Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 31-35 of 190
 I give this printer/copier/fax 4 1/2 stars! December 9, 2007
Mike. R (California)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I finally had to replace my ailing HP 5510 that finally decided that it wouldn't feed paper 50% of the time, and when it did, it often would change colors half way down a picture. It was noisy and slow, and I cursed it constantly. I actually did a dance when I disposed of it.
The same day, I found this unit on sale at a local office products store. I had not planned to pay over $200 on a printer, but it was $100 off plus came with extra ink and paper. It really was an offer I couldn't refuse. I'm so glad I didn't refuse it! This printer absolutely blows away my 5510 in all facets!
The first thing I notice was the weight. The 7280 is about 3x the weight of the fragile 5510. It's so heavy, in fact, that I decided to put in on my desk and not on a shelf where I kept my other printer. Unpacking the 7280 was a hassle, but I can't really complain because it was well protected. Set-up and installation was a breeze, without all of the install/software glitches that I had experienced with the 5510 (XP Pro). I attached the printer using the USB cable that I had used with my previous printer, so I didn't have any of the wireless hassles that other reviewers have described.
The pictures printed from the 4x6 tray are stunning! True photo lab quality. I also printed a sheet of pictures using the normal tray, and unlike the 5510 the paper fed flawlessly, and the printing was fast and quiet. The only issue I had is that I left one page on top of the other and I guess the bottom sheet had not totally dried yet. The surface got marred by sitting over night, and while the pages separate easily, I could see marks on the bottom sheet and decided to reprint them.
As others have mentioned, the software is a bit of a crap shoot. I love being able to print off a memory card, but I do most of my picture printing on 8x10 photo paper using an old HP program called HP Photosmart Photo Printing (copyright 1999). The program worked great with this printer, and the images were outstanding. The included software is not very robust and not very intuitive (to many things in the menu, and poor description of where to find things), but I've been able to do most of what I want. I liked the software on my daughter's Canon printer better, so maybe HP can learn some things from them.
Overall, this printer has fully met my needs, and I'm very impressed. I guess I was jaded by my love/hate relationship with the 5510, but the difference with this printer is like night and day. Based on the other reviews I DO recommend that you consider hooking up via a USB cable to avoid those networking problems if you can
It works, looks good, but with install issues March 22, 2008
Stephen Haggard (oklahoma city, ok United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Due to the mixed reviews, I was reluctant to purchase this printer, but I will share my experience.
Physical set-up Easy
Wireless Network set-up No problem
Software installation on VISTA failed using supplied CD - after uninstall and downloading newest version from HP (ver. 10.0) everything works except duplex printing. (Error no duplex module installed)
After much searching found this to be a common error - Works by just selecting "continue" when it says that there is no duplex module installed - works finally, but I always get this error
Print quality - text looks good (not fuzzy), photos and graphics look on par with other photo printers
Features- has everything, scan, copy, fax, printing, which all works except with the difficulty mentioned above.
Software works on XP machine also with the same problems. Solution - just download the most recent software from HP instead of using the supplied CD. I did have to uninstall zone alarm to see the printer on my wireless network. I now use the Comodo firewall with no problems.
Final thought - this printer works and looks good, but be patient with the software installation.
 HP C7280 Photosmart Review March 25, 2008
J. Daglen (Caldwell, Idaho)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I had previously owned a HP 950 AIO that was about 5 years old that had poor Mac software for scanning and faxing. I was somewhat reluctant to try HP again. I updated to Leopard on my MacBook Pro and HP did not update its driver for the 950 so I had to purchase a new printer. I have been delighted with the new printer. I downloaded the driver directly from the HP web site and did not use the shipped CD as it was not current. The driver loaded without a hitch. The printer prints both sides of a page (duplex printing) which is a real benefit. I print wirelessly though my older AirPort to the printer with no difficulty. It was very easy to set up and be recognized. My wife also has a wireless MacBook and can print from the couch on the same printer. Print quality is excellent and relatively quick. The fax and copy software is very smooth and I now have no difficulty receiving a fax with my answering machine hooked up and turned on. That was a previous problem with the older 950. It also has a document feeder on top. I could not be more pleased with the printer. It's the best one I have ever owned. Everything works smoothly. I would definitely recommend this printer.
 Not for Leopard Users Ye February 7, 2008
David Schneider (Mentor, OH)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
HP has taken down the 10.5 drivers it had posted for this printer on the web, claiming they were buggy, and has not posted anything in their place. So, since the disk that comes with the machine only goes to 10.4, Leopard users will find this printer does not work as well as should be expected. After a long wait, I was told by HP Tech Support today (2/7) that the drivers might be ready for release by March, presumably this year.
HP 7280 running on Macs March 20, 2008
Kenneth Montgomery (California)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
If you're not a Macintosh user, you might want to move on to someone else's review of the HP 7280 all-in-one printer. I had researched this printer for many weeks before purchasing it from Beach Camera's online store...no tax and free shipping!
Let me describe my setup. I have an older desktop PowerMac with a G4 processor running Mac OS 10.3.9. and a PowerBook G4 laptop running Leopard. My wife has an iBook that also runs under Leopard. Instead of using the provided software disc that came with the 7280, I downloaded the updated software package directly from the HP website.
The installation took about 15 minutes on the desktop model, but once it was installed and configured, the software worked perfectly under OS 10.3.9. This computer is connected via the USB connection since it does not have wireless capability. All the fax, printing, and scanning functions performed flawlessly. Duplex printing that seemed to be an issue with other Mac and PC users worked without any glitches both hard wired and wirelessly. The first picture I printed came from an inserted flash drive that plugged directly into 7280's front panel. The picture had been previously adjusted in PhotoShop Elements and had been commercially printed at Long's Drugs. The output from the 7280 was easily the equal to the store print...quite stunning! More printing information below...
Next I installed the software on my G4 PowerBook. All the functions worked just like they did on the desktop. This time I opted for the wireless configuration. The computer recognized my wireless network setup immediately. A problem arose, however. The HP Device Manager refused to do a remote scan or copy; in fact, the HP Device Manager simply crashed. I contacted HP's online chat and the HP technician politely informed me that HP did not provide support of their software on Macs via online chat. I was fairly confident that I could find a work-around to this situation. The second photo print occurred when I sent a print photo command wirelessly from the HP Photosmart Studio. Again, the output from the 7280 was remarkably rich and detailed.
I went ahead and installed the software on my wife's iBook, also running under Leopard. This is where the story gets interesting. After the installation, we accessed the HP Device Manager on her computer and tried a remote scan and a remote copy. From her computer all the functions of the Device Manager worked superbly. Of course this caused some head scratching on my part. I went back to my PowerBook and re-installed the software and this time the HP Device Manager worked perfectly.
The Photosmart Studio offers a lot of flexibility in specifying how one wants to print his or her pictures. If you want to create a post card or a picture montage, Photosmart Studio can do the job! If you want a simple print in a variety of sizes, the 7280 can perform the task easily. Slideshows, photo sharing and CD disc burning are also part of the program's capability.
PROS: intuitive and relatively quick setup; versatile software (download from HP and forget the included software disc); strong printing, scanning and faxing options; direct photo printing access from flash drives or various memory cards; full function capability from the menu buttons on the all-in-one's faceplate; crisp text reproduction from word processing documents; very good OCR capability with I.R.I.S. software; good accompanying setup manuals.
CONS: HP's online chat will not provide Macintosh remedies should you need to contact them.
Recommended: Yes!!
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