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(More customer reviews)I'd finally had it with my 4-year-old Canon Multifunction (C555). The fax worked fine but the printer was unreliable, torpid and, because the cartridges kept drying up, frightfully expensive. Despite my wife's warning (she's been having trouble with HP-OSX compatibility issues), I opted for this HP 4215.
When it arrived, I was immediately cheered by a box that was less than half the size of the Canon's. Upon opening it, I was further encouraged by a handy yet complete printed manual. (The Canon's was all online, and the printed-out materials seemed like a life-time of reading.) In 10 minutes I was ready to go--cartridges installed, program installed on my Powerbook, telephone line, USB cable, power cord all hooked up. The unit seemed too light and compact, the set-up too easy and automatic, but I went to a Word document, clicked and waited. Not for long, because the printer not only handled the document in record time but presented me with copy that was sharper than any I'd ever seen.
Next I went on the internet, found a richly textured, page-sized color photo and clicked "print." Same result. The machine speedily delivered a bright yet detailed and subtle color print that was an improvement on the original, even with the cheap copy paper I was using.
My plan was to keep my workhorse Epson for the bulk of my printing and use the HP for faxing, copying, and scanning (all of which it does both better and more efficiently than my old Canon). But the HP is simply too good to be anything less than a starting player. I can't remember ever being more impressed with a device, especially one this complicated, and happier about a computer or office-related purchase.
In spite of my singular success with this particular model, I've learned not to make blanket judgements about a brand or manufacturer based on one particular experience, especially in this field of competitive, rapidly changing technology. My wife just gave up on her HP printer and exchanged it for a Canon.
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HP OfficeJet 4215 All-in-One PrinterThe 4215 from HP helps you to save on valuable space by combining faxing, scanning, printing, and copying functions into one convenient unit. This full color multifunction is designed for home and small office use and features an inkjet printer with up to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution (up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi optimized color) and print speeds of up to 17 ppm for black and up to 12 ppm for color (at lower resolutions; actual speeds will vary).
An 8 MB memory is standard as well as a 20-page automatic document feeder. The paper input tray has an input capacity of up to 100 sheets, and supports a variety of paper types and sizes, including paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards, iron-on transfers, letter, legal, executive, and more.
The color scanner has a 36-bit color depth and a hardware resolution of up to 600 x 1,200 dpi, resulting in accurate, true-to-life scans perfect for a wide variety of applications. The included software bundle helps you to get the best prints and scans possible, and includes HP Director, HP Photo Gallery, HP Image Editor, and Readiris OCR.
HP Director Access features and common tasks through the easy-to-navigate HP Director software. Depending on the capabilities of your HP all-in-one, the HP Director lets you initiate device functions such as scanning, copying, faxing, or unloading images from a digital camera or memory card. You can also use the HP Director to open the HP Gallery to view, modify, and manage the images on your computer.
Status: use this feature to display the current status of your HP OfficeJet.
Settings: use this feature to view or change various settings for your HP OfficeJet, such as print, scan, copy, or fax.
Select Device: use this feature to select the device you want to use from the list of installed HP devices.
Help: use this feature to access the HP Photo & Imaging Help, which provides software help, a product tour, troubleshooting information for your HP OfficeJet, and HP OfficeJet product-specific help.
Scan Picture: use this feature to scan an image and display it in the HP Photo & Imaging Gallery.
Scan Document: use this feature to scan text and display it in the selected text editing software program.
Send a Fax: use this feature to open the fax dialog box so you can enter the appropriate information and then send your fax.
Make Copies: use this feature to display the Copy dialog box where you can select the copy quality, number of copies, color, size, and then start a copy.
HP Gallery: use this feature to display the HP Photo & Imaging Gallery, where you can view and edit images, print photos in multiple sizes, make and print a photo album, share images through e-mail or a web site, or make a multimedia CD.
Creative Ideas: use this feature to learn about creative ways to use your HP OfficeJet.
HP Shopping: use this feature to shop for HP products.
Software Update: use this feature to check for software updates for your HP OfficeJet.
Click this arrow to display tool tips that explain each of the HP Director options. Your features may vary. The HP Director is customized based upon the HP device that is selected. If your device is not equipped with a particular feature, then the icon for that feature will not display in the HP Director on your computer.
The copier has print speeds of up to 17 ppm for black and up to 12 ppm for color, with resolutions as high as 2,400 x 1,200 dpi. You can make up to 100 copies at a time, saving you time and hassle, while a zoom function allows you to reduce or enlarge copies from 25% to 200%.
The fax machine is capable of full-color faxing and has a fast 3-second per page transmission time. A transmission memory of up to 100 pages lets submit large jobs, while a fax broadcast feature lets you send a single fax to 50 separate locations. The fax also features a junk fax barrier, remote retrieval, and auto-redial.
The 4215 conveniently connects via USB and has a small 16.4-by-8-inch footprint. It is compatible with PC and Mac operating platforms and also comes backed by a one-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box 4215 all-in-one, HP 56 black inkjet print cartridge (19 ml ink volume), HP 28 tri-color inkjet print cartridge (8 ml ink volume), HP Image Zone Photo and imaging software and user's guide on CD-ROM, setup poster, power cord, phone cord; HP 58 photo inkjet cartridge not included; USB cable not included
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