HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web – An Appreciable Printer

We loved:

Reflecting modern aesthetics the HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web ships in recyclable bags and comes with wide-ranging driver features. Possessing separate trays for paper and photo which repeatedly picks the right size of paper as per requirement is yet another impressive feature of Photosmart Premium.

We hated:

Many of the onscreen app takes time to access and looks like an advertising gimmick. Absence of auto-document feeder, small scanner bed and sluggish response from touch screen are some flaws that we found in HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web. Also some of the applications have an affinity to freeze up.

Introduction:

Both Lexmark and HP introduced their touch-screen printers simultaneously, but HP was the first one to bring it to consumer space with Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web, and for this HP definitely deserves appreciation. Premium TouchSmart connects to web using a wireless or wired connection without the help of a PC, and the users can easily customize their LCD’s home screen from shortcut apps intended for fun, helpfulness and productivity.

Furthermore, the HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web continues HP’s legacy of tremendous quality photo and document prints at lively speeds. All these form a splendid multifunction printer, but the price tag of $399 is asking too much for a printer whose touch screen really takes the usability of the printer. It definitely would have earned our appreciation if HP had included some solid buttons to match the screen, but this isn’t the case and all we have to say is that you easily can get a better touch screen with similar performance and with a much forgiving price tag on HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless.

Build and Design:

Undoubtedly HP has done significant amount of work to improve the design of latest Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web, and the distinctive looks of the printer certifies this fact. With rounded edges and streamlined flair all around the printer gets a much better looks than the older versions. To fetch even more accolades for the printer HP has given it lusterless black and silver finish, smooth lines, and lattice design. All the design elements complements the vivid 4.33 inch touchscreen control panel, and its compact body design measuring around 18 by 19.3 by 7.7 (W x L x D) easily fits into any workstation. The removable auto-duplexer sticks out a little from the rear end and lets you save heavy amount of money and to save the environment by printing on both sides of the paper. The absence of auto-document feeder (ADF) makes the printer lag behind the other multifunction printers, and its omission from the printer is clearly understandable especially, when all the other multifunction printers in the Photosmart line have got a built in one.

Specifications:

Weight: 16.5 lbs
Dimensions (W x D x H): 18.28 in x 19.64 in x 7.88 in
Printing Technology: Thermal inkjet
Ink Supported: HP model No. 564 ink cartridges
Enclosure Color: Black

Localization: English / United States
Inkjet Technology: HP Thermal Inkjet
Min Copy Size: 3.94 in x 5.9 in
Ink Palette (Colors): 5-ink
Printer Type: All in one

Built-in Devices: Touch screen
Connectivity Technology: Wireless,   Wired
Direct Printing Specifications: PictBridge
ENERGY STAR Qualified: Yes

Average Running Cost: 12 to 15.5 cents per four-color page and 4.4 to 4.8 cents per text page
Service & Support: 1 year warranty
Service & Support Details: Limited warranty – 1 year

Performance:

Just as any other sector, the Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web beats all its competitions in printing speed in our text printing text with its imposing speed of 8.19 pages per minute. The printer was significant in all the other tests including graphics, presentation and photo as well, but wasn’t at the very best of its class. In fact the Officejet Pro 8500 that has got rave reviews for all its departments print significantly faster than TouchSmart Web in three of the four tests, with the exemption of photo speed benchmark which ends almost the same.

The print quality for the TouchSmart Web is considerably pleasing overall and standing up to its $400 price tag it prints the black text rich and dark. Though, the color prints aren’t the best that we have seen yet, but yes they look pretty decent. We won’t say that the color photo prints were dull, but yes there was a slight graininess in the color blocks. Despite this all we were more than satisfied with the obscure details and the way the colors appeared in our tests. The print quality was really impressive, but yes it wasn’t sufficient to justify spending extra $120, and unless you aren’t a hardcore photo hobbyist you won’t be able to figure out the difference.

Support and Service:

HP backs the Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web by its limited superior support services which offer a committed toll-free number, one-year warranty which guarantees repair with “Next Day Business Turn Around,” offering new replacements for the damaged parts within the first 30 days of Purchase. Besides this HP offers an additional a Pick-Up-and-Return program and Accidental Damage Protection, in which they sends an authorized courier for picking up the damaged equipment and take it to a HP-designated repair centre. You can get more warranty information through the HP Support Web site that features online classes, driver downloads, FAQs and troubleshooting tips. Also you get chat room where you can chat with an HP sales representative and can get answers for your questions prior to buying.

Expert Comments:

Apart from the long-tiring name, the HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web is a nice looking All-in-One Printer with great print quality for text and photos at competitive speeds. But if touchscreen and Web connectivity are not your priority you should check other HP multifunction printers which will be offering the same great performance, but at a much lower cost. One another appreciable feature we would love to mention is the efforts put in the downloadable applications for the interactive touchscreen, but the price balances all the efforts made.