.
• Amateur photographers can limit themselves to non-professional options - HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5075 M2U86C and HP Officejet Pro 6230 ePrinter.

Even if we are talking about the best photo printers, no one can guarantee that they are completely free of shortcomings. Therefore, we advise you to familiarize yourself with them in advance and understand whether they are important to you. In any case, this rating will help you make your choice!

In the days of film cameras, it took quite a long time to get a finished photograph. Take a photograph, develop the film, print - and each stage was extremely slow.

But at a certain point, the era of instant photographs arrived, and the name of the main manufacturer of such cameras became a household name - Polaroid. But nothing lasts forever and the time of instant photographs quickly ended, the era began digital photography, when you don’t even need to print a photo to look at the result. But humanity has a craving for retro things, in particular, someone once thought and revived instant photographs.

Currently, the most famous instant cameras are from a Japanese company whose name cannot be named. This means that there will be a comparison of the hero of our today’s review, but it will be with a certain abstract company A. So, today I will introduce you to the compact HP Sprocket photo printer. It is worth considering that compact photo printers come in different sizes; if we are talking about the HP Sprocket and the like, then these are devices slightly larger than a smartphone that print on special paper.

The technology of such paper is called Zink, which stands for Zero Ink, that is, “without ink.” There is also a variety of compact photo printers that print on regular paper 10 by 15 cm in size, but such “compact” photo printers are more laptop-sized in size and will not be considered in today’s review. One more thing - at the beginning I mentioned instant cameras, but in this case these are instant photo printers, their essence is approximately the same, you just select any photo on your smartphone or take it right here and now, and then send it wirelessly to printer. By the way, this company has similar compact photo printers, and it was on them that photographs were taken for comparison.

Specifications

Common parameters

• The main color is red;
• Print format - 50.8 x 76.2 mm;
• Maximum print resolution - 313x400 dpi;
• Printing speed - 1 ppm;
• Interfaces - micro USB, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC;
• Includes: ZINK Zero Ink photo paper 10 pieces;
• Features - battery operation;
• Dimensions and weight;
• Width - 75 mm;
• Height - 115 mm;
• Depth - 22 mm;
• Weight - 0.172 kg;

Packaging and equipment

A small compact box in a plastic holder contains the printer itself, a set of documentation, a charging cable and a pack of ZINK Zero Ink photo paper (10 pieces). The box shows the appearance of the printer and the main specifications.

Appearance

Externally, the HP Sprocket printer most closely resembles a small PowerBank. A small parallelepiped with beveled corners, the body is made of glossy plastic, which very quickly collects fingerprints, dust and other dirt. The front side of the printer displays the company logo and model name. On the reverse side there is a website with promotional materials. The only control element is the power button, located on the side. At the ends there is a charging connector (standard microUSB) and a slot for outputting the finished photo.

HP Sprocket is available in black and white color options, which also look stylish and interesting.

Paper is loaded from the top - top panel is a small cover that can be removed to gain access to the paper compartment. The printer allows you to load 10 sheets of paper at a time. All printer control is carried out through a smartphone application; iOS and Android operating systems are supported.

The HP Sprocket printer uses ZINK Zero Ink paper that measures 5 x 7.6 cm (2 x 3 inches). The paper tray holds 10 sheets, which is actually just one pack. The photo is printed without borders, i.e. occupies the entire surface area of ​​the leaf. To use the photo printer, you need to download a special application to your smartphone - Sprocket. After installation, you should follow a few simple and logical steps, and the printer is ready to use. When you first launch the application, it will show you tips on how to use the printer and how to properly load paper into the tray. The process of selecting and printing a photo is extremely simple. The photo source can be your smartphone’s gallery or data from Instagram, Facebook or Google accounts.

The application allows you to edit photos before printing, the process and capabilities are similar to the functions of Instagram - minor photo corrections, adding frames or inscriptions, etc. After editing the photo, if necessary, simply press the print button and the photo will begin to print. You can view the print queue, including reprinting the last photo you printed. Printing occurs in less than a minute, and the photo is immediately ready for viewing, unlike other similar photo printers that I have used before, there is no need to wait for some time for the image to appear.

Print quality testing

Naturally, you shouldn’t expect print quality at least close to stationary photo printers or specialized laboratories. HP Sprocket has a completely different positioning; in fact, it is a printer for entertainment. Immediately after shooting, take a printed photo as a keepsake after a party or memorable event. A separate problem for almost all color printers is printing black and white photographs. Accordingly, we will check the quality of color printing and the accuracy of color reproduction, as well as the possibility and quality of printing black and white photographs. Before each use of the printer, a special complete blue calibration card is loaded into it to eliminate the influence of various factors on print quality.

Color print.

First, let's print a special calibration table. Further in the table there will be the original image on the left side, and a scanned version of the printed image on the right.

Impression

Not all photos can be printed correctly on the HP Sprocket. There is a feeling that the higher the quality of the photograph, the more dynamic range, the worse the print will turn out. The paper used in the HP Sprocket simply cannot capture the full range of shades and smooth gradients. There is also a problem with the transfer of skintones, and to a greater extent than with competitors. Obviously, this is a limitation of Zink paper; the competitor uses its proprietary technology with a different type of both cartridges and paper, which is visible even to the naked eye. Although the paper form factor for HP Sprocket itself is more convenient, and printing is done without borders, which looks more advantageous, and the printed image is larger in area.

It is worth noting that high-contrast photographs print better than those with slight toning or low contrast. When printing, you should select photos that do not have bright highlights or sharp gradients. B&W photographs are printed with slight toning. The black color is closer to dark brown, somewhat reminiscent of the black on conventional TFT screens, but real color depth cannot be achieved. Actually, this is a problem with all such printers, although the competitor has a special cartridge with paper specifically for black and white photographs, i.e. there, shades of gray are not obtained by mixing three colors, but initially a dye is used specifically for printing gradations of black.

Autonomous operation

The manufacturer does not declare the capacity of the built-in battery. During testing, the battery was fully charged. Printing one ream of paper (10 sheets), with calibration performed before each print, used up almost 50% of the charge. Accordingly, with standard use, a fully charged battery is guaranteed to print 20 photos and even a little more.

Printing cost

At the time of writing the review, the cost of the HP Sprocket printer was 9,999 rubles. The cost of paper is approximately 500 rubles. for a pack of 10 sheets or 950 rub. for a pack of 20 sheets, thus, if you do not take into account the cost of the printer, then the cost of one print is approximately 50 rubles. On the one hand, the cost of the printer, as well as the final photographs, is on par with its competitors, but if you look at the cost of printing photographs in professional photo laboratories, it becomes clear that the cost of one photograph is extremely high. But it's worth remembering that with the HP Sprocket, you get photos instantly, and all from a device slightly larger than a standard smartphone.

conclusions

The compact HP Sprocket color photo printer does not pretend to be a full-fledged photo printer, and it’s not even about the quality of the print, but about the size of the resulting image and the final cost of printing. The purpose of the HP Sprocket is to provide entertainment, to give emotions at holidays, parties or just while walking. And if we consider it in this way, then such a device can brighten up your birthday, wedding, or just a vacation with friends a little, give you a little more smiles and a small photo as a keepsake of such a wonderful day. There is a demand for such devices, just as there is a demand for various photo booths in which you can print any photos, for example, from Instagram, and in terms of the cost of printing, such a photo printer in the future looks more profitable to operate.

Pros:

• Compact dimensions;
• Convenient printing application;
• Convenient paper format;
• Borderless printing.

• Printing cost;
• Accuracy of colors and gradients;
• Low dynamic range of printed images.

Just one and a half to two years ago, portable inkjet photo printers for many users seemed nothing more than fun, exotic entertainment, or even a misunderstanding. But time has dotted all the i’s and shown not only viability, but also an increase in interest in this kind of product. Almost all serious brands already have interesting, promising and new models of mini photo printers. But today we will not talk about all of them at once, but about a specific product, a new product from HP, the Photosmart A618 inkjet photo printer.

What is interesting about this printer, what new can it offer us? And is it worth the money they are asking for it? We will try to answer these and other questions in the format of this article.

Acquaintance

The HP Photosmart A618 can be called a lightweight version of the Photosmart A717, which today is the top model of HP's modern line of portable photo printers. Of the main differences between the A618 and the more “advanced” A717, I would highlight only three - the size of the LCD screen (it is slightly smaller, 2.4" versus 2.5"), the inability to connect to a television receiver and the absence hard drive for storing photos. These simplifications, of course, are significant, but at the same time they made it possible to reduce the cost of the printer without depriving it of its attractiveness.

ABOUT appearance We won’t say much about the device; everything is clearly visible in the photographs.

In the absence of design differences from the very first portable HP printers, the A618 turned out to be very elegant and stylish. It’s quite difficult to ignore this lacquered beauty, and the dark color of the case only gives the device additional seriousness. The new Photosmart no longer seems like just a pretty toy. And the ability to print photographs in the now popular 13x18 cm format takes it a step above its small-format classmates.

The printer is interesting, first of all, for its capabilities - direct printing from memory cards and flash drives, support for the PictBridge standard, the above-mentioned maximum media format of 13x18 cm, support for panoramic printing on photo paper 10x30 cm in size, and, of course, built-in support for Bluetooth technology. There is good news for users of fashionable iPods. The A618 can not only print photos from iPod devices, but also export pictures from memory cards to these devices.

Installation, menu, operation

Everything that I said about installation and the driver in the previous article on can also be addressed to the A618. The only difference is the limitation of the maximum print format, which is 13x18 cm. Otherwise, everything remains virtually unchanged.

The system defines the new device as follows:

The printer menu, as usual, is multi-stage, with a large number of different settings, but, nevertheless, quite understandable. Even without reading the instructions, many of its points do not raise questions or ambiguity.

In order not to dwell on each menu item separately, I will give only its structural diagram, which will allow you to evaluate the autonomous capabilities of the printer.

Menu structure:

• Printing options;
• Editing;
• Tools;
• Bluetooth;
• Reference;
• Preferred settings.

1. Printing options

- Seal of everyone. Printing all photos from a memory card installed in the printer;
– Printing video frames. Print nine frames of a video clip;
– Print range. Print a range of photographs;
– Print catalog page. Print a catalog of all photos on the memory card;
– Panoramic photographs. Enable or disable panoramic printing mode; By default this mode is disabled. When you select On. All selected photos are printed in 3:1 aspect ratio. When printing directly from a digital camera connected via USB cable, panoramic printing is not supported;
– Photo stickers. Enable or disable label printing mode; By default this mode is disabled. Selecting On prints 16 photos on each page;
– CD/DVD stickers;
– Photos for documents.

2. Editing

– Rotate the photo;
– Add a frame;
– Add color effect(Black and White, Sepia, Antique or No Effects (default);
– Brightness of photos.

3. Tools

– Photosmart sharing (Instant Share). Transfer photos to other users from a memory card installed in the printer. The printer must be connected to a computer on which the printer software is installed and access to the Internet is provided;
– View 9 photos;
- Slide show;
- Print a test page;
- Seal test page;
- Cleaning the cartridge;
- Cartridge alignment.

4.Bluetooth

– Device address;
- Device name;
- Password;
- Availability;
- Reset parameters.

6. Preferences

– Print quality.(Best (default and provides highest quality print), normal, fast normal;
– Paper type;
- Date Time. Print date/time stamp on photos;
– Color space.(Adobe RGB, sRGB and Automatic selection);
– Borderless;
– After printing. Indicates whether photos are deselected after printing; the following values ​​are provided;
– Preview with animation;
– Improved video quality;
– Restore default values;
- Language;
- Password;
- Availability;
– Reset parameters.

There were no complaints about the printer's operation in offline mode. Everything is clear and without failures, except for the lack of information about the amount of ink in the cartridge (which I will talk about below). And working in tandem with a computer revealed two shortcomings of a particular instance.

These problems are most likely related to the specific sample we tested, and can be “treated” by updating the printer firmware.

Seal

Quite difficult (if not impossible) to obtain a print excellent quality on a three-color system, which is still used by HP portable photo printers. The noticeable halftone pattern is the main reason I rate this printer's print output as only very good. Good color rendition, high detail and realistic print are the main advantages of this model. And don’t forget about printing speed. Imprint maximum quality in two minutes (from a PC) - this is a very good indicator for this system, which can be further reduced by changing the printing parameters.

The test used three types of photo papers: HP Premium Photo Paper (glossy), HP Premium Photo Paper (semi-gloss), and HP Glossy Photo Paper (HP Advanced). Everything that was said about color rendering in the article also applies to this printer. That is additional customization in the driver, when printing on new HP Advanced paper you will need.

Conclusion

It's time to sum it up.
What do we get for $200? Let's compare the “old” and new A618, especially since not only the cost, but also the technical characteristics of these devices are very similar.

The marking of the cartridge used has changed, but we still have the same second-generation version: a three-color system, 200 nozzles per color, with a minimum droplet size of 4-5 picoliters. And as a result, the printing speed and its quality are within the limits of existing values. The situation with filling the cartridge is also similar. VIVERA ink used in the new HP 110 cartridge (CB304AE) has been successfully used and is used for cartridges 134, 135. That is, there have been practically no changes in the printing system. But in fairness, we must admit that the lack of black density, which was reflected in the results, did not manifest itself in the A618. In terms of realism and color rendition, the photographs of the A618 are noticeably better.

The printer driver has changed: it has become more convenient and clearer. The same can be said about the design of the device. It has become more modern, elegant and attractive. But if you remember, the main advantage of the model was the built-in HDD 1.5 GB and the ability to connect the printer to a television receiver. But the A618 doesn’t have this.

In return we get autonomous operation from the battery (up to 75 photos from one charge), and a built-in Bluetooth adapter, which most likely will not be used often due to the presence of a card reader and a USB port.

The device will undoubtedly find its buyer, but, in my opinion, its price is still too high. With a printer cost of $150-170, it is guaranteed success. So far, being in the same price niche as the A618, it does not have any noticeable advantages. This is an image model with a good technical component, and support for the increasingly popular iPod players is further confirmation of this.

The fastest, highest quality production printing¹ on 42" and 60" wide devices using 8 HP Vivid Photo inks.

• Print speed up to 212 sq. ft/h on glossy and 548 sq. ft/h on plain paper²
• Accurate color reproduction with HP Professional PANTONE® color emulation technology
• 500 GB hard drive
• Built-in spectrophotometer and HP Color Center for color consistency and accuracy³
• Built-in take-up roll for automatic mode print
• HP Applications Center for creating content and submitting print jobs

1 Compared to large format inkjet graphics printers costing up to $25,000. Based on manufacturers' stated maximum print speeds as of June 2017. Test methods may vary.

2 When using glossy paper in normal mode, the HP DesignJet Z6810 Industrial Printers can achieve print speeds of 212 sq. ft/h When using plain paper in normal mode, the HP DesignJet Z6810 Industrial Printers can achieve print speeds of 548 sq. ft/h

3 The HP DesignJet Z6810 series industrial printers are equipped with the X-Rite i1 spectrophotometer. The close collaboration between HP and X-Rite has resulted in a thoroughly tested solution that meets customer needs for ease of use, quality and reliability.