HP Inkjet Printer Buyer's Guide

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Hewlett Packard offers a number of inkjet printers for home or home office use (called Inkjet, Deskjet, and Photosmart). They divide these printers into four categories: direct photo, high-performance, mid-range, and entry-level.

Direct photo
These printers, including the HP 230, 130, 1115, 1215 series, 1315, 7150, 7350, and 7550 models, can print directly from an HP digital camera, without going through a computer. They offer up to 17 ppm for black text and 13 ppm for color. These printers use up to seven-ink print technology and can generate 4,800 x 1,200 optimized dpi (on premium photo paper) or 1,200 x 1,200 dpi for regular computer printouts. These printers range in price from $180 to $400.

High-performance
The business inkjet 3000 series, 2230, 2280 series, 2600 series, and the color inkjet 1160 series, 1700 series, and 1220 series range in price from $200 to $1,400. These printers can print up to 15 ppm in black and 14 ppm in color. They offer up to 2,400 x 1,200 dpi on premium photo paper, and have networking capabilities.

Mid-range
The HP 6122, 6127, 3820, 5550, 845c, 920c, 940c, 960cse, 990cse, and 995c range in price from $80 to $400. They can print up to 17 ppm in black and 13 ppm in color. They offer 4,800 x 1,200 optimized dpi resolution (on premium photo paper) or 1,200 x 1,200 for regular computer printouts.

Entry-level
The HP 3320, 3420, 350c, 350cbi, 630c, 656c, and 825c range in price from $50 to $300. They can print up to 10 ppm in black and 8 ppm in color. On premium photo paper, they can reach a resolution of 2,400 x 1,200 dpi.

Note: list prices and features of U.S. models as of 09/28/02.