HP Photosmart 8050 Ink Cartridges

HP 8050 Printer Review

The HP Photosmart 8050 is a photo inkjet printer that is well received by experts due to the decent amount of features it bundles for its low price tag. The 8050 can print at some of the quickest speeds in its class of home units, printing a maximum output of 21 pages per minute for monochrome documents and taking less than 1 minute to print 4x6-inch photos. While users may end up spending more on replacement Photosmart 8050 printer ink than the actual device, those with low-volume needs will benefit from its rich set of features and speeds.

The 8050 has a light weight of less than 10 pounds and its size of 18x9x6 inches is compact enough to allow users to print comfortably from their desks. The unit comes with a standard rear USB port that can be used to connect to a user's PC, as well as a PictBridge port and card reader that supports popular formats like CompactFlash and SD cards for direct photo printing. Its 1.8-inch LCD display located on the control panel functions as a preview screen and offers users the ability to touch up images prior to printing. The panel also includes a number of buttons for print functions and a four-way menu pad.

The 8050 supports documents with a maximum media size of 8.5x24 inches and can handle a number of different media types like greeting cards, photo paper, labels and envelopes. With the ability to handle a maximum paper capacity of 100 pages and a monthly duty cycle of only 3,000 pages, this unit should be used for light-duty printing.

Expert tests revealed that this device can print sharp and detailed photos with a maximum resolution of 4800x1200 dpi using color HP 8050 printer ink. What's impressive is that the unit also has a satisfactory monochrome output, printing text characters with precision at a resolution of 1200x1200 dpi.

The device operates with a 6-color HP 8050 ink cartridge system that uses one 330-sheet capacity tricolor, 420-sheet black, 130-sheet photo color and 80-sheet photo gray Photosmart 8050 ink supply. While users have the option to upgrade to high-capacity replacements that can last up to 560 pages for the tricolor supply and 860 pages for the black HP 8050 ink cartridge, their high costs and relatively low yield limit the machine to light-duty printing.

Other than pricey supplies, there aren't many major flaws to be found in the 8050. Users that want a quality home photo printer with fast output speeds and plenty of on-hand features should consider this inkjet device.