HP Photosmart C7280 Review
HP designed the Photosmart C7280 as an all-in-one printer, scanner, fax and copier for home or small offices. And, with its automatic document feeder, wireless connectivity, double sided printing and scanning directly to PDF, I think they’ve done an admirable job.
I had high hopes for this all-in-one machine since our home office is very short on space. In fact, I was ready to pack up the old fax, scanner and color printer the minute it arrived by FedEx! But sensibility (AKA my husband) prevailed and we decided to make sure it worked before we moved all the other equipment out.
Setting up the Photosmart C7280 was a piece of cake. We took it out of the box and placed it on a desk, plugged it in, turned it on and it immediately found our wireless network. I couldn’t believe it was so easy.
I just love that this printer is wireless. We tend to keep our computer equipment a long time, so even though we have a wireless router (mainly just for the laptop), the rest of our systems are hard wired. The freedom of a wireless printer really won my husband over. He was thrilled that he didn’t have to crawl under the desk or move equipment to connect any wires. I see a lot more wireless equipment in our future.
Next we installed the software, which quickly found the printer and we were in business. The software install was rather lengthy - in fact, this was the longest part of the process. I had hoped that we would only have to install the software on one computer and have the printer available to the entire network, but I couldn’t get that to work. It’s not a problem, just something that would have made things a little easier. For now, we have the software installed on 2 of our networked PCs and it’s working well.
On the downside, the time it takes for the printer to actually start printing after the job is sent seems a little delayed. Perhaps that’s the wireless connection? I’m not sure. If that’s the case, then it’s a small price to pay compared to the freedom of no wires! Actually, if you’re not as impatient as I am, you might not even notice.
One other inconvenience is the size of the paper tray. It’s small, holding only 100 sheets at a time. For a very light user, this might not be a problem, but we notice that we’re loading it with paper quite often.
Also, the paper tray does not come all the way out, which means that in order to load the paper without bending the edges, you can only put in about 20 sheets at a time. I’d much prefer a paper tray that’s removable.
Aside from those small drawbacks, I’m really pleased with this machine. The menus are straightforward and easy to understand and the control panel is well lit and easy to read. If you’ve ever used any type of electronic equipment before, you’ll have no problems getting the Photosmart C7280 to do exactly what you want it to.
Some of the features I really like are the automatic document feeder for both copying and faxing, scanning directly to PDF or email and the excellent photo quality output. My husband has been using it to make presentation quality, full color handouts for his customers. He’s using HP brochure paper and they look awesome!
Even though we haven’t had time to really explore all of it’s options, we found some lesser known fun features on the C7280. We were able to print out blank sheets of graph paper, lined paper, a blank task checklist, music paper and even a maze (just for fun!). Our personal favorite is the lined paper since you can choose narrow rule, wide rule or child rule. And, as a homeschooling family, we always seem to be running out of lined paper, so this is a lifesaver!
I’ve been an HP printer devotee since the early 90’s and the Photosmart C7280 did not disappoint me. It’s the 5th HP printer we’ve used in our home or our business. The first LaserJet lasted 10 years! We’ve added additional printers as we’ve added computers and the kids have grown to need their own.
We’ve been using it every day for the past month and apart from a few lost wireless connections, it’s performed like a champ. But the best news of all? Now that our trial period is completed I can finally get rid of all that old equipment!
Here’s a link to the product page at HP if you want to find out more - HP Photosmart C7280 All-in-One
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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!
