HP Photosmart C6380 Printer Review
Make/Model: HP Photosmart C6380
Type: Family All-In-One Inkjet
Web site: www.hp.com/uk
Typical online price: £154 (£134 ex VAT)
HP has obviously put some work into making their Photosmart C6380 stylish and functional. A modern all-in-one machine, the C6380 has pleasingly simple white, silver and grey colouring and continues the recent trend towards wireless connectivity, which HP calls ‘Easy WiFi’.
All the main controls are located along the top lip of the machine, with a 61mm LCD panel on the left. Underneath the control panel is the main paper tray, which takes 125 sheets, in addition to 20 photo blanks. The usual array of memory card slots sits to the left of the paper tray.
At the rear, the machine has USB and Ethernet sockets, in case you prefer either connection to a wireless link. Wireless set-up is straightforward; set the printer to search for available networks using the LCD display and then select the one you want it to join.
Lifting the scanner top uncovers the shallow scanner bed, which uses a Contact Image Sensor (CIS). CIS has developed over the last couple of years and is starting to be seriously competitive with pricier and bulkier CCD devices.
HP has definitely changed something in its inkjet mechanisms recently. In almost all our tests, the C6380 spent a good 20 to 25 seconds clunking and grinding away before getting going with the print task at hand. This is presumably some kind of ink priming process, but it hits the printer’s performance and is irritating to listen to.
Our black text test gave a real-world speed of 5.5ppm over 5 pages, rising to 8ppm over 20. These speeds are acceptable, but unimpressive. Set at top quality, our 15 x 10cm photo print took just over a minute. However, printing directly from a camera or memory card in normal quality took just 50 seconds. Colour photocopying took 40 seconds and reproduced well; just a hint of lightening in places. Scan quality was also good, with accurate detail and colouring.
Print quality matches the high standard set by HP’s previous inkjets. Black text is sharp and densely black. Graphics are vibrant and text printed over colour shows good registration. Photo prints are about as good as it gets from an inkjet, with natural hues and accurate detail in all areas. Considering how fast photo prints are processed, it’s very impressive.
The C6380 uses five ink cartridges and HP supplies the XL, high-yield versions as standard, offering up to 800 pages, before you’ll need replacements.
Verdict
A great all-in-one for photo enthusiasts, this machine would be an excellent choice for home use and possibly even in a small office. Simpler to set up than many of its competitor’s, the C6380 offers the convenience of wireless connection, alongside high quality photo prints.
Running Costs: 7/10
Speed: 5.4ppm black, 3.7ppm colour, measured 8/10
Print quality
Text print: 8/10
Text/Graphics: 9/10
Photo: 9/10
Features: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
