HP Photosmart 385 Ink Cartridges

HP 385 Printer Review

Consumers who are looking for a photo printer that is small enough to take on the road, but durable enough to handle daily photo printing, the HP Photosmart 385 is worth a closer look. This inkjet printer is small, with a frame of approximately 5x9x4 inches and a very light weight of only about 3 pounds, making it easy to bring to parties and family reunions. Because of the various connection options, a computer is not always needed to print photos.

There is a single HP 385 ink cartridge that is supplied in the box upon purchase, as well as a power cord, setup and user guides, and a software CD. The starter printer ink is typically a lower capacity than standard options. Replacement tricolor Photosmart 385 ink can yield up to 560 pages. The cyan, magenta, and yellow HP 385 ink will combine to create a black color, but what about black-and-white photos? There is a special photo gray Photosmart 385 ink cartridge that can be installed for that.

Though it gets mixed reviews from users, the 385 is undoubtedly able to generate top quality and offers a number of useful features. Connection can be made via USB, memory card slots, or PictBridge port, and the 385xi also offers networking. Images can be previewed and selected on the 2.5-inch color LCD that flips up from the top panel, and 16 MB of RAM is included. Just in black-and-white, a resolution of up to 1200x1200 dpi can be reached, but this increases to 4800x1200 dpi in color.

Only about 20 sheets can fit on the input tray and print speed maxes out at about 1 page per minute, but the benefits of a portable printer go beyond speed. It is able to produce vivid borderless photos with HP PhotoREt III software and inkjet technology. There is also an optional battery that can be purchased which will allow users to print up to 70 photographs without the device being plugged into a power source.

Overall, this unit would not be good for a busy office, but it is ideal for amateur photographers that like to take their hobby on the road. Replacement HP 385 ink is affordable and various paper types can be used to create an array of high-quality projects.