a cheap and mostly cheerful printer (HP Deskjet F380 All-in-One)

Member Name: shopaholicleo

Product:	HP Deskjet F380 All-in-One
Date:	12/09/08 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: low price, 3 in 1

Disadvantages: sometimes it picks up too many sheets of paper, substitutes colours

I bought this printer in my first term at uni, for the bargain price of £30, which I thought was pretty decent for a printer, scanner and copier. I try not to use it excessively, so I have only had to change the ink twice since November. It seems relatively economical, as you can get your old cartridges refilled at a cheaper cost than buying them new.

The quality although not perfect, is fine for general documents such as essays and pictures to get your idea across. I find that sometimes it substitutes colours, such as blue for green but this isn't always an issue. It isn't best for photo quality, but I didn't buy it for this reason anyway and would prefer to do that elsewhere but it's handy if you just want to print off something quickly to show a friend. I am happy with it's scanning and copying quality and I recently discovered it scans text as well, which is useful for quotes etc.

It rarely jams though it did seem to stop working for a bit, until i went through the online troubleshooting guide and realised that there was actually a necklace stuck in the back. It worked again once I'd removed it. I would just make sure you don't put too much paper inside, as sometimes it can pick up multiple sheets. If you check the instructions, it can print on a variety of thicknesses such as card.

I would recommend this for students, as long as you use it reasonably, it can help a great deal with your work.

Summary: great for students until you save up for the best