HP 920 Ink
FAX 920 Ink Cartridges

HP 920 Printer Review

Though faxing is a form of communication that is rapidly being replaced by scanners and email, some home and small offices still use this technology to send important documents. The HP FAX 920 is a simple, stand-alone fax machine with a number of useful features and the ability to serve as a low-volume copier as well. The 920 can only produce black-and-white documents and lacks the speed and quality of more current devices on the market, still it is reliable, and a bargain for the price.

Up to 100 speed-dial numbers are available, as well as 10 one-touch options and 20 group dial numbers. The 920 will automatically redial a number up to 5 times if the line is busy or the call was not answered. For incoming calls, this inkjet unit has an answering machine that answers all of them. As the message plays, it listens for a fax tone, which then activates it to receive a fax. It has a 65-page memory, so even large documents should be received with ease, and pages won't be lost when the machine is out of paper.

Only a single HP 920 ink cartridge is used in this machine and contains only black printer ink. Fortunately, the yield of the FAX 920 ink cartridge, which is 720 pages, is almost as large as the monthly duty cycle of the device, which is 830 pages, so replacements will not be required often. To reduce operation costs even further, many third-party vendors offer remanufactured HP 920 ink, which costs less than half as much as the OEM versions.

This G3 fax machine has a transmission speed of 14.4 Kbps, which equates to a receipt time of about 6 seconds per page. This speed is not too bad, but the quality is not going to be spectacular. Because only black FAX 920 printer ink is used, the maximum resolution is only 203x98 dpi, so documents will be a bit grainy. The Error Correction mode is present to automatically detect transmission errors and repair them without interfering with production.

Anyone that is looking for a basic inkjet fax machine that will deliver average output rates and quality should take a look at the 920. Remanufactured HP 920 ink will keep this device within reach of a small budget, and the speed-dial options make it convenient to connect with frequent contacts. Just don't expect fast speeds or high-quality output.