HP OfficeJet 6210 All-in-One Printer
I bought this item after careful review. It was easy to set up and best of all, no babysitting. I have had absolutely no problems with this printer & I would recommend it.
I was really excited, plugged everything in and tried it out.
The first try was just a plain color copy of a photo on to plain paper... Amazing... worked like a charm, not bad output.
Next test was a printout of a scanned in photo using imaging software... I used glossy photo paper and the thing jerked the paper out in spurts and printed only partial lines on the photo paper. So 1 expensive piece of paper wasted... so I tried another one and this time just using the copy feature of the all-in-one and bam... spit out the paper in the same way only printing a line every inch or so... then PAPER JAM ERROR. I cannot get rid of the message, I did everything HP says to do and still nothing. It's going back to the store today and that's it for this thing.
Over all it seems like a great machine but I've lost confidence in it now and will most likely purchase something from Cannon now.
Same as the other review, but mine made it 2 days. Paper Jam, even though there is no paper in it. I can't get the error to clear. Wont print or scan now... Very dissapointed...
We are a long-established, technology-based counsulting and services company. We have thirty computers and nine HP printers on the LAN. We bought two 6210s for use at work stations for light to medium use (5 - 30 pages per day).
We could not be more pleased with the quality of the printed pages and the operation, but avoid heavy use because of excessive ink cost per page. (This is the reason why the printer cost seems absurdly low.)
Scanner, printer, and fax all worked great. The unit is very, very compact and handsomely styled - a far cry from the earlier all-in-ones that these replaced. The paper feed tray could perhaps be improved. A small amount of care must be used to prevent stuffing the paper in too far.
Print cartidges have very little capacity. The color cartridge has a list price of $32.00 and yields 260 "standard" pages. That's 12 cents per page. For the same standard page our older HP R60 all-in-one delivers 690 pages for a list price of $40.00 or $0.06 per page. I have not investigated black printing costs; but the black cartridge is also small. Googling "cost per page" and printer model will get you the cost info from a third party.
When our 14 month Epson decided to quit, we replaced it with this machine. Works great with our iMac. Not a single problem or complaint. It's fast, quiet and small. I highly recommend this product.
I just got my HP 2610 and like everyone else says, the software blows.
It took me maybe 4 hours to install the minimum drivers onto my Windows 2000 box. First of all, the CD-ROM that came with my printer would crash out at the same point in the install everytime. I ended up having to download the 350MB driver file off the HP support website. The install program isn't very straight forward nor intuitive. Instead of directly installing drivers, it actually uses the windows new hardware detection wizard to find the appropriate drivers. It of course, tells you to insert a CD-ROM with the drivers, but I was installing off the 350MB image. In my mind, when I download 350MBs, it shouldn't have to _ask_ me to find the drivers - it should know where they are. Then the program seemed to hang for about 20 minutes on the last step in installation. It got past all that, and everything was finally installed!
Oye!
Right now everything seems to be great! I don't notice any slowdown on boot times, nor does it seem like the HP Software seem to take up a lot of memory (only have 256M).
The printer itself is nice. I think a lot nicer than the 5510. The button layout seems more intuitive to me. I was considering the Canon Pixma 780, but the control panel of the Canon was cryptic. I'm a big stickler for good user interfaces.
Otherwise, like another reviewer mentioned, this printer is for light use since it uses super small print cartridges. 250 sheets per tank. So consider that. Move up to the 7210 if you think that's going to be an issue. I did a calculation to see when i'd break even buying the 7210 with the larger ink cartridges. factoring in the initial price of the 7210, i'd have to print something like 7500 pages for the cost to be worth it. That's a number I'm not going to cross anytime soon...
I bought this printer at 2:00pm today. At 11:30pm, I've finally given up. I've spent many hours of repeated trials on my own with a faulty disk with unreadable files. Then I spent more hours downloading the very large files from the HP website (well maybe the first download was corrupted? the second? try the basics file instead of the full file?
Meanwhile, while poking through the older HP drivers that came with the Windows XP I found that some of the older OfficeJet drivers could produce a black-and-white test page with this printer - an exceedingly disappointing achievement, but after today's torture I guess any scrap of success is worth noting.
As for the machine itself, well I haven't really been able to do much with it, and don't see any reason to try now since (1) the primary functions for which I wanted the unit seem to be impossible to achieve, and (2) I'm just too exhausted to consider it.
If the replacement disk gets here within the next two days, I'll try it. Otherwise this unit will go back to the retailer.
Altogether, I just wish I could bill HP for the incredible waste of my time this thing has been.
My sister bought this printer a couple days ago. She spent a whole day trying to install the software and couldn't get it to work. I soon found this was a common problem, and found that HP had two workarounds. I tried downloading a VERY large (over 600MB package). That did not work. I got further in the installation process until it died. Next I tried the manual method, which involves copying the ENTIRE CD ROM to the local hard drive, tweaking a couple files, and installing. Still no luck. We next tried the "Copy" button, but got a blank page. The only thing that worked was the "Test Print".
I'd hoped to dodge the bad software bullet ("Maybe HP has FIXED it by now?"), but no such luck. On each of several installation attempts I received an error message almost immediately ("%1 is not a valid WIN32 application"), after which the installation aborted. This is apparently so common a problem with the 6210 that it's the first troubleshooting issue (of 19) listed at HP's help site.
As reported by others, there is no convenient remedy. While HP suggests several ready "solutions" -- among them a downloadable fix-it utility (which failed to work), a downloadable 488MB software & driver package (which can't be retrieved via ethernet) and instructions on how to install from your hard drive (the driver files wouldn't copy) -- the only real option seems to be a new installation disk. It must be ordered from HP and takes a minimum of two business days to ship.
I am presently waiting for the disk. While it may solve the software installation problem and enable full, productive use of what may otherwise be a good machine, I am giving the 6210 one (1) star. A $200 machine should be usable out of the box, and replacement software, if required, should be available at the point of sale. HP has instead decided to deal with this problem by making it the customer's problem.
Prior to installing I downloaded the new drivers. Absolutely no issues with the software. I'm not measuring the ink consumption and most of my printing is done as high speed black anyway so I can't comment on the cost per page. What I can say is that on the fast economical settings this baby zooms and it's pretty quiet to boot.
I also like the cancel print button on the front panel, it's instantaneous.
One pleasant suprise is that this printer is not a 'win' printer, which means that it will work in Linux without a driver.
Minor gripes.
1. You cannot enter more digits after you speed dial, which means that if you use a calling card for long distance you either have to use the software to dial or enter the calling card every time.
2. I've yet to find a way to turn off the ringer.
I've used every feature of this printer except the PictBridge, and overall I'm very happy with it, and very relieved that I did not suffer any of the problems the other reviewers had.
I have had lots of luck with HP products in the past. I think there must be something wrong with this model. I have had two replacement machines sent to me in the last month and both (as well as the original) have had hardware problems. I get a paper jam error even when there isn't any paper in the machine. The most recent machine came out of the box with this error message. Now I am getting the runaround from HP concerning refunds or switching to a different model. I would avoid this one and look at something else.
If this turns out to be the best printer in the world, it will NEVER be worth the trouble it was to set it up. I was forewarned at Staples that the software provided would not work, and that I would have to load the software via download. I should have known better, but that seems pretty easy, right? Not so. Two wasted nights of online support chat and an 800 number tech call. The online chat was useless and couldn't get it working, but did manage to drop some unwanted icons on my desktop. The phone support was better, though required a ridiculously convoluted procedure, and finally got things working. However, to get past the tech support phone call (in New Dehli, by the way), I had to endure a sales pitch for printer cartridges. Just what an already-agitated person is likely to respond to, right? HP ought to be ashamed to put out an item requiring anything more than five minutes to get working. TWO NIGHTS! That's what it took to get the first printed page out of this. Refuse to purchase this, and any HP product, on principle alone. Maybe this is the result of outsourcing.
I bought this unit ,hooked it up and had no problems for six months. I read all the reports on it not working and wonder what I did right. I am not a computer savy person,just followed directions and it worked like it was suppose to.
Maybe it liked me!!!!
PS Some say the ink is expensive,what printer has cheap ink??
My printer and my fax machine decided to break at the same time. I called HP for their trade in/trade out option and was told the 6210 was the replacement model and I ordered it. Afterwards I came to Amazon to read reviews and was very apprehensive about this machine I had just purchased. I anticipated a lot of problems installing the software and getting this machine going based on the reviews I read. I'm happy to say - so far so good! It took me less than a half hour to get it up and going with no problems at all! It is a little noisy and shakes when printing but it's faster than my old printer so I'll deal with the noise and shaking!
(UPDATE: It died after one year of light-to-moderate use. The scanner light bar doesn't come on anymore; therefore the scanning and faxing function are not working, making it just a printer. The "all", in All-in-one, broke.)
First, this machine is for light use at home. If you intend to print books off of this thing, get a laser jet. And the ink will cost you a FORTUNE!
I won't go over the details that are mentioned above, but here is what I have noticed:
1) You MUST inhibit your "plug-n-play" desires; if you plug this machine into your computer BEFORE you load the software you WILL have problems! (follow the directions)
2) Yes, the software does take a while to load. But it's worth it to have the ability to use all the cool features. (When it works.)
3) It's a bit louder than I thought I heard in the store, but not too loud. I am using it at home, and I can hear it down the hall, so if that's too loud...
4) In order to FULLY open the lid (to the glass), you will need at least 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) in clearance behind the machine. So, shoving this all the way against a wall is not recommended.
5) Paper jams. Had a few that took a good long while to figure out. There's a little gray door on the back that you will become intimately familiar with -- it's the key to most printing jams (that happen quite frequently.)
6) The quality of the scan is great! Works with Adobe's Acrobat and Photoshop CS. You just push the "Scan To" button until you see the program you want to scan to and then hit "Start Scan." So easy (when it chooses to recognize that you have these programs installed - which is about every other time.)
7) Fax works well; easy to use.
8) If you are a dust freak... the dark gray plastic shows dust easily.
9) As another reviewer stated, the ink DOES NOT last all that long. There are, however, cartridges that have twice the capacity (at twice the price.)
10) I recommend testing the outlet you plan on plugging this into. First, be sure it has a working ground, and secondly, make sure it is producing the required voltage (115-120 volts). Why? My printer was giving me a "carriage jam" error after every page, among other problems. HP's website has a 5-step walk-thru that found and fixed the problem (which was inadequate power from the outlet.)
1) Had recurring issues with the software, and HP help line was of no help. They kept telling me to just uninstall it and reinstall it. Then they got to the point where they were telling me that I didn't know what i was doing. (Ummm, good thing it was done over the phone, buddy.)
Hmmm, I have changed my "HIGHLY recommended" review to a maybe-not-so-hot review. We had a bunch a small pestering problems the whole time we owned it. Not really built well.
This is a pretty good little unit. We set it up on a Dell 8400 running Windows Media with a 3.2 GHz HT processor using the included software and had it up and running in about 15 minutes. We later encountered problems setting it up on a 4-year-old Dell with a 1 GHz processor.
We've printed black and white as well as some color invitations all to our satisfaction as well as have faxed and scanned without problems.
The unit is a little noisy and shakes when printing in draft mode; however, it's not much of an issue when using normal settings.
Given the price and features I'm satisfied. If you're running an older PC you may encounter the setup issues that others have noted.
does what is make forand more, i'm very happy with this printer
I had this unit for about four months. Today while making copies I got the message 'carriage jam'. I tried every possible solution on the support page, nothing solved the problem. I called technical support, I had to waste 90 minutes talking to a guy who did not have a clue. All he suggested was to do the things I already had done. Finally he decided to replace the unit.
Now I have to mail it back and they will send a new one within 5-7 business days.
If you are going to buy this unit get the extended warranty from the retailer so you do not have to go through this.
After reading what others wrote, I was a little skeptical too. There was one review from, Old Pick Guy "MPR" that really helped. I went to the HP website and downloaded the full download they have available. Not really knowing a whole lot about this, I thought maybe if I had all the goodies on my system before I attempted to use the software - just maybe I would dodge that bullet too.
Well, I did dodge it! I didn't even have to use the software that came with the unit. It took me about an hour, because I followed the instructions and took my time. It runs great, no problems and cross my fingers I hope it will continue. I did purchase the warranty from the retailer, so I hope I have all my bases covered.
It's great to be able to review a product and know what others think about a particular item. If there are any problems, I will be back to let you know. For right now, I really like this unit - it's perfect!
I have a love/hate relationship with HP printers. On one hand, their print quality is excellent, while their software is subpar.
My previous multi-function, a Lexmark X6170, was killed by a lightning strike, which made the fax modem inoperable. It had replaced an HP 6110 multi-function, which would not play well with WIN98SE. (See reviews for both.)
I was hesitant to try this new machine, but I've upgraded to XP since my last HP nightmare, and it really was the best overall choice out of all the ones I tested at the local office superstore.
To be safe, I installed the BASIC version of the software as opposed to a full install. A lot of the HP software is redundant anyways, so I thought I'd start from there.
In short, no problems at all. I have it on the two XP desktops and my XP laptop, and all three installations went smoothly from the get-go, which is important, since HP software doesn't always uninstall without a call to India where the nice folks will email you an uninstall patch that may or may not work! (Forgive me, I'm having flashbacks!)
Once you're up and running, you will love this machine. As pleased as I was with the Lexmark, it could never equal the print/copy quality of this machine.
One of my main concerns is faxing. It does a great job here as well. I fax legal sized docs from time to time, so the multi-sheet feeder lets me do that even though the glass area is only letter sized. I use a calling card so I use on-hook dialing often, which is easy to do, other than an annoying delay from the time you push the buttons until it makes the tone sound.
PicBridge is nice, if you print photos, which I don't. I tried it with my Canon Elph (great camera BTW) and it printed a really good quality photo right from the camera, using regular ink and paper. I imagine the quality would be outstanding with photo paper & ink, but why, when you can get them printed off disk for peanuts at the local drug store?
Ink is not an issue for me because I buy it in bulk from a well-known auction site and refill them myself. Easy to do. Every now and then they quit working and you'll be forced to buy a new one, but not often.
Here's my adivce: buy it, try installing it once using the basic install rather than full. (Disable your anti-virus software before starting.) If it works, great, if not, return it. Don't waste your time with HP "support" or trying to re-install and un-install, etc. It will drive you nuts.
Also, I would skip it if you are still running anything other than XP.
I will update this as time goes by if I discover any defects, but so far, I love it!
I run a small business and had finally worn out my HP G85 OfficeJet and was looking for a replacement all-in-one for my home office. This was not it.
This is my second go around with this specific printer. I returned the first one because I thought I had a lemon. I was mistaken, they are just that bad.
Printer consistently jams if you try to print multiple documents. You can't see the jam because there is not one. You just press 'OK' like you had actually cleared something and it will start printing again.
It will not receive incoming faxes from certain types of fax machines. And yes, that was verified by HP support.
It will not work on any type of VOIP service. This was also verified by HP support.
And on & on .....
I cringed every time I selected 'File--->Print. If the printer were to have burst into flames and melted down to the very core of the planet I would not have been the least suprised.
Anyhow, I have thrown it in the trash. About 200 bucks down the tubes but it was more than worth it to avoid the daily frustration of dealing with this printer.
I bought the HP OfficeJet 6210 to use at home with my new G5 running Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger).
Installation and set-up was easy using the 8.5 X 11 color step-by-step instruction booklet.
I loaded the software off of the CD and everything seemed fine (date and time set automatically) until I tried to print a page. It would print out one page of garbage and then just start spitting out sheets of paper. The "Cancel" button stopped this immediately.
I suspected I had a driver problem because when I used the Printer Set-Up Utility I couldn't find the HP 6210 in the list of printers.
So, I went to the [...] website, and downloaded a new driver for OS 10.4 dated September 2005. It was only 14 MB in size, so it only took a couple of minutes to download and install.
After installing this driver, and then rerunning the printer Set-up Utility, I got it to print out the page I wanted, in color, with no problem. I also tested it printing in black only and printing multiple pages and copies. The copier and fax features work great, too.
I am very happy with this printer, just be aware you may need to update the drivers before you can use it.
This machine has been a disaster since the day I've bought it. I've tried everything to fix it, I can't tell you how many important faxes I've lost because the only way I can get it to work is to unplug the device. Look elsewhere for an all in on
I picked this up at Best Buy last week to give my Dad additional faxing capability without extra desk clutter. So far, I'm pleased, although the cost of ink is outrageous! I have bought a refill kit specifically designed for the HP 94/96 (Black) and 95/97 (CMY) cartridges... I've had good luck with aftermarket ink, so that problem is solved for the most part (HP should sell their own "genuine" refill kits!)
My dad's computer (the one this is on) is still using Windows 98 R2, and I selected Basic Installation (as we had no need for the extra stuff that came with the Full install for our old HP PSC 2110... also a 4-Star printer). Since I followed the on-screen instructions, I finished the driver installation in less than 20 minutes (Wait until it tells you to plug the printer in before you do so, and make sure the printer is switched on in advance!)
Another word about the drivers. Windows took a long time to load the drivers for my old PSC 2110 on startup... it used to take so long that I would forget they were loading. HP appears to have addressed this issue by simply installing a driver without the darn "HP Command Central" or whatever it was called. This is an extremely important improvement over older models.
I printed a test page from MS Word, and it was fine. I printed a test page from Mozilla Firefox 1.0.7, and it was fine. Very swift for an inkjet, I must say, and the ink dries so fast there's no time to smudge!
The last test, which is probably not important for you, was printing from Word Perfect 5.1 for DOS (from a DOS box in Win98). There are drivers and instructions, available if you search for "WPDOS" on the totally-cool A9 search engine, that make this backward compatibility possible. Again, it worked perfectly, and seemed to get the print signal faster than the
I get my digital prints processed at the drugstore, so I did not test the photo printing quality... the drugstore is not much more expensive, and prints them using the traditional light-sensitive paper technique (which makes them last longer)... so I have no plan on using this feature of the printer.
I still have not had this printer for very long, and have only printed about a dozen pages with it, but I must say that I am initially pleased. The only improvements I can think of for this is HP find some way to lower the price of their ink cartridges without compromising quality, and also to separate their tri-color cartridge into three different cartridges (one cyan, one magenta, one yellow)... I believe Canon has already done this, so I plan on buying one of their printers next time I need a "printing-only" solution. I'm sure many people are wasting tons of ink and money thinking buying a whole new tri-color cartridge when only one color is out... again, that's why you should go with a refill kit.
More on refilling your ink... First, make sure you refill before the cartridge is empty. If the cartridge goes dry, the heating element responsible for jetting the ink out onto the paper will burn out, rendering the cartridge useless, and costing you a good 20 to 30 bucks. In addition, see to it that you find ink refills that are designed specifically for the HP 94/96 (Black) and HP 95/97 (CMY) and HP 99 (Photo, if necessary). "Universal ink" disappointed me with my PSC 2110, as it was runny, and did not dry quickly, leading to smudges. If you don't like the refilling process, you can also find "remanufactured" (factory-refilled) cartridges all over the internet (make sure whoever you buy them from sells HP-specific ink, or else you'll probably get universal ink in your new cartridge).
If anything bad happens, I'll update this review. I'm very pleased so far, just as I was with my old PSC 2110. This printer is pretty much the same, but it has a built-in document loader for copying/faxing, and has a modem slapped onto it for faxing purposes.
Okay, I'll silence myself now.
I cannot recommend HP to anybody anymore. The company introduced regional coding, which means printer cartridges from one region cannot be used in another. For most this is probably not an issue, for those busily traveling around it is. Also, it is an issue of principle, its bad enough for DVD, but printer cartridges? HP has introduced this rather secretely and if you don't read the box cover etc very carefully, you may not notice. The main issue is in Europe. I got caught out. I bought a 3 catridges overseas - I could not use them on my HP printer. I asked for a refund, HP Email Support (US) was nice but ineffective. HP Customer Support (Europe) was snotty and very rude. I think HP does not care about its customers and this cost me over US$75, almost 50% of my printer (my sixth and last HP). Don't buy HP.
I have always been an HP fan and have owned 7 HP printers over the years, including 3 Laserjets. Until this one, I would have highly recommended HP but it appears HP has abandoned their loyal customers and is now producing garbage. I have had this all-in-one for 9 mo. and have yet to get it to scan more than once. After countless hours installing, re-installing on 2 different PCs, using HPs support website, tech support and even their senior tech support who sent me a new printer, it won't work. My last call involved 3+ hours on the phone dissecting my registry after which I was told I had operating system problems. From day one, the software locked up when I tried to scan. HP insists it will work on a clean install. So yesterday, I started with a new hard drive, installed Windows XP but nothing else and then the printer driver. It works -- once! Then I installed Office XP and after that it locks up the first time I try to scan. I will never, ever buy another HP product!!! After reading the reviews here and elsewhere, it is certain that this software is crap, as is the 6210. Half the people who write reviews have had problems with this overpriced paperweight. Stay FAR, FAR away!!! HP are you reading this??? Check case ID 6300331720. That's only one of 3 case IDs I have. If I billed you for all my time trying to make this 6210 work, I could buy a color laser printer!
Works very well for regular printing, scanning, copying and faxing. Normal print works fast in the Fast Normal and Draft modes. Photo printing is mediocre at best and print quality on HP, Canon and Kodak photo papers is bad. I found the best results on Epson's 8" x 10" glossy photo paper (from the Storyteller Kit) with printing in Normal mode. Was a little surprised to find that the print quality on Epson 4 x 6 glossy was not as good as the 8 x 10. I tend to compare print quality to the Canon i850 which is way faster and superior when it comes to photo printing.
I had trouble installing the software on the supplied CD on a mac. It was much easier to download all the software from the HP website.
If you are looking at photo printing, then this is not the model you want. All other home-office features work very well.
I use this machine for all my small business needs...faxing,printing, scanning and copying. It is great for a home office. I have had this product for 3 months now with no complaints. Stormfront Productions (www.stormfrontproductions.net) wouldn't be the same without it!
I have the OfficeJet 6110 All-in-One for just over a year. It worked well for several months and I was very pleased with the purchase. But when I bought a new HP desktop (my old one was also an HP desktop), problems started happening. It took me days and millions of phone calls, the problem still persists. Here's what I figured out in the process about HP products:
1. HP's own printers and computers don't work together. Duplicate software get installed and conflict with each other.
2. HP's printer support staff do NOT talk to the computer support staff. When software conflicts start--all HP software, one has to figure out on one's own where the problems are before calling them. Otherwise, while various technical support staff try to diagnose the problem, more problems will happen as various drivers get deleted and re-installed.
3. Once an HP's software (my experience is mostly with HP printers) is installed, one can NOT get rid of it by uninstalling it. HP provides a "software cleanup utility", which must be run several times (with re-start in between) before actual de-install completes (if then). Often times, one has to manually get into various directories to delete folders. If one's desktop happens to be an HP as well, then good luck figuring out whether a particular HP folder should be deleted or kept. Sometimes one has to make changes in the registry in order to totally get rid of HP software. Hard to believe, but it's true.
4. If you run into problems with this printer, don't call for support. And absolutely do not use their chat line (staffed by entry level technicians). Now and then I get a good HP support staff, but mostly they are reading over some generic manual on their end and give you adivce that is, at best, useless.
I am not sure how it works yet it does not come with a USB cable so you can't set it up the day you receive it. I called the company and the person I spoke with the first time did not say go out and buy you one but we'll send it to you and it should be there in 5-7 days,10 days later I call the company I speak to a lady this time and she says sorry we can't send one out for another 38 days, and then I am told that the USB cable is not included. It is ok that you do not include the USB cable when you sell the product even though you need it to set it up and for the printer to work, by the time I get the USB cable my 30 day return time frame is over. thank you HP for such wonderful service, your customer for the last time.
One word - don't. I use this, like most, for a multiple purpose office machine. I have barely had the product one year and it's toast. I spent over 45 mins (not exaggerating) online with the "support" staff to find out that they won't even tell you what is wrong if it is 10 mins out of warranty -- and you won't find that out until 44 mins into the call.
If you are looking for a reliable machine with good quality printing, keep looking - this is not a company that stands behind it's products. I've been burnt twice now with HP products and support service, never again.
These words don't even begin to describe my opinion of this entire line of HP products. In my IT career I have counted on HP to build the best of breed of everything, but these products are the worst of the worst of the worst. The software is atrocious, breaking everything around it and proving incapable of being removed, even with their little tools. The only way I have found to update or remove the software...is to format and re-install the OS.
This just isn't necessary for MFP's. Brother's software and drivers are delightfully simple by comparison. If for instance you just want to print to the crazy thing...they give you...drumroll please...a little printer driver file to use with the "Add New Printer" wizard. Even the scan and fax drivers with other vendors work with the facilities in Windows.
HP, I will not buy or recommend another MFC by you until your entire approach to this segment is revised. You have disappointed and annoyed a very loyal customer and reseller.
I was a loyal HP customer for 20 years but this product and the unbelievaly bad customer service has made me vow never to do business with them again. They lied and sent a "refurbished" unit that didn't work. I couldn't even get it started. Software took forever to load. I tried to work things out with HP but nobody seemed to know what they were doing. Save yourself time, money and aggravation and don't buy this product or any other HP printer unless you are a masochist.
This is a recent purchase for work, I didn't choose it (I'm historically a fan of Epson and own an excellent scanner and would have gone for a RX520 or similar) but I think the criticism is unfair. The build quality is robust (it has survived many trips in the back of a truck) as with all HP products and the operation easy and very fast. As for the drivers, the people who have written reviews so far must be 'thick' (english for stupid). If you go to the excellent and comprehensive HP website, type in 6210 on a search you will be offered a plethora of options for drivers, from the massive 356MB all inclusive option to the 35MB USB printer/scanner driver only option, which all of these so called experts have missed. Doh! Yes the HP software is not as good as the stuff on offer from others (Epson arguably the best of the bunch, and compatible with the HP) but you don't have to install it if you don't want to. Just install the driver then use either the Windows Scanner Wizard (already part of W2K/XP) or other 3rd party software, such as the built-in features of Adobe Photoshop or others. If you don't know what you are talking about, don't write reviews that are inaccurate and unfair. This unit also offers excellent compatibilty with Macs and particularly Unix & GNU/Linux.
I enjoy my all in one HP 6210 Officejet. It is a great upgrade from the other HP all in one. Printed pictures turn out great.
When I upgrade again it will be a HP printer.
I recently purchased the 6210 as a refurbished model at a really reasonable price for all the features you get. Now my last printer was an HP 710 all in one..and that thing after 7 years finally was becoming more than I could deal with, it was time for an upgrade.
I've read a good majority of the reviews before I had received my printer and got a bit concerned from the negative reviews, though I did get a good laugh, to see negative review because of shipping issues, from a 3rd party shipper (like that has anything to do with the printer).
Anyway, I'm running a slightly upgraded P4 Compaq, w/XP, that WAS running an older version HP printer software that was upgraded for XP and let me tell you...It took me a grand total of 1.5 hours to completely remove my old software, remove my old printer, remove new printer from box, hook up cables AND install software..I can only surmise that the people with the software issues are still looking for the "Any" key.
BTW, mine did come with a USB cable, which was from the refurbishment center. People crack me up complaining about no USB cable, is this your first printer? or any other electronics equipment for that matter. I have never purchased any printer, that came with the cable!! If they did send one, next thing you'd hear is, its too short, or its too long, guess some people are never happy.
Getting back on track here, I did one restart out of old habit (it didn't ask me too) and I was in business, I've faxed, printed, copied and scanned trying to find a glitch and I cannot. This thing prints quickly, quietly, and with enough quality for anything I'll ever need with school, work, or Personal. Yes, the scanner is a bit noisey, but show me one that isn't for this price and for what reason does it have to be as silent as a mouse?
I've only given it 4 stars due to the longevity factor. I have no idea how this printer is going to hold up, and couldn't bring myself to give it a perfect score because of it. If its anything like my last one (several years) I couldn't expect more.
I couldn't be happier with my purchase. This printer truly lives up to the HP name.
Bought an HP Pavilion a1230n 3800+ with Media Center Nov-05 ; bought replacement Printer ( HP OfficeJet 6210 ) recently ; BOTTOM LINE : HP All-In-One will not install with ANY conflicting HP Programs already in-place! Only "problem" : they do not ID these "conflicts" ; they are letting the Purchasing Public ID these at several hundred bucks per CLIP !
The CD WILL NOT LOAD "HP_DIRECTOR" needed to run OfficeJet 6210 (AND OTHER OfficeJet All-In-Ones !) from the PC DeskTop ! That is what the "HP_Director" is for ! "Remote Control" ; I want to use it for an ALL-HOUSE PRINTER for the rest of the Family that is NOT as happy about ROUTING PRINT JOBS proceedures as I am !
Instead of loading, or even LISTING ANYTHING SENSIBLE OR WORTHWHILE , it just returns the following BOGUS Notice : "A more recent version of software for this product is already installed on your computer ! Simply connect the device to your computer and the software will automatically recognize the .... "; NOT !
Even the Folks at Best Buy cannot get this HP Printer "thing" to work with the HP Pavilion PC : From the way it ABORTS the CD-Load, I'd GUESS that it would work GREAT with anything EXCEPT a recent HP pre-loaded XP machine ! I did manage to get it to LOAD , and to work FIRST TIME , on my OLD, HOME-BUILT, ASUS M/B SHOP TEST COMPUTER BUILT FOM SPARE & JUNK LEFT-OVER PARTS ; with MicroSoft-ME O/S running !
What a SELLING POINT : RUNS GREAT ON WINDOWS-ME ! DO NOT USE WITH HP PRE-LOADED PC PRODUCTS ! That is , unless you can DISCOVER WHICH PRE-LOADS ARE CONFLICTING , AND WANT TO BUTCHER YOUR PRE-LOADED SYSTEM IN A GIANT EXPERIMENT TO HELP HP WITH THEIR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING SYSTEMS DESIGN PROBLEMS !
NOT EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MIND WHEN I SPENT A BUNDLE ON IT !
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There are 2 computers in this household (both Macs), which need to share the printer. We plugged this printer directly into one of them, and tried every trick we could find online or off to get the other one to recognize it as a shared network printer. NO LUCK. We finally purchased an Airport Express, which we now use as a print server. However, this means that we have NO access to the printer's "all-in-one" functions (scanning, faxing), since the HP software will not recognize the printer unless it is plugged in to the computer directly.
It's a fine printer, but if I'd known all this in advance, I wouldn't have wasted the money buying an all-in-one machine.
Good basic printer, sharp quality and nice colors. Decent photo printing. But BEWARE -- this machine is reasonably priced for a reason. It DEVOURS ink, and HP will earn a lot more on refill cartridge sales. Expect to spend more on refills in the first three months than the cost of the printer. That is my experience and I print less than 200 pages per week.
I used to own an HP Officejet 6110 and when it recently broke down I replaced it with the HP Officejet 6210. The negative reviews posted here on Amazon gave me momentary pause but I went ahead with the purchase because I was very satisfied with the 6110 and the 6210 is essentially the new and improved version. It turned out to be a smart decision: it took me less than an hour to set it up, and I am by no means tech-savvy. In addition, the 6210 is smaller, lighter and considerably quieter than the 6110. Plus, in addition to the usual four functions (print, copy, fax, scan) the 6210 is also digital camera-friendly. I am very satisfied with its performance and plan to continue using HP products in the future as I found their tech support to be excellent the few times I used their service. Highly recommended.
I'm not at all sure why one reviewer with two Macs can't seem to get this printer on his network...I have two Macs at my house and it works perfectly with my wireless setup...I suspect that the problem is not with the printer in this instance. As for performance, it's not the fastest printer or the best scanner, but it does a more than adequate job for a home office environment...it's not a machine for heavy use, but is fine for general light home office printing, copying and document scanning (haven't used the fax at this point, so I can't comment on the fax performance). I was put off by many of the reviews here, but we happened to have a new unit sitting unused in the office which I adopted for the office in my home...and it has served me well...I would purchase another if my needs were similar...
My experience with HP 6110 still makes me fume. The 6210 is more or less the same machine. Dont be taken in by salesmen.
The machine was horrible, constantly not working and making copies at its own will. Hardware problems, the feeder doesnt work properly, we altogether gave up having it connected to the computer (winxppro) because of software problems...
Making a photocopy became hell on earth. And the machine cost somewhere around $350-. A total waste and a workstopper.
I just threw my unit out the window after trying to make a photocopy. Im not kidding. Out the window.
Buyers beware: Do not buy this junk!
Oh yes another thing. If you buy this: Keep your separate scanner, separate printer and separate fax machine. You'll most likely need them.
I, like other reviewers here, had owned an HP 6110 prior to my fateful decision to buy the 6210. I thought the 6110 was junk. The fax never did work right and finally the printer and fax would only print some kind of a bar code pattern that the guy at Office Depot and my tech friends had never seen. Anyhow, I junked that and got this piece of junk. It is better than the 6110 in that the fax works fine. And the printing function works well too until I have to print envelopes. The 6210 does not have a separate feed for envelopes so you have to take all the paper out of the machine and load envelopes. At least 60 percent of the time the machine jams with the envelope.
And the guy that was complaining about this machine devouring ink is right. It sucks the stuff up. And the cartridges are VERY expensive.
Today I installed a new HP 6210 with an almost-new Dell computer. Contrary to other reviews here, I had absolutely no trouble installing it, including the fax features. (The quick-start brochure was very easy to follow.) I won't give it 5 stars until we've used it for a while, but we're pleased so far.
I can't say why people have problems with the installation. i have an hp a123on and i didn't even need the software cd or to download anything from the hp site. it let me know that the software is already installed in my computer and all i had to do was plug the usb and it was installed automatically. it didn't even take long at all. i tried all the features and they all worked perfectly. But if you do have problems installing- remember DO NOT plug in the printer until you have installed the software & be patient if it takes long! i don't suggest ever calling hp customer service- they take forever and most of the time can't even help- you'll just waste your time and be pissed like most of these reviews. and stop complaining about ink- just use the draft mode so you save ink or just buy for cheap online (hp branded). most printer ink are pretty pricey anyways. i paid $100 refurbished and it came w/ everything (usb, software, ink, etc.) it looks and works as if brand new. scanner is ok, copy is ok- i read that someone couldn't use their separate scanner - but i have my canon scanner on this computer (which scans better) and they both work together- no problems! so far so good and i'll update if i have any problems down the line. thanks!
After years of buying HP products, the 6210 has cured me forever from buying HP again. The software is horrible, the printer jams after just a few sheets, the cartriges are expensive and wear out quickly, and tech support is inaccessible.
The only reason I gave them one star instead of zero is that once in awhile the fax machine actually manages to send a fax.
I am actively looking for another printer (just not one from HP).
I've had my 6210 for a while and I'm very happy with it. The only negative is the high cost of black ink per page.
I've had no trouble with any function. They all work very well. Fax,Copy,Print,Scan, I've used them all many times.
I think that very often when people have problems with computer related software and hardware it's that they don't read and follow directions well and are impatient. But I have experienced some specific printers or disks that do have problems. Maybe I just lucked out on mine.
I have found all the functions are easy to understand from the printer controls. For light all-in-one use this machine is great. For heavy printing I would look at something else because of high cost of ink. I don't use this for color printing at all, I have a separate printer that is great on color, fast and low ink cost. I would use this for color copying though, but again with light use.
I own a business and currently own and have owned many different printers (ink-jet, laser, dot matrix, band) and many scanners and copiers. I'm picky, and this unit is very good for light all-in-one use. It is what I use at home for everything, with light use, with a separate color photo printer.
I give this 4 stars instead of 5 only because of high cost of black ink.
DO not do buy this piece of junk. TO quote my friend : Excessively complex large (bloated) drivers (?) , constantly calling home via the internet (HP likes to spy on its employees too ) ; install failed on one PC, worthless on another. It will fax and copy , but god help you if you need to connect it to a PC to print. I still have my Epson dot matrix.
I bought this all-in-one after my old HP D135 died after 3 heavy years of use and this thing couldn't be better. I have not had any of the problems others claim with the installation. It took me about 5 or 10 minutes to set up! Although many complain about the cost of the ink, I just changed mine from the original that it shipped with last week. The trick is to print it just under normal settings, the black still comes out great and it lasts way longer. The other thing I do to keep the cost of ink down is order third party ink, there are quite a few sellers and I've never been disappointed.
The color quality is great, I print my own pictures off of a new digital camera.
I fax at least once a week from Wisconsin to Florida without ever having a single problem.
If I had to say there is a downside in comparison to my last all-in-one I would say that the printer says you have low ink, but it doesn't specify how low in a percentage or bar like my last one did which was quite convienient. But, I just print until the black looks dull and then switch it out.
Overall, this all-in-one has been a great solution for my needs and I would definitely recommend it to others.
I had no trouble whatsoever installing this printer on two PCs. I was a bit wary of its capabilities at first because I've always been partial to laserjet as opposed to inkjet. But this printer has not let me down in 6 months of heavy use. The print quality is good, the color is nice, and I really like the "Fast Draft" mode and 2-sided printing functions. I print a lot of proofs and these help save time, ink, and paper. I agree with other reviewers that the ink cartridges run out quickly. I seem to go through them like water sometimes. But I buy them by the dozen and I take my spent cartridges to Staples, where I get a $3 credit for each one.
This printer also has a cute personality. I can't really explain it, but the way it warms up excitedly before it prints something, or the way it spits the pages out at you Fast Draft mode, swaying back and forth on its little table...it makes me laugh.
I had a separate scanner and fax before I got this printer, and didn't intend on using those functions with this printer because I liked my other equipment just fine. But after a few months I put the other equipment away and just use this one. It's great! Easy to use and is intuitive.
Printer, copier and fax work well but printing is a little slow.
Works as advertised. Very easy to set up. Reliability yet to be determined.
I've replaced these puppies every two years, upgrading at each time. This is the most solid yet, including the easy networking bonus.
I read some of the naysayer reviews and I almost was regretting my purchase. But forget the bad stuff, this printer rocks!!!
It took longer to find where my old cord plugged in than to get the new printer up and running. It took only about 6 minutes and I was printing documents.
I love the sheet feed copy function. A real no brainer to use and it's fast!!!
So far, I have scanned, copied and printed both in color and B&W with no problems. I have not regretted buying this printer.
The printer is fine for MOST basic printing, faxing, etc.
However the manual is for the birds. It covers nothing but basics and when I need a MANUAL I NEED MORE THAN JUST BASIC INFO.
Today I had to print a cover for a "Pendaflex" brand, white gloss presentation folder. I've been on the "ONLINE CHAT" function for support for one hour with NO ONE ANSWERING!!!
Why have an "ONLINE CHAT SUPPORT" if no one is there to attend to it??
The Folder requires I use "MANUAL FEED" so as to not bend, curl the gloss card stock while printing it.
I've spent another hour reading the ONLINE MANUAL, ONLINE SUPPORT, and PRINT MANUAL and there is NOTHING COVERING manual feed options for such heavier paper printing.
I'm left guessing I'm supposed to unscrew the rear cover but it would be nice to NOT HAVE TO GUESS.
While HP is spending millions in advertising ... individual customers are ignored and alienated.
I had the printer out of the box, set up and installed in a hour and half with no problem at all. So far everything works fine. The only reason I didn't give it a five star is that I have only had it for 3 hours and haven't used it that much, and the small ink cartridges. Cost of ink dosen't bother me as I use remanufactured Cartridges. So far I like it very much.
Not bad for the money. I've always enjoyed HP Printers in the past. This one is NOT very big at all. Space is not a factor. It does it all. Prints, copies, scans and faxes. For the price and a recognizable name, it can't be beat.
H.P. seems to corrupt windows more then others.Plus there inks go fastest and cost alot. Stick with Lexs,Brothers even cannons and EPSONS. ALSO hp WIRELESS AND Bluetooth seem to be as bad,too.
I needed a very easy to use, user-friendly copier/printer/fax machine. I have no technical interest in computers/copiers or knowledge whatsoever. When I read many of the reviews of this machine, I came very close to returning the unit without even having opened it, due to the various recitals of complex technical nightmares involving lengthy---and unrewarding phone calls to India. Even so, I decided to try it out...and I got the thing working easily within a short period of time. The blest Congratulations! message appeared well-nigh effortlessly indicating succeful set up. The only minor difficulty I had was figuring out how to arrange the paper trays in front. And it is aetheticaly appealing too. The device is truly simple, user friendly, and works great. For the "technically challenged"---this is an excellent choice.
it arrived within 4 days and has performed well since
This is a attractive, compact all-in-one with almost flawless performance. Like other reviewers, I also had software installation issues, and it took a *long* call to HP tech support to get the device installed and working properly. Since then, I've faxed, printed, and scanned nearly every day, with no complaints. Print quality is excellent, but ink is expensive and short-lived. Scan auto-feeder is great, but quality is only good enough for duplication and documentation (Not good enough for photos). Faxing and copying is perfect. The one-button scan, especially to Adobe Acrobat, is excellent. If I were buying now (Jan 2007), I would look for a similar unit with an Ethernet connection instead of USB, the HP 6310.
I have had this printer for less than one year. Now, 9 months later, it clips pages, the alignment mysteriously is off all of a sudden and it has slowed more than half in speed.
As if this isnt enough I have had to re-build my parents HP tower.
Buy a Mac and a Cannon. Best duo ever.
In my opinion I got a really good machine at a really great price.
...if you don't mind an installation taking about an hour and a half. The installation was much faster on our XP sp2 -- except that, after four tries and a conversation with tech support, I *still* couldn't get the HP software to run the fax software. (XP has built-in fax software, so there's a workaround, but I'm not paying over a hundred dollars for software that I can't install.) Since our old separate scanner, copier, and fax were working, and we got the old fax to work better with a new answering machine than the 6210, we'll just return it. And, yes, we also noticed the small ink cartridges.
merchandise returned to vendor by shipper as damaged in shipment. Cancelled order!!!
At first, I was VERY pleased with this printer. After a few months, I kept getting a "carriage jam" error. I have no jams, buj to reset the printer takes some cumbersome effort. I got online, and learned that this is a COMMON and known problem with this printer. Shop around -- the printer is great, except these "carriage jams" appear out of nowhere and for no reason -- a glitch -- and it takes up to five minutes to reset the printer to work again. Good printer, until it jams....
Spend much time reviewing all types of HP printers. Decided to stay away from Epson - the were just ok. Found many good and bad things about this printer and other HP printers. The bad things were:
Paper tray - very cheaply made and doesn't hold much paper
Hmm guess thats it now that I stop and think - a little noisy for the printer and scanner, scanner is slower than epson. quality is very good tho.
Have not used the fax yet. At this time I'll probably say I'd buy HP again.
This is the printer I've wanted but thought HP was charging too much and the price kept changing. Amazon was terrific and I received the printer I wanted at a lesser price.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 stars
This is a very easy to use printer, copier, faxes and scans. This is the second one I've bought and I'm really pleased with the product.
This is a very nice printer for the price. It is rather slow, but you pay for speed. The color features are especially nice.
I just GLADLY replaced this printer. This was not a good all-in-one printer experience for my husband and I. The plastic parts were cheap and broke easily. After a few months, the printer display said that there was a paper jam, and never stopped saying there was a printer jam for a year, and there was not. This rendered the faxing function useless.
Don't buy this printer. It isn't good. There are many other solid all-in-one printers on the market that outshine this cheaply made machine.
I bought this product to replace a previous HP all-in-one printer I had. This is by far the worst printer I have ever owned. It does not like photo paper, it is unreliable and it goes through ink quickly as the cartridges are tiny and overpriced. Do yourself a favor - DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!
This is the second one of these I've owned and like the first one, just after the 1 year warranty expired, a "Paper Jam" stopped the machine from working.
I threw the first one away because HP won't offer tech support to out of warranty products unless you pay them $69.95. Instead I bought another one. Big Mistake. Same problem and you can't even get a support rep on the phone until your CC is charged (more than 1/2 the cost of the printer).
I've learned the hard way and will now switch to Dell. My advice: Stay away from HP "All in One" Printers, they are cheaply made and come with what must be the worst support in the industry.
This is an excellent all-in-one printer...until the paper jams. My first 6210 printer had to be replaced by HP because the printer wouldn't clear the paper jam error. Now, the replacement is doing the same thing. HP's customer service regarding this printer problem is horrible. I had to call in several time and demand that I get a manager before I could rectify the situation the first time. Now, I am dreading making the call with this second printer. I think I will just garbage it, consider it a $200 lesson, and buy an epson or canon. I think stand-alone hp injets work fine but, this 6210 all-in-one is a major waste of money!
Hi, this is the best MFP that i ever bought, is very fast, has a great resolution, is ink economic, have a lot of function, and have a no question ask warranty by hp, its fabulous!, from now i only buy hp printers
This is the worst printer we have ever owned. Unless you want a useless pile of junk don't buy this. We bought it because we wanted an All-In-One printer, although we mainly used it for just printing. We don't print a whole lot...in fact...we owned it for over a year and still were using the original ink it came with. We went to print a one page document and it said "Paper Jam". We cleared the jam...no biggy...and it's been a paper weight ever since. We cannot get the paper jam error to clear even though there is no paper in it. We've followed all of HP's troubleshooting ideas, which are just a huge waste of time. After chatting online with an "HP Tech" for 20 plus minutes, we were finally told it was a hardware problem and that since our warranty was up we were basically SOL. After searching the web we've realized this is a VERY COMMON problem. HP refuses to acknowlege it as a poor design flaw and hides behind the expired warranty. Don't expect HP to stand behind their poorly designed product, unless you're willing to pay another $70 to "upgrade" your warranty. Buyer Beware. I'd give it zero stars if that were an option.
This is an excellent all-in-one printer...until the paper jams. My first 6210 printer had to be replaced by HP because the printer wouldn't clear the paper jam error. Now, the replacement is doing the same thing. HP's customer service regarding this printer problem is horrible. I had to call in several time and demand that I get a manager before I could rectify the situation the first time. Now, I am dreading making the call with this second printer. I think I will just garbage it, consider it a $200 lesson, and buy an epson or canon. I think stand-alone hp injets work fine but, this 6210 all-in-one is a major waste of money!
Hi, this is the best MFP that i ever bought, is very fast, has a great resolution, is ink economic, have a lot of function, and have a no question ask warranty by hp, its fabulous!, from now i only buy hp printers
This is the worst printer we have ever owned. Unless you want a useless pile of junk don't buy this. We bought it because we wanted an All-In-One printer, although we mainly used it for just printing. We don't print a whole lot...in fact...we owned it for over a year and still were using the original ink it came with. We went to print a one page document and it said "Paper Jam". We cleared the jam...no biggy...and it's been a paper weight ever since. We cannot get the paper jam error to clear even though there is no paper in it. We've followed all of HP's troubleshooting ideas, which are just a huge waste of time. After chatting online with an "HP Tech" for 20 plus minutes, we were finally told it was a hardware problem and that since our warranty was up we were basically SOL. After searching the web we've realized this is a VERY COMMON problem. HP refuses to acknowlege it as a poor design flaw and hides behind the expired warranty. Don't expect HP to stand behind their poorly designed product, unless you're willing to pay another $70 to "upgrade" your warranty. Buyer Beware. I'd give it zero stars if that were an option.
This is the second one of these I've owned and like the first one, just after the 1 year warranty expired, a "Paper Jam" stopped the machine from working.
I threw the first one away because HP won't offer tech support to out of warranty products unless you pay them $69.95. Instead I bought another one. Big Mistake. Same problem and you can't even get a support rep on the phone until your CC is charged (more than 1/2 the cost of the printer).
I've learned the hard way and will now switch to Dell. My advice: Stay away from HP "All in One" Printers, they are cheaply made and come with what must be the worst support in the industry.
I bought this product to replace a previous HP all-in-one printer I had. This is by far the worst printer I have ever owned. It does not like photo paper, it is unreliable and it goes through ink quickly as the cartridges are tiny and overpriced. Do yourself a favor - DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!
Spend much time reviewing all types of HP printers. Decided to stay away from Epson - the were just ok. Found many good and bad things about this printer and other HP printers. The bad things were:
Paper tray - very cheaply made and doesn't hold much paper
Hmm guess thats it now that I stop and think - a little noisy for the printer and scanner, scanner is slower than epson. quality is very good tho.
Have not used the fax yet. At this time I'll probably say I'd buy HP again.
This is the printer I've wanted but thought HP was charging too much and the price kept changing. Amazon was terrific and I received the printer I wanted at a lesser price.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 stars
This is a very easy to use printer, copier, faxes and scans. This is the second one I've bought and I'm really pleased with the product.
This is a very nice printer for the price. It is rather slow, but you pay for speed. The color features are especially nice.
I just GLADLY replaced this printer. This was not a good all-in-one printer experience for my husband and I. The plastic parts were cheap and broke easily. After a few months, the printer display said that there was a paper jam, and never stopped saying there was a printer jam for a year, and there was not. This rendered the faxing function useless.
Don't buy this printer. It isn't good. There are many other solid all-in-one printers on the market that outshine this cheaply made machine.
merchandise returned to vendor by shipper as damaged in shipment. Cancelled order!!!
At first, I was VERY pleased with this printer. After a few months, I kept getting a "carriage jam" error. I have no jams, buj to reset the printer takes some cumbersome effort. I got online, and learned that this is a COMMON and known problem with this printer. Shop around -- the printer is great, except these "carriage jams" appear out of nowhere and for no reason -- a glitch -- and it takes up to five minutes to reset the printer to work again. Good printer, until it jams....
In my opinion I got a really good machine at a really great price.
...if you don't mind an installation taking about an hour and a half. The installation was much faster on our XP sp2 -- except that, after four tries and a conversation with tech support, I *still* couldn't get the HP software to run the fax software. (XP has built-in fax software, so there's a workaround, but I'm not paying over a hundred dollars for software that I can't install.) Since our old separate scanner, copier, and fax were working, and we got the old fax to work better with a new answering machine than the 6210, we'll just return it. And, yes, we also noticed the small ink cartridges.
I have had this printer for less than one year. Now, 9 months later, it clips pages, the alignment mysteriously is off all of a sudden and it has slowed more than half in speed.
As if this isnt enough I have had to re-build my parents HP tower.
Buy a Mac and a Cannon. Best duo ever.
it arrived within 4 days and has performed well since
This is a attractive, compact all-in-one with almost flawless performance. Like other reviewers, I also had software installation issues, and it took a *long* call to HP tech support to get the device installed and working properly. Since then, I've faxed, printed, and scanned nearly every day, with no complaints. Print quality is excellent, but ink is expensive and short-lived. Scan auto-feeder is great, but quality is only good enough for duplication and documentation (Not good enough for photos). Faxing and copying is perfect. The one-button scan, especially to Adobe Acrobat, is excellent. If I were buying now (Jan 2007), I would look for a similar unit with an Ethernet connection instead of USB, the HP 6310.
Not bad for the money. I've always enjoyed HP Printers in the past. This one is NOT very big at all. Space is not a factor. It does it all. Prints, copies, scans and faxes. For the price and a recognizable name, it can't be beat.
H.P. seems to corrupt windows more then others.Plus there inks go fastest and cost alot. Stick with Lexs,Brothers even cannons and EPSONS. ALSO hp WIRELESS AND Bluetooth seem to be as bad,too.
I needed a very easy to use, user-friendly copier/printer/fax machine. I have no technical interest in computers/copiers or knowledge whatsoever. When I read many of the reviews of this machine, I came very close to returning the unit without even having opened it, due to the various recitals of complex technical nightmares involving lengthy---and unrewarding phone calls to India. Even so, I decided to try it out...and I got the thing working easily within a short period of time. The blest Congratulations! message appeared well-nigh effortlessly indicating succeful set up. The only minor difficulty I had was figuring out how to arrange the paper trays in front. And it is aetheticaly appealing too. The device is truly simple, user friendly, and works great. For the "technically challenged"---this is an excellent choice.
Printer, copier and fax work well but printing is a little slow.
Works as advertised. Very easy to set up. Reliability yet to be determined.
I've replaced these puppies every two years, upgrading at each time. This is the most solid yet, including the easy networking bonus.
I read some of the naysayer reviews and I almost was regretting my purchase. But forget the bad stuff, this printer rocks!!!
It took longer to find where my old cord plugged in than to get the new printer up and running. It took only about 6 minutes and I was printing documents.
I love the sheet feed copy function. A real no brainer to use and it's fast!!!
So far, I have scanned, copied and printed both in color and B&W with no problems. I have not regretted buying this printer.
The printer is fine for MOST basic printing, faxing, etc.
However the manual is for the birds. It covers nothing but basics and when I need a MANUAL I NEED MORE THAN JUST BASIC INFO.
Today I had to print a cover for a "Pendaflex" brand, white gloss presentation folder. I've been on the "ONLINE CHAT" function for support for one hour with NO ONE ANSWERING!!!
Why have an "ONLINE CHAT SUPPORT" if no one is there to attend to it??
The Folder requires I use "MANUAL FEED" so as to not bend, curl the gloss card stock while printing it.
I've spent another hour reading the ONLINE MANUAL, ONLINE SUPPORT, and PRINT MANUAL and there is NOTHING COVERING manual feed options for such heavier paper printing.
I'm left guessing I'm supposed to unscrew the rear cover but it would be nice to NOT HAVE TO GUESS.
While HP is spending millions in advertising ... individual customers are ignored and alienated.
I had the printer out of the box, set up and installed in a hour and half with no problem at all. So far everything works fine. The only reason I didn't give it a five star is that I have only had it for 3 hours and haven't used it that much, and the small ink cartridges. Cost of ink dosen't bother me as I use remanufactured Cartridges. So far I like it very much.
I had no trouble whatsoever installing this printer on two PCs. I was a bit wary of its capabilities at first because I've always been partial to laserjet as opposed to inkjet. But this printer has not let me down in 6 months of heavy use. The print quality is good, the color is nice, and I really like the "Fast Draft" mode and 2-sided printing functions. I print a lot of proofs and these help save time, ink, and paper. I agree with other reviewers that the ink cartridges run out quickly. I seem to go through them like water sometimes. But I buy them by the dozen and I take my spent cartridges to Staples, where I get a $3 credit for each one.
This printer also has a cute personality. I can't really explain it, but the way it warms up excitedly before it prints something, or the way it spits the pages out at you Fast Draft mode, swaying back and forth on its little table...it makes me laugh.
I had a separate scanner and fax before I got this printer, and didn't intend on using those functions with this printer because I liked my other equipment just fine. But after a few months I put the other equipment away and just use this one. It's great! Easy to use and is intuitive.
DO not do buy this piece of junk. TO quote my friend : Excessively complex large (bloated) drivers (?) , constantly calling home via the internet (HP likes to spy on its employees too ) ; install failed on one PC, worthless on another. It will fax and copy , but god help you if you need to connect it to a PC to print. I still have my Epson dot matrix.
I bought this all-in-one after my old HP D135 died after 3 heavy years of use and this thing couldn't be better. I have not had any of the problems others claim with the installation. It took me about 5 or 10 minutes to set up! Although many complain about the cost of the ink, I just changed mine from the original that it shipped with last week. The trick is to print it just under normal settings, the black still comes out great and it lasts way longer. The other thing I do to keep the cost of ink down is order third party ink, there are quite a few sellers and I've never been disappointed.
The color quality is great, I print my own pictures off of a new digital camera.
I fax at least once a week from Wisconsin to Florida without ever having a single problem.
If I had to say there is a downside in comparison to my last all-in-one I would say that the printer says you have low ink, but it doesn't specify how low in a percentage or bar like my last one did which was quite convienient. But, I just print until the black looks dull and then switch it out.
Overall, this all-in-one has been a great solution for my needs and I would definitely recommend it to others.
I've had my 6210 for a while and I'm very happy with it. The only negative is the high cost of black ink per page.
I've had no trouble with any function. They all work very well. Fax,Copy,Print,Scan, I've used them all many times.
I think that very often when people have problems with computer related software and hardware it's that they don't read and follow directions well and are impatient. But I have experienced some specific printers or disks that do have problems. Maybe I just lucked out on mine.
I have found all the functions are easy to understand from the printer controls. For light all-in-one use this machine is great. For heavy printing I would look at something else because of high cost of ink. I don't use this for color printing at all, I have a separate printer that is great on color, fast and low ink cost. I would use this for color copying though, but again with light use.
I own a business and currently own and have owned many different printers (ink-jet, laser, dot matrix, band) and many scanners and copiers. I'm picky, and this unit is very good for light all-in-one use. It is what I use at home for everything, with light use, with a separate color photo printer.
I give this 4 stars instead of 5 only because of high cost of black ink.
After years of buying HP products, the 6210 has cured me forever from buying HP again. The software is horrible, the printer jams after just a few sheets, the cartriges are expensive and wear out quickly, and tech support is inaccessible.
The only reason I gave them one star instead of zero is that once in awhile the fax machine actually manages to send a fax.
I am actively looking for another printer (just not one from HP).
Today I installed a new HP 6210 with an almost-new Dell computer. Contrary to other reviews here, I had absolutely no trouble installing it, including the fax features. (The quick-start brochure was very easy to follow.) I won't give it 5 stars until we've used it for a while, but we're pleased so far.
I can't say why people have problems with the installation. i have an hp a123on and i didn't even need the software cd or to download anything from the hp site. it let me know that the software is already installed in my computer and all i had to do was plug the usb and it was installed automatically. it didn't even take long at all. i tried all the features and they all worked perfectly. But if you do have problems installing- remember DO NOT plug in the printer until you have installed the software & be patient if it takes long! i don't suggest ever calling hp customer service- they take forever and most of the time can't even help- you'll just waste your time and be pissed like most of these reviews. and stop complaining about ink- just use the draft mode so you save ink or just buy for cheap online (hp branded). most printer ink are pretty pricey anyways. i paid $100 refurbished and it came w/ everything (usb, software, ink, etc.) it looks and works as if brand new. scanner is ok, copy is ok- i read that someone couldn't use their separate scanner - but i have my canon scanner on this computer (which scans better) and they both work together- no problems! so far so good and i'll update if i have any problems down the line. thanks!
I, like other reviewers here, had owned an HP 6110 prior to my fateful decision to buy the 6210. I thought the 6110 was junk. The fax never did work right and finally the printer and fax would only print some kind of a bar code pattern that the guy at Office Depot and my tech friends had never seen. Anyhow, I junked that and got this piece of junk. It is better than the 6110 in that the fax works fine. And the printing function works well too until I have to print envelopes. The 6210 does not have a separate feed for envelopes so you have to take all the paper out of the machine and load envelopes. At least 60 percent of the time the machine jams with the envelope.
And the guy that was complaining about this machine devouring ink is right. It sucks the stuff up. And the cartridges are VERY expensive.
Good basic printer, sharp quality and nice colors. Decent photo printing. But BEWARE -- this machine is reasonably priced for a reason. It DEVOURS ink, and HP will earn a lot more on refill cartridge sales. Expect to spend more on refills in the first three months than the cost of the printer. That is my experience and I print less than 200 pages per week.
I used to own an HP Officejet 6110 and when it recently broke down I replaced it with the HP Officejet 6210. The negative reviews posted here on Amazon gave me momentary pause but I went ahead with the purchase because I was very satisfied with the 6110 and the 6210 is essentially the new and improved version. It turned out to be a smart decision: it took me less than an hour to set it up, and I am by no means tech-savvy. In addition, the 6210 is smaller, lighter and considerably quieter than the 6110. Plus, in addition to the usual four functions (print, copy, fax, scan) the 6210 is also digital camera-friendly. I am very satisfied with its performance and plan to continue using HP products in the future as I found their tech support to be excellent the few times I used their service. Highly recommended.
I'm not at all sure why one reviewer with two Macs can't seem to get this printer on his network...I have two Macs at my house and it works perfectly with my wireless setup...I suspect that the problem is not with the printer in this instance. As for performance, it's not the fastest printer or the best scanner, but it does a more than adequate job for a home office environment...it's not a machine for heavy use, but is fine for general light home office printing, copying and document scanning (haven't used the fax at this point, so I can't comment on the fax performance). I was put off by many of the reviews here, but we happened to have a new unit sitting unused in the office which I adopted for the office in my home...and it has served me well...I would purchase another if my needs were similar...
My experience with HP 6110 still makes me fume. The 6210 is more or less the same machine. Dont be taken in by salesmen.
The machine was horrible, constantly not working and making copies at its own will. Hardware problems, the feeder doesnt work properly, we altogether gave up having it connected to the computer (winxppro) because of software problems...
Making a photocopy became hell on earth. And the machine cost somewhere around $350-. A total waste and a workstopper.
I just threw my unit out the window after trying to make a photocopy. Im not kidding. Out the window.
Buyers beware: Do not buy this junk!
Oh yes another thing. If you buy this: Keep your separate scanner, separate printer and separate fax machine. You'll most likely need them.
There are 2 computers in this household (both Macs), which need to share the printer. We plugged this printer directly into one of them, and tried every trick we could find online or off to get the other one to recognize it as a shared network printer. NO LUCK. We finally purchased an Airport Express, which we now use as a print server. However, this means that we have NO access to the printer's "all-in-one" functions (scanning, faxing), since the HP software will not recognize the printer unless it is plugged in to the computer directly.
It's a fine printer, but if I'd known all this in advance, I wouldn't have wasted the money buying an all-in-one machine.
Bought an HP Pavilion a1230n 3800+ with Media Center Nov-05 ; bought replacement Printer ( HP OfficeJet 6210 ) recently ; BOTTOM LINE : HP All-In-One will not install with ANY conflicting HP Programs already in-place! Only "problem" : they do not ID these "conflicts" ; they are letting the Purchasing Public ID these at several hundred bucks per CLIP !
The CD WILL NOT LOAD "HP_DIRECTOR" needed to run OfficeJet 6210 (AND OTHER OfficeJet All-In-Ones !) from the PC DeskTop ! That is what the "HP_Director" is for ! "Remote Control" ; I want to use it for an ALL-HOUSE PRINTER for the rest of the Family that is NOT as happy about ROUTING PRINT JOBS proceedures as I am !
Instead of loading, or even LISTING ANYTHING SENSIBLE OR WORTHWHILE , it just returns the following BOGUS Notice : "A more recent version of software for this product is already installed on your computer ! Simply connect the device to your computer and the software will automatically recognize the .... "; NOT !
Even the Folks at Best Buy cannot get this HP Printer "thing" to work with the HP Pavilion PC : From the way it ABORTS the CD-Load, I'd GUESS that it would work GREAT with anything EXCEPT a recent HP pre-loaded XP machine ! I did manage to get it to LOAD , and to work FIRST TIME , on my OLD, HOME-BUILT, ASUS M/B SHOP TEST COMPUTER BUILT FOM SPARE & JUNK LEFT-OVER PARTS ; with MicroSoft-ME O/S running !
What a SELLING POINT : RUNS GREAT ON WINDOWS-ME ! DO NOT USE WITH HP PRE-LOADED PC PRODUCTS ! That is , unless you can DISCOVER WHICH PRE-LOADS ARE CONFLICTING , AND WANT TO BUTCHER YOUR PRE-LOADED SYSTEM IN A GIANT EXPERIMENT TO HELP HP WITH THEIR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING SYSTEMS DESIGN PROBLEMS !
NOT EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MIND WHEN I SPENT A BUNDLE ON IT !
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I recently purchased the 6210 as a refurbished model at a really reasonable price for all the features you get. Now my last printer was an HP 710 all in one..and that thing after 7 years finally was becoming more than I could deal with, it was time for an upgrade.
I've read a good majority of the reviews before I had received my printer and got a bit concerned from the negative reviews, though I did get a good laugh, to see negative review because of shipping issues, from a 3rd party shipper (like that has anything to do with the printer).
Anyway, I'm running a slightly upgraded P4 Compaq, w/XP, that WAS running an older version HP printer software that was upgraded for XP and let me tell you...It took me a grand total of 1.5 hours to completely remove my old software, remove my old printer, remove new printer from box, hook up cables AND install software..I can only surmise that the people with the software issues are still looking for the "Any" key.
BTW, mine did come with a USB cable, which was from the refurbishment center. People crack me up complaining about no USB cable, is this your first printer? or any other electronics equipment for that matter. I have never purchased any printer, that came with the cable!! If they did send one, next thing you'd hear is, its too short, or its too long, guess some people are never happy.
Getting back on track here, I did one restart out of old habit (it didn't ask me too) and I was in business, I've faxed, printed, copied and scanned trying to find a glitch and I cannot. This thing prints quickly, quietly, and with enough quality for anything I'll ever need with school, work, or Personal. Yes, the scanner is a bit noisey, but show me one that isn't for this price and for what reason does it have to be as silent as a mouse?
I've only given it 4 stars due to the longevity factor. I have no idea how this printer is going to hold up, and couldn't bring myself to give it a perfect score because of it. If its anything like my last one (several years) I couldn't expect more.
I couldn't be happier with my purchase. This printer truly lives up to the HP name.
I enjoy my all in one HP 6210 Officejet. It is a great upgrade from the other HP all in one. Printed pictures turn out great.
When I upgrade again it will be a HP printer.
This is a recent purchase for work, I didn't choose it (I'm historically a fan of Epson and own an excellent scanner and would have gone for a RX520 or similar) but I think the criticism is unfair. The build quality is robust (it has survived many trips in the back of a truck) as with all HP products and the operation easy and very fast. As for the drivers, the people who have written reviews so far must be 'thick' (english for stupid). If you go to the excellent and comprehensive HP website, type in 6210 on a search you will be offered a plethora of options for drivers, from the massive 356MB all inclusive option to the 35MB USB printer/scanner driver only option, which all of these so called experts have missed. Doh! Yes the HP software is not as good as the stuff on offer from others (Epson arguably the best of the bunch, and compatible with the HP) but you don't have to install it if you don't want to. Just install the driver then use either the Windows Scanner Wizard (already part of W2K/XP) or other 3rd party software, such as the built-in features of Adobe Photoshop or others. If you don't know what you are talking about, don't write reviews that are inaccurate and unfair. This unit also offers excellent compatibilty with Macs and particularly Unix & GNU/Linux.
I was a loyal HP customer for 20 years but this product and the unbelievaly bad customer service has made me vow never to do business with them again. They lied and sent a "refurbished" unit that didn't work. I couldn't even get it started. Software took forever to load. I tried to work things out with HP but nobody seemed to know what they were doing. Save yourself time, money and aggravation and don't buy this product or any other HP printer unless you are a masochist.
These words don't even begin to describe my opinion of this entire line of HP products. In my IT career I have counted on HP to build the best of breed of everything, but these products are the worst of the worst of the worst. The software is atrocious, breaking everything around it and proving incapable of being removed, even with their little tools. The only way I have found to update or remove the software...is to format and re-install the OS.
This just isn't necessary for MFP's. Brother's software and drivers are delightfully simple by comparison. If for instance you just want to print to the crazy thing...they give you...drumroll please...a little printer driver file to use with the "Add New Printer" wizard. Even the scan and fax drivers with other vendors work with the facilities in Windows.
HP, I will not buy or recommend another MFC by you until your entire approach to this segment is revised. You have disappointed and annoyed a very loyal customer and reseller.
One word - don't. I use this, like most, for a multiple purpose office machine. I have barely had the product one year and it's toast. I spent over 45 mins (not exaggerating) online with the "support" staff to find out that they won't even tell you what is wrong if it is 10 mins out of warranty -- and you won't find that out until 44 mins into the call.
If you are looking for a reliable machine with good quality printing, keep looking - this is not a company that stands behind it's products. I've been burnt twice now with HP products and support service, never again.
I am not sure how it works yet it does not come with a USB cable so you can't set it up the day you receive it. I called the company and the person I spoke with the first time did not say go out and buy you one but we'll send it to you and it should be there in 5-7 days,10 days later I call the company I speak to a lady this time and she says sorry we can't send one out for another 38 days, and then I am told that the USB cable is not included. It is ok that you do not include the USB cable when you sell the product even though you need it to set it up and for the printer to work, by the time I get the USB cable my 30 day return time frame is over. thank you HP for such wonderful service, your customer for the last time.
I use this machine for all my small business needs...faxing,printing, scanning and copying. It is great for a home office. I have had this product for 3 months now with no complaints. Stormfront Productions (www.stormfrontproductions.net) wouldn't be the same without it!
I have the OfficeJet 6110 All-in-One for just over a year. It worked well for several months and I was very pleased with the purchase. But when I bought a new HP desktop (my old one was also an HP desktop), problems started happening. It took me days and millions of phone calls, the problem still persists. Here's what I figured out in the process about HP products:
1. HP's own printers and computers don't work together. Duplicate software get installed and conflict with each other.
2. HP's printer support staff do NOT talk to the computer support staff. When software conflicts start--all HP software, one has to figure out on one's own where the problems are before calling them. Otherwise, while various technical support staff try to diagnose the problem, more problems will happen as various drivers get deleted and re-installed.
3. Once an HP's software (my experience is mostly with HP printers) is installed, one can NOT get rid of it by uninstalling it. HP provides a "software cleanup utility", which must be run several times (with re-start in between) before actual de-install completes (if then). Often times, one has to manually get into various directories to delete folders. If one's desktop happens to be an HP as well, then good luck figuring out whether a particular HP folder should be deleted or kept. Sometimes one has to make changes in the registry in order to totally get rid of HP software. Hard to believe, but it's true.
4. If you run into problems with this printer, don't call for support. And absolutely do not use their chat line (staffed by entry level technicians). Now and then I get a good HP support staff, but mostly they are reading over some generic manual on their end and give you adivce that is, at best, useless.
Works very well for regular printing, scanning, copying and faxing. Normal print works fast in the Fast Normal and Draft modes. Photo printing is mediocre at best and print quality on HP, Canon and Kodak photo papers is bad. I found the best results on Epson's 8" x 10" glossy photo paper (from the Storyteller Kit) with printing in Normal mode. Was a little surprised to find that the print quality on Epson 4 x 6 glossy was not as good as the 8 x 10. I tend to compare print quality to the Canon i850 which is way faster and superior when it comes to photo printing.
I had trouble installing the software on the supplied CD on a mac. It was much easier to download all the software from the HP website.
If you are looking at photo printing, then this is not the model you want. All other home-office features work very well.
I have always been an HP fan and have owned 7 HP printers over the years, including 3 Laserjets. Until this one, I would have highly recommended HP but it appears HP has abandoned their loyal customers and is now producing garbage. I have had this all-in-one for 9 mo. and have yet to get it to scan more than once. After countless hours installing, re-installing on 2 different PCs, using HPs support website, tech support and even their senior tech support who sent me a new printer, it won't work. My last call involved 3+ hours on the phone dissecting my registry after which I was told I had operating system problems. From day one, the software locked up when I tried to scan. HP insists it will work on a clean install. So yesterday, I started with a new hard drive, installed Windows XP but nothing else and then the printer driver. It works -- once! Then I installed Office XP and after that it locks up the first time I try to scan. I will never, ever buy another HP product!!! After reading the reviews here and elsewhere, it is certain that this software is crap, as is the 6210. Half the people who write reviews have had problems with this overpriced paperweight. Stay FAR, FAR away!!! HP are you reading this??? Check case ID 6300331720. That's only one of 3 case IDs I have. If I billed you for all my time trying to make this 6210 work, I could buy a color laser printer!
I cannot recommend HP to anybody anymore. The company introduced regional coding, which means printer cartridges from one region cannot be used in another. For most this is probably not an issue, for those busily traveling around it is. Also, it is an issue of principle, its bad enough for DVD, but printer cartridges? HP has introduced this rather secretely and if you don't read the box cover etc very carefully, you may not notice. The main issue is in Europe. I got caught out. I bought a 3 catridges overseas - I could not use them on my HP printer. I asked for a refund, HP Email Support (US) was nice but ineffective. HP Customer Support (Europe) was snotty and very rude. I think HP does not care about its customers and this cost me over US$75, almost 50% of my printer (my sixth and last HP). Don't buy HP.
I picked this up at Best Buy last week to give my Dad additional faxing capability without extra desk clutter. So far, I'm pleased, although the cost of ink is outrageous! I have bought a refill kit specifically designed for the HP 94/96 (Black) and 95/97 (CMY) cartridges... I've had good luck with aftermarket ink, so that problem is solved for the most part (HP should sell their own "genuine" refill kits!)
My dad's computer (the one this is on) is still using Windows 98 R2, and I selected Basic Installation (as we had no need for the extra stuff that came with the Full install for our old HP PSC 2110... also a 4-Star printer). Since I followed the on-screen instructions, I finished the driver installation in less than 20 minutes (Wait until it tells you to plug the printer in before you do so, and make sure the printer is switched on in advance!)
Another word about the drivers. Windows took a long time to load the drivers for my old PSC 2110 on startup... it used to take so long that I would forget they were loading. HP appears to have addressed this issue by simply installing a driver without the darn "HP Command Central" or whatever it was called. This is an extremely important improvement over older models.
I printed a test page from MS Word, and it was fine. I printed a test page from Mozilla Firefox 1.0.7, and it was fine. Very swift for an inkjet, I must say, and the ink dries so fast there's no time to smudge!
The last test, which is probably not important for you, was printing from Word Perfect 5.1 for DOS (from a DOS box in Win98). There are drivers and instructions, available if you search for "WPDOS" on the totally-cool A9 search engine, that make this backward compatibility possible. Again, it worked perfectly, and seemed to get the print signal faster than the
I get my digital prints processed at the drugstore, so I did not test the photo printing quality... the drugstore is not much more expensive, and prints them using the traditional light-sensitive paper technique (which makes them last longer)... so I have no plan on using this feature of the printer.
I still have not had this printer for very long, and have only printed about a dozen pages with it, but I must say that I am initially pleased. The only improvements I can think of for this is HP find some way to lower the price of their ink cartridges without compromising quality, and also to separate their tri-color cartridge into three different cartridges (one cyan, one magenta, one yellow)... I believe Canon has already done this, so I plan on buying one of their printers next time I need a "printing-only" solution. I'm sure many people are wasting tons of ink and money thinking buying a whole new tri-color cartridge when only one color is out... again, that's why you should go with a refill kit.
More on refilling your ink... First, make sure you refill before the cartridge is empty. If the cartridge goes dry, the heating element responsible for jetting the ink out onto the paper will burn out, rendering the cartridge useless, and costing you a good 20 to 30 bucks. In addition, see to it that you find ink refills that are designed specifically for the HP 94/96 (Black) and HP 95/97 (CMY) and HP 99 (Photo, if necessary). "Universal ink" disappointed me with my PSC 2110, as it was runny, and did not dry quickly, leading to smudges. If you don't like the refilling process, you can also find "remanufactured" (factory-refilled) cartridges all over the internet (make sure whoever you buy them from sells HP-specific ink, or else you'll probably get universal ink in your new cartridge).
If anything bad happens, I'll update this review. I'm very pleased so far, just as I was with my old PSC 2110. This printer is pretty much the same, but it has a built-in document loader for copying/faxing, and has a modem slapped onto it for faxing purposes.
Okay, I'll silence myself now.
This machine has been a disaster since the day I've bought it. I've tried everything to fix it, I can't tell you how many important faxes I've lost because the only way I can get it to work is to unplug the device. Look elsewhere for an all in on
I bought the HP OfficeJet 6210 to use at home with my new G5 running Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger).
Installation and set-up was easy using the 8.5 X 11 color step-by-step instruction booklet.
I loaded the software off of the CD and everything seemed fine (date and time set automatically) until I tried to print a page. It would print out one page of garbage and then just start spitting out sheets of paper. The "Cancel" button stopped this immediately.
I suspected I had a driver problem because when I used the Printer Set-Up Utility I couldn't find the HP 6210 in the list of printers.
So, I went to the [...] website, and downloaded a new driver for OS 10.4 dated September 2005. It was only 14 MB in size, so it only took a couple of minutes to download and install.
After installing this driver, and then rerunning the printer Set-up Utility, I got it to print out the page I wanted, in color, with no problem. I also tested it printing in black only and printing multiple pages and copies. The copier and fax features work great, too.
I am very happy with this printer, just be aware you may need to update the drivers before you can use it.
I run a small business and had finally worn out my HP G85 OfficeJet and was looking for a replacement all-in-one for my home office. This was not it.
This is my second go around with this specific printer. I returned the first one because I thought I had a lemon. I was mistaken, they are just that bad.
Printer consistently jams if you try to print multiple documents. You can't see the jam because there is not one. You just press 'OK' like you had actually cleared something and it will start printing again.
It will not receive incoming faxes from certain types of fax machines. And yes, that was verified by HP support.
It will not work on any type of VOIP service. This was also verified by HP support.
And on & on .....
I cringed every time I selected 'File--->Print. If the printer were to have burst into flames and melted down to the very core of the planet I would not have been the least suprised.
Anyhow, I have thrown it in the trash. About 200 bucks down the tubes but it was more than worth it to avoid the daily frustration of dealing with this printer.
I have a love/hate relationship with HP printers. On one hand, their print quality is excellent, while their software is subpar.
My previous multi-function, a Lexmark X6170, was killed by a lightning strike, which made the fax modem inoperable. It had replaced an HP 6110 multi-function, which would not play well with WIN98SE. (See reviews for both.)
I was hesitant to try this new machine, but I've upgraded to XP since my last HP nightmare, and it really was the best overall choice out of all the ones I tested at the local office superstore.
To be safe, I installed the BASIC version of the software as opposed to a full install. A lot of the HP software is redundant anyways, so I thought I'd start from there.
In short, no problems at all. I have it on the two XP desktops and my XP laptop, and all three installations went smoothly from the get-go, which is important, since HP software doesn't always uninstall without a call to India where the nice folks will email you an uninstall patch that may or may not work! (Forgive me, I'm having flashbacks!)
Once you're up and running, you will love this machine. As pleased as I was with the Lexmark, it could never equal the print/copy quality of this machine.
One of my main concerns is faxing. It does a great job here as well. I fax legal sized docs from time to time, so the multi-sheet feeder lets me do that even though the glass area is only letter sized. I use a calling card so I use on-hook dialing often, which is easy to do, other than an annoying delay from the time you push the buttons until it makes the tone sound.
PicBridge is nice, if you print photos, which I don't. I tried it with my Canon Elph (great camera BTW) and it printed a really good quality photo right from the camera, using regular ink and paper. I imagine the quality would be outstanding with photo paper & ink, but why, when you can get them printed off disk for peanuts at the local drug store?
Ink is not an issue for me because I buy it in bulk from a well-known auction site and refill them myself. Easy to do. Every now and then they quit working and you'll be forced to buy a new one, but not often.
Here's my adivce: buy it, try installing it once using the basic install rather than full. (Disable your anti-virus software before starting.) If it works, great, if not, return it. Don't waste your time with HP "support" or trying to re-install and un-install, etc. It will drive you nuts.
Also, I would skip it if you are still running anything other than XP.
I will update this as time goes by if I discover any defects, but so far, I love it!
After reading what others wrote, I was a little skeptical too. There was one review from, Old Pick Guy "MPR" that really helped. I went to the HP website and downloaded the full download they have available. Not really knowing a whole lot about this, I thought maybe if I had all the goodies on my system before I attempted to use the software - just maybe I would dodge that bullet too.
Well, I did dodge it! I didn't even have to use the software that came with the unit. It took me about an hour, because I followed the instructions and took my time. It runs great, no problems and cross my fingers I hope it will continue. I did purchase the warranty from the retailer, so I hope I have all my bases covered.
It's great to be able to review a product and know what others think about a particular item. If there are any problems, I will be back to let you know. For right now, I really like this unit - it's perfect!
does what is make forand more, i'm very happy with this printer
I had this unit for about four months. Today while making copies I got the message 'carriage jam'. I tried every possible solution on the support page, nothing solved the problem. I called technical support, I had to waste 90 minutes talking to a guy who did not have a clue. All he suggested was to do the things I already had done. Finally he decided to replace the unit.
Now I have to mail it back and they will send a new one within 5-7 business days.
If you are going to buy this unit get the extended warranty from the retailer so you do not have to go through this.
This is a pretty good little unit. We set it up on a Dell 8400 running Windows Media with a 3.2 GHz HT processor using the included software and had it up and running in about 15 minutes. We later encountered problems setting it up on a 4-year-old Dell with a 1 GHz processor.
We've printed black and white as well as some color invitations all to our satisfaction as well as have faxed and scanned without problems.
The unit is a little noisy and shakes when printing in draft mode; however, it's not much of an issue when using normal settings.
Given the price and features I'm satisfied. If you're running an older PC you may encounter the setup issues that others have noted.
I bought this unit ,hooked it up and had no problems for six months. I read all the reports on it not working and wonder what I did right. I am not a computer savy person,just followed directions and it worked like it was suppose to.
Maybe it liked me!!!!
PS Some say the ink is expensive,what printer has cheap ink??
My printer and my fax machine decided to break at the same time. I called HP for their trade in/trade out option and was told the 6210 was the replacement model and I ordered it. Afterwards I came to Amazon to read reviews and was very apprehensive about this machine I had just purchased. I anticipated a lot of problems installing the software and getting this machine going based on the reviews I read. I'm happy to say - so far so good! It took me less than a half hour to get it up and going with no problems at all! It is a little noisy and shakes when printing but it's faster than my old printer so I'll deal with the noise and shaking!
(UPDATE: It died after one year of light-to-moderate use. The scanner light bar doesn't come on anymore; therefore the scanning and faxing function are not working, making it just a printer. The "all", in All-in-one, broke.)
First, this machine is for light use at home. If you intend to print books off of this thing, get a laser jet. And the ink will cost you a FORTUNE!
I won't go over the details that are mentioned above, but here is what I have noticed:
1) You MUST inhibit your "plug-n-play" desires; if you plug this machine into your computer BEFORE you load the software you WILL have problems! (follow the directions)
2) Yes, the software does take a while to load. But it's worth it to have the ability to use all the cool features. (When it works.)
3) It's a bit louder than I thought I heard in the store, but not too loud. I am using it at home, and I can hear it down the hall, so if that's too loud...
4) In order to FULLY open the lid (to the glass), you will need at least 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) in clearance behind the machine. So, shoving this all the way against a wall is not recommended.
5) Paper jams. Had a few that took a good long while to figure out. There's a little gray door on the back that you will become intimately familiar with -- it's the key to most printing jams (that happen quite frequently.)
6) The quality of the scan is great! Works with Adobe's Acrobat and Photoshop CS. You just push the "Scan To" button until you see the program you want to scan to and then hit "Start Scan." So easy (when it chooses to recognize that you have these programs installed - which is about every other time.)
7) Fax works well; easy to use.
8) If you are a dust freak... the dark gray plastic shows dust easily.
9) As another reviewer stated, the ink DOES NOT last all that long. There are, however, cartridges that have twice the capacity (at twice the price.)
10) I recommend testing the outlet you plan on plugging this into. First, be sure it has a working ground, and secondly, make sure it is producing the required voltage (115-120 volts). Why? My printer was giving me a "carriage jam" error after every page, among other problems. HP's website has a 5-step walk-thru that found and fixed the problem (which was inadequate power from the outlet.)
1) Had recurring issues with the software, and HP help line was of no help. They kept telling me to just uninstall it and reinstall it. Then they got to the point where they were telling me that I didn't know what i was doing. (Ummm, good thing it was done over the phone, buddy.)
Hmmm, I have changed my "HIGHLY recommended" review to a maybe-not-so-hot re