My 9 yo HP Photosmart is still kicking and I will really miss it if it dies. It has been the best printer I have ever had: not cheap to run, but an all-rounder which makes an excellent job of whatever I ask of it. HP have stopped making 5-cart printers and it looks like a Canon will be its replacement if it departs this life before I do. I hate those inkjet printers which have a ‘Tri-cartridge’ – 3 inks in one cart. When one colour is gone, the whole cart is dead, regardless of whatever is left in the other 2.
The HP lets me print my own photos and other colour pages to a very good standard: I have photos that I printed from it when I first had it and they are unfaded. That is something I like to do: I know I can have them printed on the High Street for less, but I enjoy the process of editing and printing. I can dial down the Properties and print in Greyscale for documents. When I ripped music CD’s and DVD’s, I could print labels or ink graphics directly onto the disk, it has a tray for that. To give HP their due, I have been able to continuously update the printer software, at least once every year: the software is unrecognisable from its first issue, on the CD that came with the printer. I honestly think that HP has never made a better, more reliable printer and that may be its problem. For almost 9 years I have not bought another. In this throw away, consumerist world, that is a black mark against any product.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.
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