HP Photosmart 8250 review

Features
In some ways, using the HP Photosmart 8250 in standalone mode is more convenient than printing with it from a Windows or Macintosh computer. For example, you can print multipage bar-coded proof sheets on plain paper, mark selected images and layout choices with a pen, then feed it back into the printer, which scans the sheet and cranks out the requested prints. The same built-in scanner reads paper type and size from bar codes on the back surface of HP Advanced Photo Paper. Because this paper has a porous coating rather than a glossy swellable polymer, it can offer faster drying times and improved water and smudge resistance. However, many people will object to the matte look of the new paper and stick with the glossy options. In conjunction with the reformulated Vivera inks (CMYK, light cyan and light magenta) when framed under glass, the prints can last as long as 40 to 50 years, according to Wilhelm Imaging Research.

Standalone printing is also the only way to access the printer's panorama feature, which allows you to create superlong landscape pictures measuring as large as 215x610mm. In addition to printing from a computer, the HP Photosmart 8250 supports PictBridge-compatible digital cameras or your choice of CompactFlash I/II, SD/MMC, SmartMedia, Memory Stick and xD-Picture cards. With the optional HP bt300 Bluetooth wireless printer adaptor, you can print from camera phones, PDAs and other Bluetooth-enabled gadgets. A big 64mm (2.5-inch) LCD along with built-in preview and editing tools let you crop, zoom, brighten inky shadows, banish demon red-eyes or print frames from video clips.

Performance
The HP Photosmart 8250 uses a new, innovative ink-feeding system that routes ink from the supply tanks to a reservoir, much like the continuous-feed tanks found on high-end, large-format inkjet printers (and sometimes retrofitted to consumer models with third-party kits). The system, unlike conventional drop-on-demand technology, allows the printer to recycle excess ink, including the ink wasted during head cleaning and alignment. It also reduces delays caused by pumping ink into the printhead between jobs.

As a result, the system allows the Photosmart 8250 to accurately gauge whether there is enough ink to complete the current print job, so it can pause for a refill between sheets rather than wasting paper or ink printing a partial page. One claimed advantage of this system is increased page yield from a given ink tank over previous and competing models.

The factory-installed printhead has 650 nozzles per colour -- 3,900 in all -- that are automatically calibrated during initial setup. Because the ink tanks and the printhead are separate components, HP claims that calibration won't be needed again for the life of the printer. More nozzles generally translates to faster print speeds, and the 8250 is certainly sprier than its predecessors.

CNET Labs inkjet printer perfomance
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Photo speed

Text speed

HP Photosmart 8250

1.12

5.34

Canon Pixma iP8500

0.59

3.49

Epson Stylus Photo R800

0.38

1.98

Although our test prints were generally very good, they were marred by a grainy appearance that was clearly visible even without magnification. The effect, which we attributed to the relatively large ink droplets used by the Photosmart 8250, was most noticeable in broad areas of even colour, such as sky. In addition, we saw some stairstepping in diagonal lines, particularly within text. However, the colours were good, with realistic flesh tones and excellent saturation, but with a slight blue cast on some prints. There was lots of detail in highlights and shadows, and we saw little banding.

Edited by Lori Grunin
Additional editing by Nick Hide