HP Photosmart 7960 printer

Page 18.

Conclusion

The trouble with reviewing printers is that next month/year something better is always going to come along, so if I say this is fantastic, wonderful, what am I going to say next year? At the beginning of this year I reviewed the i950 Canon printer and I stated "I am sure this will become the new benchmark printer to judge all others by". I didn't think any manufacturer would be able to compete with Canon for some time to come. By introducing the HP Photosmart 7960, Hewlett-Packard has just given Canon and Epson some tough competition.

The 7960 has so many features crammed into it that I really didn't know where to start. It is probably the most complete printer for a digital photographer currently available. The Direct Printing feature works so well that I would use it often, I like the ability to quickly print out some pictures without having to start up the computer. I wasn't over struck by some of the image enhancement features included on the printer, these would be better placed on a lesser unit. However, they are there so this printer should satisfy most users at every level. A printer that can work without a computer should also have the facility to store pictures, a small hard drive would have been a welcome addition, even if it was sold as an optional extra.

I liked the automatic paper recognition feature, although it still has a lot of room for future development. I have never been keen on the U turn paper feed, but the advantage of the printer taking up a smaller footprint (depth) means the printer can be pushed nearer the wall, giving a few extra inches on the desk. The only paper jams I had were with another manufacturer's plain paper. The one feature which caught me out time after time, even to the last print, was the fold out paper catcher extension. The times I forgot to employ this is unmentionable and a lot of prints ended up on the floor. Rather than have a fold out extender, why not have a slide out one, at least you could pull it out at the last minute. With the current extender you can't fold it out when the paper is half way out.

Printing times are slower than most competitors' printers, but not unreasonable. An A4 print using 8 inks took approx. 5 minutes 38 seconds to produce in Best mode, and 12 minutes 10 seconds in Maximum dpi mode (4800 x 1200). The printer operation is quiet but not as quiet as the Canon printer. There was a considerable amount of vibration caused by the heads going backwards and forwards, this didn't seem to affect the quality of prints. I know there has been some debate regarding the cost of HP inks. Yes, they are expensive, but in conjunction with the right media (HP Premium Plus Photo Paper) the prints are going to last for 73 years. How many other dye based inkjet printers can make that claim? I think you have to ask yourself how much value do you place on your photographs?

I like the design and construction of this printer, it looks and feels like it could withstand several years heavy usage. I liked the inclusion of a colour LCD screen, this also has a tilt facility to get the viewing angle that suits you. Other printers I have tested in the past sell LCD screens as optional extras, often costing £80 or more. The front panel controls are easy enough to use without having to refer to the User Guide (which was hard to find). The Memory Card reader and camera connection is conveniently placed on the top of the printer. I am surprised that HP didn't adopt PictBridge with this printer although it does support Exif 2.2 format.

The 7960 is quick to set up and was delivering high quality prints right from the start. The inclusion of a Photo Proof sheet is a master stroke from HP, how much simpler can you get?

A few people have asked me about HP and colour management. Generally, people want to colour manage their pictures because they are not satisfied with the results they are getting out of the box. The HP 7960 has been producing some excellent prints with little user intervention.

No printer can hope to capture a healthy slice of the market if it can't produce good quality prints. The HP doesn't fail on this account, colour photographs are vibrant with pleasing tones throughout the entire range. Some of my first prints in this review were more saturated than I would have liked, but like anything else you soon get to know which are the best settings to use. I am slightly concerned about the sharpening algorithm that the HP applies to the prints, this gives prints a sharper look than the actual file, the sharpening is more noticeable under high magnification. I am sure there must be a way to turn this off, I just haven't found it yet.

The No 59 photo grey cartridge is in a league of its own. I have been a working photographer for over 30 years and have gained considerable skill in b/w printing. The prints I have produced with the 7960 are every bit as good as anything I have ever produced in the darkroom. I would buy the 7960 on the strength of its b/w printing ability alone. Of course the 7960 also prints up to 72.9 million colours as an added bonus.

Photo Quality printers are pushing the boundaries forward each time a new model is launched, HP has just sprinted ahead by addressing the needs of the digital photographer as well as accommodating the needs of photographers with archives of b/w photographs. The HP Photosmart 7960 produces prints that are comparable if not better, than traditional photographs.

Would I buy one? - Yes, without hesitation

£249 inc vat

© Vincent Oliver 2003 www.photo-i.co.uk
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