Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 190
 Avoid this printer for Macintosh OSX use December 3, 2007
Dad in Texas (Austin, TX)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
I had hoped that the HP C7280 would be a great all-in-one unit for my iMac running Mac OSX 10.4, given the features it advertises. My system is certainly within the compatible systems listed by HP. Reviews I read were mixed, particularly regarding installer software. I should have heeded these warning signs...
I wasted hours trying to get the installer to work: Downloading new installers from HP, waiting on phone tech support (incidentally chat tech support online for HP is not available for Macs, only PC's.), trying other dead ends. Tech support was essentially helpless.
The short take-home message is avoid this unit for Macintosh computers. I am giving up and returning the unit, quite disapointed in the time and effort I alredy wasted on it. HP does not support the Mac well. The full feature set of this printer is not implemented in Leopard yet (search forums for details) despite HP web pages proclaiming "Ready for Leopard."
Reading reviews for the product here on Amazon, it appears that the software does not work much better for Windows either.
 A review and some tips for using the stand alone driver March 11, 2008
Geek Engineer Guy
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I've had this printer for about a 2 months and over all I've had a great experience with it. I setup the printer with the driver only install (you can download it from HP); I never attempted to work with the provided software so I have no comment on it (but it sound really bad from other reviews). Also I set it up on a wired network so I can't comment on WiFi or USB.
First a couple gripes:
1. The print start speed is slow, but once it's started it's actually quit quick. I've seen others express displeasure with the pages per minute (ppm), but my suspicion is that they still have the print quality set to `Normal'. The higher the print quality setting, the longer the printer allows for page drying time (more ink== more dry time). The drying time is adjustable but then you risk smudging. I created a print profile based on `Fast/Economical Printing' that uses only black ink and for everyday printing the quality and ppm is more than acceptable for my use.
2. With the driver only install it doesn't default to duplex printing. (See first tip below to do so). This has got to be the most ridiculous aspect of this printer. Why wouldn't they default this to on? Lame.
Quick summary of the features I've used:
- Photo Printing: I've done both 4x6 and 8x10 using the HP paper and they came out looking great
- Faxing: Sending and receiving were both smooth.
- Printable school paper: I've used this more than I ever thought I would. I've got two young girls and one is learning to write. For a little extra practice I can whip out `Notebook Paper-Child Rule' and she's off and writing.
-Scanning: I've done documents to PDF (see tip 2 below), color photos and black&white photos. Alll came out great.
- Copier: nothing much to say; it works well with both the document feed and straight on the glass
A couple Tips:
Tip #1: Driver only Duplex (2 sided) printing procedure (Windows XP)
- Click 'Start'
- Click 'Printers and Faxes'
- Right click your printer (default is something like 'HP Photosmart C7200 series')
- Click 'Properties'
- Click on the 'Device Settings' Tab
- Under 'Installable Options' click on 'Duplex Unit (for 2-Sided Printing):'
- You'll then get a drop down box where you can select 'Installed'
After that you should be able to select 'Automatic' for two sided printing.
Tip #2: Check out the web based information
- Open a web browser
- In the address line enter in the IP address of your printer. (Don't know what IP address your printer is at? Click `Start', and then click `Printers and Faxes'. On that window look under location column for the IP address).
- Once your at the printer's webpage, you can find ink levels, page usage, set your network settings, save Fax numbers, and best of all you can use the `Webscan'
- To scan in PDF format click the `Webscan' link
- For `Image Type' click `Text'. `Text' mode scans in PDF. Then save the document and use the built in OCR in Acrobat.
Overall this is an outstanding printer. If I could, I'd give it 4.5 stars. I'd normally drop it to 4 stars but to this point there have been a lot of negative reviews due to misunderstandings so I skewed up to 5 stars.
Great printer features, disasterously buggy software for some November 25, 2007
Oldog789 (Phoenix, AZ)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I read a couple reviews that stated they had problem with SVCHOST.EXE conflicts that hung their systems. I had same problem with SVCHOST.EXE conflict on my relatively new and high-end and well maintained IBM Thinkpad (running WinXP Pro, 1 GB RAM and discreet graphics card etc), after installing 7280 software on it. System was slow-to-totally-hung. Opened Task Mgr, showed 100% CPU usage. Scrolled through Processes, saw that one of the many svchost.exe groups that open at startup was causing this, running steadily at 90%+ CPU usage. I went through numerous hours on phone with HP Tech Support (In New Delhi, BTW, I encountered stiff and somewhat arrogant attitudes), they told me it was categorically not an HP software issue, that I should "try deleting my cookies"!!!! Bah!!! I asked for a supervisor, he spoke gruffly, then abruptly left me on hold for twenty minutes or more, then call was [somehow] auto-forwarded to HP Desktop Help division, which is US-based help. Totally different attitude, wonderful people. They would have loved to have helped me, but best HP Policy would allow them to do was reroute me back to New Delhi, where I again went round and round, finally hung up in disgust. If that's how HP wants to deal with us "consumers", outsource us to people barely trained in basic problem solving for their products, or dealing with those of us with more than "basic" problems, well, excuse me,I read a couple reviews that stated they had problem with SVCHOST.EXE conflicts that hung their systems. I had same problem with SVCHOST.EXE conflict on my relatively new and high-end IBM Thinkpad after installing 7280 software on it. Opened Task Mgr, showed 100% CPU usage. Scrolled through Processes, saw that one of the many svchost.exe groups that open at startup was causing this, running steadily at 90%+ CPU usage. I went through numerous hours on phone with HP Tech Support (In New Delhi, BTW, I encountered stiff and somewhat arrogant attitudes), they told me it was categorically not an HP software issue, that I should "try deleting my cookies"!!!! Bah!!! I asked for a supervisor, he spoke gruffly, abruptly left me on hold for twenty minutes, then call was [somehow] auto-forwarded to HP Desktop Help division, which is US-based help. Totally different attitude, wonderful people. They would have loved to have helped me, but best they could do was reroute me back to New Delhi, where I again went round and round. If that's how HP wants to deal with us "consumers", outsource us to people barely trained in basic problem solving for their products, or dealing with those of us with more than "basic" problems, well, excuse me, but screw them. Period. I had a hunch that conflict might be with some aspect of my Norton Antivirus (and still do)which I spent hours messing with(including uninstalling all Norton programs and etc, to see if that resolved my problem. I uninstalled and reinstalled HP software numerous times. Wondering if code on my CD was faulty, I even downloaded the HP software from HP website, hoping to get a "clean" issue of code. Same exact problems. I also methodically, exhaustively and painstakingly modified System Startup settings in Sys.ini, reviewed my Error log in System Admin, on and on, for over a week. Same 90%+ CPU utilization, slowed my laptop to a crawl, eleven minutes just to finish boot up, and then system would completely hang. I could have messed with issue at registry level, but I'm not C++, and don't consider myself savvy enough to mess with sorting out multiple processes (which is what svchost conflicts are) at a command line or machine language level, I'm simply not equiped. More to the point, NO consumer should have to go through that much BS for what SHOULD be a "Plug N' Play" periperheral in the first place, esp in 2007 AD. Finally, I took the sucker back to store bought at. Don't know what I will replace with. Worse part about it is, absent the software conflicts, the machine itself had EVERYTHING I could have possibly wanted or dreamed of, and photo prints are awesome. NOTHING else out there even comes close in feature sets. Shame on HP. They dump crap on us, expect us to be the "Beta Testers". After WE wrestle the problems into the open at OUR expense, THEN they MIGHT fix them---in order to SELL us their next new "upgrade" machine. HP says it is a Microsoft problem. MS says it is an HP problem. It is an HP machine that should run FLAWLESSLY on ALL modern and properly equiped Windows platforms. Therefore, HP, if you're reading this, it is YOUR problem. Solve your own problems. And while your at it equip your Tech Help---wherever they are located---with sufficient info to not PISS off the few of us that do run into these problems. And Beta test your products more completely on numerous common major brand platforms and DEBUG them, BEFORE unleashing [what should be] high-end hardware on an unspecting public, the few of us which have to pay for YOUR cold lack of due diligence.
This may or may not happen on everyone's computer. In fact, I suspect that it is a relatively minor percentage of users that might encounter this svchost conflict. If you want to roll the dice, buy this from a local store,so you can easily return it. Pay them the extra $30 or so to buy from brick and mortar.
I'd sure love to hear from anyone that has encountered this issue, and successfully resolved it. I'd also LOVE to hear from HP on this, assuming they give half a hoot. If HP wants to resolve this problem, I'd be happy to give the product another try.
Best All In One Device for under 300.00 November 9, 2007
C. Norton
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I have had my HP C7280 for over a month now and it has been trouble free. Here is what I like about it.
Printing: Super fast in draft and normal modes. Picture quality is amazing when printing photos. Seems to be very stingy on ink. Printing on both sides is a very handy feature.
Copying: Document feeder works well, copies come out high quality.
Scanning: Ive used this to scan in old photos and family letters, did a great job!! Scanned to jpeg's and pdf files.
Faxing: Faxed a 30 page document with no problems.
I got this mainly for the speed, the networking capability, the scanner/fax. I use the hallmark greeting card program (with heavier card stock and quarter fold envelopes. It saves alot of money considering a typical greeting car is 3-4 dollars.
I would highly recommend this printer, but I do not like the software package.
Nice idea, poor execution November 19, 2007
H. Schuetze (Newark, DE USA)
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
Wonderful idea, all the features we wanted in one machine (laser- instead of ink-jet would've been nice, though). Super-smooth installation, accessible through wifi network at home, no problems with WEP and such.
Trouble started a few hours later. Starting up a computer (we installed the software on a total of 3) with the HP device off lead to the scan software to wreak havoc on the system. Had to manually remove from Startup and move it to some other place to start it when needed.
Couple of days later, the printer disappeared from the list of installed printers. No troubleshooting info available anywhere.
Latest development is that the scanner only works to scan to USB (USB fob, that is, since hooking up a computer via USB seems to be out of the question after going with the wifi access).
Tech support available by chat (+.5 points), but utterly useless ("reinstall, see what happens, should work again [for a couple of days]").
Would recommend to anyone with the retailer near by/free shipping for returns, and an extended return policy for free. Otherwise, stay away and wait a couple of years until HP figures it out.
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