HP 5940 Printer (HP Deskjet 5940)

Member Name: nks62

Product:	HP Deskjet 5940
Date:	01/08/08 (296 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks and feels well-made, speedy and economical black and white printing

Disadvantages: Price, need to download new software for Vista

I have owned this printer for nearly two years now, when I originally purchased at £60, it did seem pricey for fairly light usage on a student budget, but it has definately turned out to be the right choice!

Pluses:

It looks pretty reasonable on the desk (well as far as a printer can). The lid is finished on the top in what feels like brushed metal, feeling of a higher quality than the flimsy plastic many printers are made from. The hinges also close slowly, rather than slamming straight down.

As you would expect it was simple to set up, the usual case of plug in and working straight off. The only issue was when I changed from Windows XP to Vista, and the originally software on the CD would not longer work, in the end I managed to find a version of Vista that could be downloaded fairly easily.

The best part of this printer in my experience however, is how efficient/economical it has been in printing. I regularly printed off pages of powerpoint slides, notes and essays, and one large black cartridge lasted me nearly a year. Unless printing photos, you can get away with setting the quality to 'fast draft' and it's hard to tell the difference from the 'normal' quality level on other inkjet printers. Although it wasn't something I was bothered about, printing black and white documents on draft quality, the speed of printing really is impressive compared to cheaper printers I previously used.

Although not the primary function of the printer it also does a good job of printing off large images or photographs on occasion, although this can become more heavy on the ink usage.

Downsides:

Not much to say here, but clearly it's a bit pricey if it's only being purchased for average home use, although looking back now many of the cheaper inkjet printers almost seem a false economy, all having developed problems with the paper feeder or having small expensive ink cartridges.

The only other thing to say is the tray that the paper drops onto once it has been pretty feels a bit flimsy when you pull it right out, but as long as it isn't tread on etc then it shouldn't be a problem.

Summary: In the long-term, it pays back the extra £20 or so paid over a cheaper alternative.

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