HP's recent Photosmart C5380 is a great quality product, that has very few disadvantages and it is among the best multifunctions for its selling price and also a terrific investment for families.
Very little has altered aesthetically from the C5380's predecessors. This device includes exactly the same gloss white fascia of HP's other inkjet devices, which includes a simple control scheme along with a modest colour Liquid crystal display for PC-less operation.
USB 2.0 is the sole connection choice. Nevertheless, the machine has a memory card reader, together with support for MemoryStick, SD, xD, CompactFlash cards as well as a secondary USB port to be used with PictBridge-capable devices.
What the C5380 does not have in connectivity, it more than makes up for with print quality. We have experienced issues with the caliber of prior HP inkjets however the C5380 is a clear indication of alteration in this regard. Text documents are very clear as well as legible, and are comparable in quality to similarly priced mono laser printers. Colour documents that have graphical parts are better yet, with clean text accompanied by precise as well as vibrant colours.
Photographs posses excellent, radiant colours, surpassing the results of Canon's. The C5380 is among the first mid-range inkjet models we have run into that's not susceptible to any banding problems. The direct result is an excellent quality photo, unmarred by the difficulties frequently related to inkjet equipment. The one minor niggle we had with the C5380's quality was indications of the print rollers' track marks apparent under direct light. Basically, the C5380 offers the very best print quality we have witnessed at this kind of low cost point.
The C5380's print rate is likewise spectacular. A draft quality text document prints at an average 20.6 pages each minute, with the first page released in 15.3 seconds, decreasing to 10.9ppm at normal quality. Graphical documents are just slightly slower, with draft quality documents printing at 18.75ppm along with normal quality documents at 6.3ppm. Photograph printing rates of speed are a bit slower: an ordinary 4x6in photograph will print in 27sec, plus an A4 picture at regular quality prints in 1min 14sec. Although these rates are not the quickest we have observed, the C5380 prints more quickly on a more consistent basis than other devices. The standard of CD/DVD printing is impressive. Quality is very influenced by the printable media employed, even so the printer managed to turn out good quality CDs and also DVDs. Colours are not as vivid as pictures made by the unit, yet detail levels are still reasonably high. The media we employed throughout screening was somewhat liable to smudging in dark colours, yet generally we were impressed with the final results.
The associated software is exceptional; thanks to an easy-to-follow approach which guides the user through media selection, template design and style, photo and text editing as well as print options. There are not exhaustive choices - Canon's proprietary software gives more room for photograph and also text customisation - however for the majority of users this shouldn't be an issue.
In spite of this printer's quality, consumables aren't excessively pricey. With four high-capacity
http://www.cartcon.co.uk/InkCartridges/HP/C5380.htm it's not the least expensive multifunction available, but it is not going to break your budget either.
The sole shortcoming of the C5380 is it's scanning. Fine detail is not hard to find at an optical resolution of 4800dpi - and this definitely helps very detailed monochrome scans - however scanned images are mostly under-saturated, creating images paler than their source. The C5380's scanner can be frustrating. Though the cover's hinges will move a bit to permit scanning of thicker material, they aren't flexible enough to install a thick book without chance of breaking.
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