HP Photosmart Plus review

HP released the Photosmart Plus All-in-One printer earlier this fall as a student oriented printer but recently it has received quite a bit of attention from holiday shoppers.  For the month of November, the Photosmart Plus was the most searched printer on PrinterComparison.com!

Today, we finally have a full review of this popular little printer.  But will it compare to some of the fabulous Photosmart printers we've reviewed in the past?  Read on to find out.

PHOTOSMART PLUS SPECIFICATIONS

• 3-in-1 device: print, scan, copy
• Print speeds: up to 30 ppm in black, 28 ppm in color
• Print resolution: up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi color
• 2.36-inch touchscreen 
• Built-in memory card reader with USB compatibility
• Monthly duty cycle: up to 2500 pages
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB
• Energy Star qualified

BUILD AND DESIGN

The HP Photosmart Plus will fit perfectly on almost any desk thanks to its small, compact form; the Plus’ dimensions are approximately 18 x 16 x 8 inches with the scanner lid down.

But for its small size, I felt like the Plus still seemed solid weighing in around 16 lbs.  The design is black and sleek; the outside is done in a glossy black and is very reflective with a small HP logo on the top of the scanner lid.

Under the lid resides the 48-bit flatbed scanner with a maximum scan size of 8.5 x 11.7 inches.  The maximum optical scan resolution is 1200 dpi while the maximum enhanced scan resolution up to 19,200 dpi.

 
The TouchSmart control panel with the 2.36 inch touch screen is located on the left side of the printer with the only real button being the power button located on the right side next to the HP Photosmart Plus label.

Lift the middle of the machine up to access the inside of the Photosmart Plus for installing the four individual ink cartridges: black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.  HP does offer a high capacity black ink cartridge for users with heavy printing needs.

The Photosmart Plus has a 20-sheet dedicated photo tray supporting a paper size range from 3.5 x 5 inches to 5 x 7 inches.  The larger 125-sheet input tray supports a wider range including legal size documents and 8x10 photos.

To the right of the paper trays, users will find the built-in memory card reader and PictBridge/USB port.  The Photosmart Plus is compatible with Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, SD, SD High Capacity Card, xD-Picture Card and MMC.

All the connections can be found on the back of the printer along with a removable panel for access to the paper path.