HP 145 Ink
Photosmart 145 Ink Cartridges

HP 145 Printer Review

The HP Photosmart 145 is a dedicated photo printing ink device which is small and portable. With a price tag of around $145, it can be considered entry-level and mobile; the HP 245 costs a little more but offers a more comprehensive feature set and better image quality. The device dimensions are a very compact at 9.1x4.4x4.9 inches. Add to it a weight of a mere 3 lbs and a portable and travelable product is at the palm of the buyer's hand, literally.

The input tray on the HP 145 inkjet unit has to be flipped up to insert up to 20 sheets of 4 x 6 photo paper. The printed image exits from the rear and needs sufficient clearance, a point to be kept in mind when placing the unit anywhere for printing. The buyer should not expect fast print speeds from this HP; a photo at "best" settings is rated at 2 min/page. Borderless ink prints are supported on photo paper and plain paper. It comes with a single three-color HP 145 ink cartridge that is made of cyan, magenta and yellow printer ink. Black-and-white images are rendered using the special Photo Grey HP 145 ink cartridge.

The status LCD on the Photosmart 145 is text only and monochrome, not being able to see the images that are to be printed is inconvenient. The only editing that can be accomplished via the LCD is altering the layout of the images. The printer has to be connected to a PC if one desires more elaborate editing options. Another drawback is that this unit, although portable, cannot be powered by batteries. It essentially means that a print operation can only be carried out in the vicinity of an electricity outlet. However, a DC car adapter costing around $40 does give some freedom in using when desired. The consumer can print from a number of external media devices that include CompactFlash Card - Type I/II, SmartMedia Card, SD Memory Card, xD-Picture Card, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro.

The HP Photosmart 145 inkjet unit connects via USB; upgraded models such as the 145v and 145xi enable photo prints from videos and networking, respectively. The consumer can connect this mobile printer to both Microsoft and Apple PCs. The list of bundled software is impressive for such a compact unit and includes Share-to-Web, Photo Imaging and Memories Disc Creator.