HP OfficeJet V40 Ink Cartridges

HP V40 Printer Review

The HP OfficeJet V40 and the V40xi combine to form a basic series of multifunction inkjet printers that can print, scan, copy and fax documents. The V40 is rated for maximum speeds of only 8 pages per minute for monochrome documents and 7 pages per minute for color, which are well behind the top of its class. From its slow speeds to pricey OfficeJet V40 printer ink and simple controls, this home office device doesn't match up to other models in a similar price range.

The device comes with a handful of office-centric features, like double-sided printing for tablet and booklet projects, poster printing, and modes to optimize photocopying and faxing. For scanning convenience, it comes with a 20-sheet automatic document feeder. Paper handling is one area where the V40 suffers, however, including only a 50-sheet input tray for plain paper printing.

The unit's front panel offers basic control, providing a small monochrome LCD, a keypad for fax dialing and LEDs that will flash when HP V40 printer ink is low. The unit uses drop-on-demand and PhotoREt image enhancement technology that can print graphics and photos with a resolution of 2400x1200 dpi on specialty photo paper. Text prints are crisp enough to support home projects with a resolution of 600x600 dpi using black OfficeJet V40 ink.

The unit uses one tricolor supply and one HP V40 ink cartridge that can become expensive to replace, but available remanufactured ink can help reduce running costs. Each black supply can yield up to 500 pages and tricolor HP V40 ink cartridges have a capacity 450 pages.

The V40 isn't a complete letdown, but its basic set of features and slow speeds make it seem overpriced. Light-duty home users that want a 4-in-1 multipurpose printer that offers more flexibility for their money should look at other inkjet units in its class.