Hewlett Packard Photosmart 7350 InkJet Printer

When my DeskJet 722C bit the dust a few months ago, I spent a lot of time researching different printers and put off making a decision for a long time. I had my eye on the photosmart 1215 for a while, but then saw an ad for the new 7350 at a lower price than the 1215! When I checked the specifications, the 7350 had all of the features that had attracted me to the 1215, so I said, "What the heck?" and I bought it. I am so glad I waited!

First, this printer could not be easier to use! With its optical paper sensor, it can figure pretty much everything out for itself, meaning the user almost never has to mess with settings before printing. It even self-aligns the ink cartridges... no more squinting at printed lines of ink, trying to decide which ones are the straightest. And the best part, is when you re-insert a cartridge the printer has seen before, it automatically remembers and sets the alignment without having to waste another sheet of paper.

The print quality is phenomenal. I recently went on vacation and had several digital photos waiting to be printed, so this was the printer's first real test. If not for the fact that I had taken the photos at low resolution (I have since changed the default resolution on my camera), there would be no way to tell these photos had been printed at home and not by a developer. There are no visible dots of ink like I could see when I printed photos from my old 722.

Those photos were printed on regular 8 1/2 x 11 Kodak photo paper. The next thing I couldn't wait to try out was the printer's ability to print borderless 4x6 photos on pre-cut photo paper. The printer came with a pack of sample papers, including a few of these 4x6 sheets, so I loaded them in and printed one of my vacation photos again. Drawing on past experiences with my 722, I half expected the paper to feed in slightly crooked and cause a sliver of white to show on one or two edges. But it didn't happen! The edges were perfect; the entire photo was perfect. I do have two small complaints about this process though. 1) I was under the impression that the tab on the end of the sheet was perforated and would tear right off after the photo was printed. After all, they called it "4x6 photo paper with tear-off tabs". But actually, you have to cut it off, which means you still need to have a paper cutter or a steady hand with scissors. 2) You have to babysit while it prints. The corner of my photo got caught in the crack around the photo tray cover as it was coming back out. I had to lift it out, or else it would have continued curling up as it printed.

The 7350 has built-in card readers for four(!) different types of digital camera media. Not only does this let you print your photos directly, bypassing the computer, but also offers an alternative method of reading your photos into the computer, for those who hate fiddling with camera cables. There is also a USB port on the front, for connecting a camera directly to the printer. Unfortunately this only works with HP cameras... and I am a loyal Kodak customer.

The package also includes a software CD containing what HP describes as "photo and imaging software". I don't know specifically what software is on the CD, because I didn't choose to install it. I already have my own software that I paid good money for, and I tend not to use software that comes bundled with any of my hardware.

Despite all of my raving about what a great printer this is, I do have a couple of criticisms. The out tray is very short, and paper tends to come flying out of the printer, especially when printing something fairly fast, such as text in draft mode. There is a pull-out tray extender which addresses this problem. However, the extender feels very flimsy to me, and gives me the impression that this printer might not be safe in an area with kids or where any other rough activity goes on.

For photo printing, the 7350 uses a special photo cartridge in place of the usual black ink cartridge. (The black cartridge, by the way, is not included.) A cartridge protector exists to store whichever cartridge is not in use, but there is no convenient place to stow this piece. It seems a little slot on the side or back of the printer to attach the protector (and cartridge) to would be a useful thing to have.

ACCESSIBILITY: I know not many people will find this information useful, but I like to comment on how usable a product is for someone with a disability similar to mine. (See my web site if you are interested in a description of my disability.)

I am very pleased with the accessibility of the 7350. I have been able to do everything - change paper, load the 4x6 photo paper, change ink cartridges, insert and remove my CompactFlash card - completely independently. It took me a while to find a reliable way to remove the CompactFlash card once inserted. I originally intended to pull it out with my teeth (I have no pinching power in my fingers), but the card reader slots are sunken into the front panel of the printer, and it was very difficult to get my teeth around the card. I did manage once or twice, but left a nose-print on the LCD screen! I finally found that a pair of pliers works quite nicely, without leaving any bodily impressions behind. ;o)

Note: I have not yet tried networking this printer, although we do have a two-machine network in our apartment. When I get the chance to try out networking, I will update.