HP PhotoSmart 1215 Photo Printer

To test the PS1215, we inserted our digital camera's CompactFlash card into the PS1215's slot and followed the LCD menus to print an index sheet that contained thumbnails of our photos. We also followed the menus to select a photo to print as an 8-by-10. The process was slow but intuitive, with most of our time spent waiting for the index sheet to print. The results were very good, with exceptionally sharp thumbnails and a surprisingly sharp and colorful 8-by-10, even using the printer's default normal mode.

Next, we installed the software drivers, connected the printer to our PC, and printed our standard test documents using the printer's three modes--draft, normal, and best. Mixed color and black text documents printed at 5.6, 2.1, and 0.9 ppm respectively. Black-only text documents printed at 6.3, 3.9, and 0.6 ppm. (All speeds were adjusted upward to account for first-page delay.) Draft documents were faded; normal documents were sharper and had more accurate color; best documents were exceptionally sharp, requiring close inspection to distinguish them from the output of a laser printer.

The PS1215 shined brilliantly in our color photo tests. On our PC, we used the included photo printing software to select our own high-resolution digital photos and to position them in the software's predefined page layouts. Samples were a bit slow to print--a typical 8-by-10 required 4 minutes and 28 seconds--but the output was superb on HP's premium glossy photo paper (sample pack included). Our samples displayed rich and accurate color, perfect register, fine detail, and realistic skin tones. There was no visible banding or smearing and only the faintest hint of pixelation.

The PhotoSmart 1215 is priced considerably above its sub-$200 rivals, but the dramatic improvements in quality justify the extra cost. It operates quietly, sets up easily, prints very sharp text on a variety of media, and produces beautiful color documents and photos. This remarkable performer is an excellent all-purpose printer. --Mike Brown

Pros

• Accepts CompactFlash and SmartMedia directly
• Easy to set up and use
• Sharp text and beautiful color photos
• Detects paper type automatically

Cons

• Slow printing on higher-quality settings
• High cost per page when printing photos

The HP PhotoSmart 1215 also makes a great PC or Macintosh printer--just connect the printer to your computer's USB or parallel port. The 1215 is perfect for printing pages for your photo album, greeting cards, or newsletters. HP's new optical sensing technology lets you choose your paper and print settings manually, or the PhotoSmart 1215 will automatically set them for you based on the type of paper in the printer tray.

Other features include a convenient print-cancel button, low-ink warning, and a 4-by-6-inch photo paper tray, saving you the hassle of changing paper each time you print photos.