Review: HP B110a All-in-One Print/Scan/Copy Inkjet

[Sarath]

HP Photosmart Wireless e-All-in-One Printer - B110a


PRICE: Rs.7600 (bought locally) Current price on letsbuy.com 2.7.11

REVIEW:
I had 5minutes to decide which printer to buy and couldn't read about it much before buying, so I wont be able to make any comparisons to other similarly priced and functional printers.

I have had it for more than a month now and after what seemed like a hundred printed pages I thought it will be a good time to give a small review on it.

~PRINTING: The main reason I bought this printer is because of the individual ink cartridges. The pros and cons of them are many but I suggest you too look for these to save money.
Colour Printing: Colour prints come out good. Use photo paper for this instead of normal paper. I printed only a few photos with the free copies I got and was impressed with the quality. I can say it was on par with the studio prints.
Black prints: This was an area of weakness particularly because I cleanly observe. The prints appear smudgy, but only slightly. The text is not very sharp but is reasonably so and readable. In fact only I am able to notice it in my family, so I think I am just too paranoid. All in all it is on par with what is expected of an inkjet printer. Also my earlier stint with a laser printer has accustomed me to it and hence the difference. Expect the same from other inkjet printers. I will attach a print below for subjective evaluation.

~SCANNING: The scanner function is pretty good too although limited to standard A4 size and below.
A few photo scans came out good at 600dpi. Can go higher but didnt try due to time constraints.
Black and white scans are also good and crisp.

Here is a scanned picture of a text printout from the same printer. Click on spoiler to open:

Spoiler:

I just observed the picture above is not an accurate representation of either the print out or the scan function since both are better; the soft copy of the scan is sharper and the print out is also much clearer than this. I will try to rectify it but it could be limitations in photosharing website that I use.

~COPY: I havent used this feature as it is most likely cheaper to photocopy it outside but may one day and edit this space.

OTHER FEATURES:
There are much more than just the basic functions to the printer and I will elaborate in my limited views on the following:

Wireless printing: This is a very nice feature especially for me as I keep my printer on a seperate table and also have two PCs at home allowing simultaneous usage. In short this is a network printer.
After setting it up the USB cable need not be connected for any feature of the printer; print, scan, copy. A nimble upgrade.

e-Print: This was an interesting feature that I was unaware of. It allots your printer a seperate e-mail ID to which you can send an e-mail which will be automatically printed. This means you can now print e-mails from your phone by just sending it to the alloted e-mail ID. Tested once and it was fine but I would rather use my PC to print.

LCD screen: It has a small LCD screen which provides useful features and lets us use many printer functions without the PC. Infact all my scans were done using this screen without touching my printer. It has a simple menu and a not so user friendly controls. However I am a very nifty user and such things dont bother me but they will bother other users like your parents or friends. This is a very nice feature I would definitely want in a printer. Does not let you see scans or photos though.

SD/MMC/Memory Stick Duo slot: As the name suggests it lets you print directly off the memory card for PCless printing. Also lets you transfer pics from your memory card to PC. I did this wirelessly and it works fine. Useful feature.

Other Points:
# The printer is very noisy and it feels like its rebuilding itself every time you switch it on and off. 65db measures(online review) It stays quite after that thankfully. The noise might fool you into thinking that the printer is faulty but that is normal.

# The cartridges can be changed very easily and are easily accessible too

# The HP software for using the printer is also useful and allows basic functions.

The Cartridges: This is a very important aspect to me and so should to you and will be for every one buying their second printer onwards. You should bear in mind that the cartridges are expensive. Here is a list of compatible cartridges and their prices as found on the HP website (link)

-

Black Cartridge

Product description Page yield* Price indication** Quantity

HP 862 Black Ink Cartridge (CB316ZZ) 250 Rs 675.00

HP 862XL Black Ink Cartridge (CN684ZZ) 550 Rs 1225.00

-

Cyan Cartridge

Product description Page yield* Price indication** Quantity

HP 862 Cyan Ink Cartridge (CB318ZZ) 300 Rs 599.00

HP 862XL Cyan Ink Cartridge (CB323ZZ) 750 Rs 1050.00

-

Magenta Cartridge

Product description Page yield* Price indication** Quantity

HP 862 Magenta Ink Cartridge (CB319ZZ) 300 Rs 599.00

HP 862XL Magenta Ink Cartridge (CB324ZZ) 750 Rs 1050.00

-

Yellow Cartridge

Product description Page yield* Price indication** Quantity

HP 862 Yellow Ink Cartridge (CB320ZZ) 300 Rs 599.00

HP 862XL Yellow Ink Cartridge (CB325ZZ) 750 Rs 1050.00

*Approximate only; varies depending on the types of documents printed and other factors.

**All prices are shown with VAT but do not include shipping charges.

I would strongly suggest you take into consideration the price of the printer and the price of printing when deciding upon any printer.

Click here for an online review

A few pictures of the printer:

Standard placement while regular usage:


Individual Cartridges


The mini 2.4" LCD screen. Also in piture memory card reader, power switch and wireless wifi on/off switch.


More Pictures:

Spoiler:

Scanner bed opened


Front side

Here are the technical specifications of the printer:

Spoiler:

Functions
Print, copy, scan, web
AIO multitasking supported
Yes
Printing specifications
Print speed black (draft, A4)
Up to 32 ppm
Print speed colour (draft, A4)
Up to 30 ppm
Print speed black (ISO, laser comparable)
Up to 9 ppm
Print speed color (ISO, laser comparable)
Up to 8 ppm
Print speed colour (draft, 10x15 photo)
As fast as 16 sec
Print speed footnote
Speed specifications have been updated to reflect current industry testing methods.
Duty cycle (monthly, A4)
Printer: up to 2500 pages; copier: up to 1250 pages
Recommended monthly page volume
250 to 500
Print technology
HP Thermal Inkjet
Print quality black (best)
Up to 600 x 600 dpi
Resolution
Up to 4800 x 1200 optimised dpi colour (when printing from a computer on selected HP photo papers and 1200 input dpi)
Number of print cartridges
4 (1 each black, cyan, magenta, yellow)
Paper handling
Paper handling input, standard
80-sheet input tray
Paper handling output, standard
15-sheet output tray
Envelope input capacity
Up to 10 envelopes
Envelope feeder
No
Duplex printing
Manual (driver support provided)
Finished output handling
Sheetfed
Media sizes supported
A4 (210 x 297 mm); A5 (148 x 210 mm); B5 (176 x 250 mm); DL (110 x 220 mm); C6 (114 x 162 mm); A6 (105 x 148 mm); (300 x 100 mm); (130 x 180 mm); (100 x 150 mm)
Media sizes, custom
77 x 127 to 215 x 279 mm
Media types
Paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards, the HP premium media, iron-on transfers, borderless media
Recommended media weight
A4: 75 to 90 g/m²; legal: 75 to 90 g/m²; envelopes: 75 to 90 g/m²; cards: up to 200 g/m²; 10 x 15 cm photo: up to 300 g/m²
Additional specifications
Standard memory
64 MB
Memory, maximum
64 MB
Print languages
HP PCL 3 GUI
Scanner Specifications
Scanner type
Flatbed
Scan resolution, optical
Up to 1200 dpi
Bit depth
48-bit
Scan size (flatbed), maximum
216 x 297 mm
Copier Specifications
Copy speed black (draft, A4)
Up to 32 cpm
Copy speed colour (draft, A4)
Up to 30 cpm
Copy resolution (black text)
Up to 600 dpi
Copy resolution (colour text and graphics)
Up to 600 dpi
Copies, maximum
Up to 50 copies
Fax Specifications
Faxing
No
Photo printing
Display
2.36" (6.1 cm) LCD (with TouchSmart Frame)
Memory card compatibility
Memory Stick Duo; Secure Digital/MultimediaCard
Connectivity
HP ePrint capability
Yes
Connectivity, standard
1 USB 2.0; 1 WiFi 802.11b/g/n
Minimum system requirements for Macintosh
Mac OS X v 10.4, v 10.5 or v 10.6; PowerPC G4, G5 or Intel Core processor; 256 MB RAM; 300 MB available hard disk space; CD-ROM/DVD drive or Internet connection; USB port
Minimum system requirements
Microsoft® Windows® 7: 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, 1 GB (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit) RAM, 1.2 GB hard disk space, CD-ROM/DVD drive or Internet connection, USB port, Internet Explorer; Windows Vista®: 800 MHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, 512 MB RAM, 1.2 GB hard disk space, CD-ROM/DVD drive or Internet connection, USB port, Internet Explorer; Windows® XP (SP2)* or higher (32-bit only): any Intel Pentium II, Celeron or compatible processor, 233 MHz or higher, 128 MB RAM, 500 MB hard disk space, CD-ROM/DVD drive or Internet connection, USB port, Internet Explorer 6 or higher. *Supports 32-bit only.
Compatible operating systems
Microsoft® Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, Windows® XP (SP2)* or higher (32-bit only); Mac OS X v 10.4, v 10.5 or v 10.6
Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions (W x D x H)
450 x 420 x 200 mm
Maximum dimensions (W x D x H)
452 x 563.8 x 431 mm (scan lid up, paper tray extended)
Weight
6.02 kg
Package weight
7.52 kg
Power and operating requirements
Power
Input voltage 100 to 240 VAC (+/- 10%), 50/60 Hz (+/- 3 Hz)
Power consumption
27 watts maximum
Power consumption (active)
13 watts
Power consumption (standby)
4.8 watts
Power consumption (sleep)
2.8 watts
Power consumption (manual-off)
0.5 watts
Power consumption footnote
Power requirements are based on the country/region where the printer is sold. Do not convert operating voltages. This will damage the printer and void the product warranty.
Acoustic pressure emissions
57 dB(A) (printing at 15 ppm)
Acoustic power emissions
6.9 B(A) (printing at 17 ppm)
Acoustic power emissions (active, copy or scan)
6.2 B(A) (copying at 3.5 ppm)
Recommended operating temperature range
15 to 32º C
Operating humidity range
25 to 75% RH (non-condensing)
ENERGY STAR® qualified
Yes
What's included
What's in the box
HP Photosmart Wireless All-in-One (B110a), HP 564 Black Photosmart Ink Cartridge, HP 564 Cyan Photosmart Ink Cartridge, HP 564 Magenta Photosmart Ink Cartridge, HP 564 Yellow Photosmart Ink Cartridge, Software CD, Reference Guide, power supply, power cord, Reusable Tote, Accessory Bag, USB cable
Cable included
Yes, 1 USB
Software included
HP Photo Creations, HP Smart Web Printing, HP Photo Print Gadget
Warranty
With services, software, solutions and support from HP Total Care, you can use, protect and enjoy your HP technology; one-year technical phone support; one-year limited hardware warranty; access to 24/7 award-winning support services through http://www.hp.com/support; to improve your product experience, please take the time to register at http://www.register.hp.com

I advice you to not click on the spoiler as it is a mess and I am unable to put it properly in a table format. Here is the actual link for technical specifications


Thank you for your patience if you have made it till here

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

[MatchBoxx]

Nice review buddy...keep it up! \m/

[thetechfreak]

Great review Sarath
Keep it up

[Cybertonic]

Nice review dude.

The printer is very noisy and it feels like its rebuilding itself every time you switch it on and off.

Keep the reviews coming

[Sarath]

Bought a black cartridge from flipkart:

Model: HP 862XL Black Ink Cartridge
Price: 1089/-
Yield (as stated): 550
Estimate cost/page: Rs.2 per page @black ink only

Real world yield may be much lower, as 550 pages will most probably be the most optimistic yield estimation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After using it for several months this has been my experience so far:

~ Very happy with the wireless feature as it connects to all PCs in the house and ipod(iOS) and android too, with work arounds and direct apps.
~ One touch scanning of documents (using printer console)
~ The print quality is respectable for an inkjet printer.
~ Running costs are very high at :
Rs.2250 for replacing all printer cartridges (4 of them) for a yield of roughly 300 pages.
Approx: Rs. 7.5/ colour page and Rs.2.5 / B&W page

Personally feel that:
Dedicated scanner and Laser Printer B&W will be more productive from an year onwards.
So anyone looking at MFD should rethink their strategy and see what would be more productive in the long run

Didn't try refilling as it is a pretty new printer. Waiting for the 3rd or 4th cartridge swap to start refilling.