HP Photosmart C4480 Color All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer, Scanner & Copier, 8.5" x 11.7" Scan, USB Interface

2009-11-27T19:00:00

I've had Hp printers/scanners for years and years. I have really liked every model I've owned so I no longer even spend my time comparative shopping for other brands. The Hp PhotoSmart C4480 is the exception. I've had it for almost exactly one year and It's not much of an exaggeration to say "I hate this printer!" I got it when I bought an Apple IMac Pro laptop for my daughter so it originally came with Apple drivers installed. I went through Hades trying to get a Windows Pc driver installed. It was a nightmare! Now several of the programs which I previously used to scan photos and documents into the computer " cannot find" or "cannot read" the printer, though a couple still can. Same programs, so why can't they find this printer when they could find or read the others? This thing drinks ink! I can't believe how quickly it goes through an ink cartridge. The colors, when printing photos (with the tri-color cartridge, not a photo cartridge) are very poor, bearing little resemblance to the actual colors. Many times I get an error message and it says to change the settings on the printer/scanner, which I can't do. It also says to refer to the manual, which I didn't get with the printer and I can't find the subject or the fix for the problem in help. The printer/scanner seems to have it's own software that is independent of the software associated with the applications. (Like MS Word-File-Print, then properties in the dialogue box. You must change the settings in two different locations, the application's print function as described and then the printer/scanner's properties in the Control panel, for them to take effect. (Changing from letter size regular paper to 4X6 photo paper, from portrait to landscape, etc.) You must change the properties in two different dialogue boxes to make it happen. I'm not a computer expert by any means, but I've been using them for twenty years and it just shouldn't be this hard to operate a printer/scanner. I am still sold on Hp computers and other products, but this one is a clunker.

DudleyDoright

Originally posted at

2009-11-16T19:00:00

I have had this printer since May 2008 and used it consistantly for my school work and everyday printing needs. I can not believe anyone would knock this printer and scanner. The software installs as well as any I have ever installed and if one simply "READS" the directions to install the printer to the computer in the proper sequence they should have no problem.The fact that it does not come with a USB Cable is of "MINOR" importance. Anyone who has been computing for any length of time probably has them lying around everywhere as I do, and if not, they are only a few dollars if one knows where to shop. The page output per cartridge is very close to what is advertised and the fact that the Black value priced cartridge is around $15.00 is easy on the pocket book when you have to rush out to replace it and it and is that end of the pay period time of the month. HP has even released Driver and Software Upgrades for this printer since I recieved mine. Take into consideration the rebate they are offering now and the fact that it is Windows 7 ready and you just can not go wrong with this purchase. Thank You Again HP.

GGordon

Originally posted at

2009-11-16T19:00:00

I was very happy with this product for the first year I had it. I printed many photo album pages as well as scanning and copying. Unfortunately, the printer recently stopped working. It started giving me a "paper jam" message, after it would start feeding a paper in and then stop it halfway. I tried everything-- cleaned the rollers, removed the back panel, and reset the machine. It still will not work, and I fear I will have to replace it.

jaynastlouis

Originally posted at

2009-11-09T19:00:00

this unit twists the paper during loading, jams, then says "out of paper".

costumer55555

Originally posted at

2009-10-28T20:00:00

This is an excellent printer, much faster than my old,still in use, HP Deskjet 932C. Scans and prints with good quality. HP is the only printer I would ever consider.

printwizard

Originally posted at

2009-10-17T20:00:00

This is my 5th HP printer and I have been very well satisified with my previous HP products and their programs. I found this replacement printer lacking in what I was wanting, for It did not flow with my program setup I already have, and I was very disappointed in this particular printer. I could not get it to do what I wanted it to, and I am very unhappy with its pertinent program and how it is set up to work.

hadie

Originally posted at

2009-08-06T20:00:00

I bought this printer 2 months ago to replace my old C3180. They both are similar but the C4480 is faster and has a better look. The control panel buttons are well design and easy to use. The scanner works well and the OCR which I use very often behaves well. It easy to install as long as you follow the instructions, specially the one that tells you when to connect the USB cable to the printer because otherwise, you will have problems with the functions, specially when you want to scan. The option of bigger cartridge with more ink (3X) is a great plus. The photo seems very good althoug I have printed only one during the instalation. I really don't understand why the printer doesn't come with the USB cable. That is a minus. Last thing: the paper catcher and paper tray need a better desing. I haven't had any problem so far; I ussually print reports of less than 10 pages but it seems to me that sooner or later I will have a real jamn when I need to print a bigger report while I am not looking at the printer. The price: excellent. So I recommend this printer very much.

njrm

Originally posted at

2009-08-04T20:00:00

I have had more problems with this printer in the past month than I have ever had with any other product. Most of the time my computer is not able to find the printer and I have to shut off the printer, unplug everything for 10 minutes and than try again. I have had to reinstall the printer on my computer 3 times, plus you constantly need to download upgrades for the printer to work. The ink is cheap for this printer but it maybes lasts a month and the print quality isn't very good, especially for pictures. I would NOT recommend this printer to anyone. It has caused me more headaches than anything, especially to scan documents.

DntBuyHP

Originally posted at

2009-06-22T20:00:00

printer is good once you get it to work, but getting it to work it something else. i had mine for several weeks now, and im still having problems printing.

printer0215

Originally posted at

2009-05-21T20:00:00

We bought this printer because we wanted a good all-in-one printer with afforable ink because we were planning on printing our own wedding invitations and stationery. This printer would not align anything consistently. I wasted hundreds of dollars and numerous hours of stress because of this printer. One would come out perfectly, then 5 wrong. The misalignment was never consistent so I couldn't even make an adjustment on the screen to accomadate for the printer. Don't even try to print labels on this printer either. You can not get them to ever come out in the proper spacing. I even removed the software from my computer and reloaded it, but it still didn't work. I have done similar projects in the past with other printers and never had problems like this. This printer would be good if you are just printing word documents Not very good for anything like pictures and stationery. Also, the printer can not be on when we reboot our computer. The computer goes blank and freezes until we turn the printer off. Plus side, the ink was afforadable. I have always been a fan of HP printers but I am looking elsewhere this time.

Bride09

Originally posted at

2009-05-21T20:00:00

I have this printer and after about a year of good service, it stopped working. After several attempts to fix, I figured out that the printer can not be connected to the computer. I even got a new printer cable and still could not connect. So good for about 12 months and then a piece of dead weight. Can't use any features even the copier.

PFree

Originally posted at

2009-05-15T20:00:00

Easy to use. I bought this one about 5 months ago. Only problem is it would fall asleep if you left it on and you couldn't wake it. But HP recently sent a patch that fixed that problem. Pictures are really great quality and new ink cartridges are priced affordable. I will never buy anything but a HP because of the quality of their printers!

rkdunsmore

Originally posted at

2009-05-15T20:00:00

I got this printer 2 days ago. Setup was a breeze, and every feature worked perfectly. I needed a simple printer for home use, and this one, esp. for its very reasonable price, filled the bill exactly. Thank you, HP

Cabala

Originally posted at

2009-05-05T20:00:00

This is my 3rd home use HP printer in 17 years. I have read all the reviews and just did some testing of my own. 1. software does take a long time to install, but thats a no brainer as you only do it once. Follow directions and NO problems at all. 2. Yes it scans slow, but so did all my other scanners. 3. In all print projects I just tested, it performed flawlessly. I printed: spreadsheet (2 full pages in less than 2 sec. with lines), quarter fold card ( with graphics and multi colored fancy text), 30 labels (complex text design), cd label (text and background pictures), postcards (4 to a page with freehand drawing), photos (lots of color and details). I also scanned 3 postcards and 2 photos, both came out perfect. Every printed page was perfect and every color print and graphic was outstanding quality. To say I put this printer to the test would be an understatement. it never jammed, it didn't lock up, and the buttons on the front (if you read the book on how to choose how many copies you want) worked perfectly. Of course I don't expect the ink to last as long as my other printers as this cartridge is smaller and holds less ink overall. However the cartridges are reasonably priced compared to some others. The only reason it has 4 stars on features is: The paper catcher and paper tray being almost in same position (no device to seperate the papers once its been ejected). Since I sit right here when printing it's not a problem for me, but I can see where this would be a problem if you had to leave a print job. I would definitely recommend this printer for home use to anyone. Its also very attractive and sleek looking. The two card readers are a plus.

honesttruth

Originally posted at

2009-04-13T20:00:00

I had this printer and scanner for about a year now and it's worked perfectly... till now that is. Something was wrong with the scanner, while the printer was working perfecly without flaws... Everytime i push the scan button on the printer it always says the same response "USB is not plugged in" and the USB was plugged in I made sure of that. I checked up multiple websites and i realized that i wasn't the only person in the world experiencing this difficulty. I tried updating but it just didn't seem to work. I do love this printer though, when it worked it worked like a charm and the performance is great.

fdasfasfasfas

Originally posted at

2009-04-03T20:00:00

Bought based on good luck with previous HP printers and an earlier review that stated "30 minute set-up". How true. I took it out of the box at 2:32PM, walked out the door to go to work at 2:58PM after having printed the test page on completion of set-up! Great print quality! Looks more like a laser-jet than an Ink-Jet. Print quality is better than the 2175 it replaced (due to new OS compatibility problems). I like the "estimated ink levels" pop-up, also. Get the XL cartridges, though. I went through the included black regular cartridge in about a month. The only real downside (as talked about in other reviews) is the lack of a decent catch tray for what prints out. Some reviews said the "no included USB cable" was a minus, but it just means I don't have another extra cable laying around as I just used the one from the machine it replaced. It was a neutral issue for me. This is good to know, though, if this your first printer or the old printer didn't use a USB cable First copy is slow, but if doing multiple copies the rest come out very quickly. Great photo quality - even with just the standard color cartridge. Haven't tried it with the photo cartridge. I do miss the 2 fewer memory card slots than what I had on the 2175 (especially since they kept the ones I don't use!!), but you can't have everything. Again, for the price a very capable and great little printer/scanner/copier. Every bit as good (or better) as a machine I would have had to pay much more for (and they still didn't have the memory card slots I would use!!).

Retirednuke

Originally posted at

2009-04-01T20:00:00

If I had not received this printer for free when I purchased my laptop I would be furious. This is by far the worst printer I have ever owned. On the very rare occasions when I can coax the printer to actually print my documents, the device works fine. However, actually getting the printer to load paper and print is nearly impossible. The printer jams every single time I load it.

Reviewer1

Originally posted at

2009-03-29T20:00:00

Apparently centronics connectors are another one of those industry standards that became obsolete. My old HP LaserJet 1100 printer, which worked perfectly for 10 years is now useless on my new computer. And my old HP flatbed scanner is incompatable with Vista. I hated to part with those good friends, but this replacement appears to be the ideal solution for my needs. Setup was easy, it saves space, especially with the scanner function combined and the price was right.

BillK48

Originally posted at

2009-03-20T20:00:00

The printer is working beautifully with no problems. It prints fast and all in all is fun to use. A big "thank you" for this printer. And last but not least, it takes up so little space. I love it.

chaz9028

Originally posted at

2009-03-20T20:00:00

I got this printer about six (6) months ago and I have not had any problems . I thank this is a very good printer for home are whatever a person need is.

houston4480

Originally posted at

2009-02-23T19:00:00

One of the best printers that I ever owned. It dose a great job at printing and it is prints very fast.

CountryChick

Originally posted at

2009-02-05T19:00:00

I needed just a basic all in one inkjet printer. Besides the fact that it freezes up, it's great. The print quality is excellent. However, every 3rd or 4th time I scan something (either scan it to the computer or want to make a copy), it freezes up. This is very frustrating because it happens all the time! I have to unhook the power cord, wait ten seconds, then re-plug it in and wait for it to boot up.

printastic

Originally posted at

2009-02-02T19:00:00

This printer has a very basic design flaw. It really needs one more piece of plastic to catch and separate the printed pages from the plain paper stack. Works okay if you're printing one page,but by the time the fourth page is printed, static electricity or something is picking up the first printed page and feeding it along with the next plain sheet. Trouble is, it's not only feeding two sheets simultaniously, the one that's riding piggy-back goes in slightly sideways. Very bad jams. My bad for buying from pictures instead of in person. This is probably good for photos, but not multi-page documents.

MuddMama

Originally posted at

2009-01-24T19:00:00

Trouble with sheets of paper. there is nothing that says how many prints do you want. Maybe it is too soon to review it. I am use to a printer fax. Nice size for desk. Give me a few more days.

diva11

Originally posted at

2009-01-12T19:00:00

I haven't even had this printer for 30 days now, and it has frozen up on me during almost every scanning project, and it is now freezing up on me while I try to print from my PC. This is the worst printer I have had to deal with!! Ever!!

marley2

Originally posted at

2009-01-08T19:00:00

There are so many things that do not work with this printer, there isn't enough room to write. It is my second PSC within 4 months. Distorted scans, paper jams, has a mind of it's own. Shoots blank paper by the tens for no reason. Hard to figure out unless you are into Photos, which I am not. Tried to get the simplist PSC made by HP and this was recommended. I am totally dissatisfied with it, would never recommend it to anyone. As my son who also bought it, and is on his second one also, said, "in my opinion it is a piece of junk!!"

atilla

Originally posted at

2009-01-07T19:00:00

This machine is reasonably priced, copies, scans, and prints with just a press of a button. The disc made installing a snap. From the time out of the box to actually scanning documents to my boss was 30 minutes. Most of this time was the installation time. It prints a little slow; but, then I am used to my laser printer. This is an excellent starter all in one device or for someone who uses a printer, scanner, or copier only a few times per month. I plan to upgrade into a wireless, faster, and photosmart printer with more color choices for better quality pictures. Until then, I am thrilled with the 4400.

Starlight

Originally posted at

2009-01-07T19:00:00

Bought this printer yeasterday. The Photos are so bright and vivid,and labels print well too. The only thing I don't like about it is I can't seem to get it set to print greeting cards on the 5 x 7 cards. I have tried everything I know,and they are never lined up right. However it prints beutifully on Letter paper sixe cards.Otherwise it is a winner...

valleymiss234

Originally posted at

2009-01-03T19:00:00

this printer did not connect to my computer properly, after trying to get help online and following the directions of deleting the printer program, I now cannot get into my online photos. The printer is noisy and jammed on the first try. I am very attached to my photos.

Upset3

Originally posted at

2009-01-02T19:00:00

We have 2 and both have feeding and jamming issues its definitely a big problem and after 6 months I'm allready on the market for a new printer. not recommended.

gee5

Originally posted at