HP Photosmart C8180

The HP Photosmart C8180 is a do-it-all printer ready for your digital lifestyle. It packs plenty of features and offers outstanding print quality.

The C8180’s exterior is a clean grey and white finish, somewhat reminiscent of an iPod. The controls are laid out right on the front and are easy to access. At first glimpse, there appears to be a shortage of buttons and controls. It can get away with fewer buttons since it uses its touch screen interface, which makes navigation much easier.

Standout Features

• Built-in LightScribe Burner
• Interactive 3.5 Inch Touch Screen Display Panel
• Scans 4 Negatives or 6 Slides at a Time
• Multi-format Card Reader

Features

With its built-in LightScribe disc burner, the HP Photosmart C8180 all in one printer can scan your photos, burn them to a disc, and even burn professional-looking labels right on the disc. The LightScribe drive actually burns the label to the disc. You no longer need to use a permanent maker to label your discs and they will look much better.

The 3.5 inch touch screen display panel allows for much easier and quicker menu navigations. It also allows the user to have basic editing functions to touch up photos, or remove scratches or dust from scans.

With the built-in negative scanner it is even easier to get prints from your negatives. This can save many trips to the local photo processing store allowing for even greater versatility since you can either print them or burn them to a disc.

The built-in card reader makes it easy to get your photos off your card and onto paper. Simply insert the card into the reader and either print or burn. It doesn’t get much easier. The card reader supports most popular formats available including Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, and even MiniSD and MicroSD.

The C8180’s networking capabilities make it even more versatile. The C8180 also has built-in Wi-Fi capabilities as well as Bluetooth allowing the printer to connect to just about any device. This allows the printer to be shared on networks as well as print directly from compatible cameras and other devices.

Summary of Reviews

The expert reviewers were impressed by the printer’s overall image quality. The color on photos was pleasing as well as the quality of text documents. The built-in Wi-Fi performed better than most printers in its class. The Bluetooth connectivity and LightScribe features were also uncommon in other models in its class. Although HP claims print speeds as fast as 10 seconds, lab tests showed that it took much longer to print. The unit also lacks a document feeder and fax machine.

The users were also impressed by the C8180’s print quality. Although it took its time printing, when the printer finally finished printing, the quality of the documents was outstanding. Some of the users had difficulty setting the printer up wirelessly, so if that sort of thing scares you, you might consider having someone help you set it up. Many of the users were also plagued by the included software that seemed less than user friendly.

Summary

The HP C8180 offers decent print quality and an abundance of features. The larger price tag and buggy software might deter some buyers, but if you are looking for top-notch print quality this could be your next printer.