HP Photosmart A630 Compact Photo Printer Review
The HP Photosmart A630 Compact Photo Printer is one of the best gadgets our family has come across in a long time. It’s really small, lightweight and with it’s built in handle, it’s designed to be portable enough to carry along with you on vacations, at parties or any kind of gathering where you’ll be snapping pics.
The setup on this printer took about 2 minutes. Just unpack it from the box, plug it in, install the print cartridge, put paper in the back and you’re ready to go.
I have to admit that it took me a few minutes to figure out how to access the paper input tray. It turns out you have to lift the handle to see the little place where you can grab the back cover with your finger.
I have 2 different digital cameras, so I was glad to see the slots in the front can accommodate 4 different sizes of memory cards: xD-Picture Card, Compact Flash I and II, Memory Stick and SD, MMC cards. My cameras use CF and SD, so that worked well for me.
The menu on this little printer is a 4 x 8 touchscreen. It comes with a stylus, but I found it wasn’t necessary for most functions. The screen was very response to finger tip touch, which made editing the photos very easy. This was bit different experience than I had with the touchscreen on the Photosmart A826, which responded much better to the stylus.
The menus on this new portable printer were the same as the A826, so there was no learning curve there. Even if you haven’t used an HP Photosmart touchscreen in the past, you won’t have any problems.
The menus are intuitive and easy to navigate. Here are just some of the functions you have access to: frames, captions, albums, freehand drawing, clip art, special effects, photo stickers and greeting cards. There’s also a function that allows you to print still photos direct from your video camera. I haven’t tried that one yet, but plan to soon.
The print quality is excellent and this little guy moves along quickly. The HP literature says you can print a 4 x 6 in as little as 27 seconds, but my 5 x 7 prints took about 45 seconds each.
We liked this printer so much that my daughter plans to take it to her next 4-H special event so each club member can take home their own set of photos. That’s what’s so wonderful about it – instant pictures. No more waiting for someone to email you or get extra prints. It will even operate on battery power, which makes it totally portable.
Like the Photosmart A826, the prints are ready to use as soon as they come out of the printer, a feature that fits well into the pace of my family. J
One last thing I would have liked to see with this package is a carrying case. The touch screen folds down under the handle, but the screen is still exposed. I’d feel much safer carrying it around if it was in a case.
*7/30/08 - Edited to add:
There is a case for the A630 and it’s actually cute! Check out this adorable case which HP calls the HP Photosmart Metro Style Carrying Case. It’s nicely padded all around, which is great if you have a tendency to carry a small child, a purse, a diaper bag and this printer all at the same time! It also has an interior pocket that’s great for memory cards and extra batteries.
The picture here shows a blue case, but mine is actually a cool lime green color. I love it!
Comments
One Response to “HP Photosmart A630 Compact Photo Printer Review”
Got something to say?
About SharpMom
Hi, I'm Katie. I’ve been successfully working at home and homeschooling my kids for the past 14 years, so I figured it’s time to get out there and start sharing what I’ve learned along the way. I'm glad you're here to join in the fun!
I’m so glad I stumbled upon you. I’m looking for a photo printer and was between a couple. You just made my decision. Thanks!