HP 3420 Ink
Deskjet 3420 Ink Cartridges

HP 3420 Printer Review

The HP Deskjet 3420 is an inkjet printer made for home usage. Though it has many features home users might find attractive, jumping the gun to buy this unit might be a regrettable decision. Able to print in black or color, the 3420 is versatile enough for a user with small printing volumes but won't do much for those with large volumes due to expensive HP 3420 ink. Also, this model prints at slow speeds of 8 pages per minute with color Deskjet 3420 ink and 10 pages per minute with black ink. The monthly duty cycle is only 500 pages.

Although this model is a little outdated—first hitting the market in 2002—it also has some notable qualities. For instance, it is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems. It is also very portable weighing only 4.4 pounds. With dimensions of 16.6x7.2x5.6 inches, it makes a small footprint compared to other units in its class. Included are a USB interface and a capacity to hold 100 sheets. Although the maximum document size exerted from the inkjet unit is legal, most standard sizes smaller than that are compatible.

Two HP 3420 ink cartridges are used in this little machine—a tricolor printer ink and a black. The tricolor Deskjet 3420 ink cartridge includes cyan, magenta and yellow ink. The black printer ink has a page yield of 220, and the tricolor's yield is 190 pages. These tanks are known for running out fairly quickly.

Consumer reviews of the HP 3420 are decent, but that's about it. Most find that for light printing needs, it tends to be a good unit. Those who do heavy-duty printing found the unit to eat too much pricey HP 3420 ink. Paper jams and wasted ink are two of the biggest complaints.