HP 475 Ink
Photosmart 475 Ink Cartridges

HP 475 Printer Review

The HP Photosmart 475 has carved a niche for itself in the realm of mobile photo printers. This thermal inkjet cartridge device offers a stupendous memory of 1.5 GB and HP has thrown in a remote control to view video clips and slide shows on a TV connected to this very compact product. This silver grey device measures 8.9x4.3x4.9 in and weighs a light 2.9 lbs. The output, USB connection and power input are located at the rear. The input and output trays open up automatically when the device is switched on. The consumer does not have to be near a power source to use the HP 475; the device can run on Li-ion battery or a car DC power adapter. The 475xi is a compatible model which offers duplexing and networking. An additional paper tray is a standard feature.

The user can feed the device up to 20 sheets, which is the standard maximum capacity for most mobile printers. What's extra with this printer is that apart from 4x6 and 5x7 prints, it prints 4x12 panorama images without the need to adjust the width of the input tray. The device also prints photo stickers and passport images on a single sheet and allows the user to select from color effects, namely sepia, antique and black-and-white. The Photosmart 475 can offer color prints at 4800 dpix1200 dpi. The single Photosmart 475 ink cartridge uses cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY) inks. Because the printer uses a combination of CMY inks to approach neutral colors such as black, silver and grey; however, the representation is not very accurate and an occasional red undertone may be visible.

A hi-res 2.5-inch color display lets you preview, edit and print photos without using the computer, as the HP 475 is PictBridge compatible. To avail the full suite of image editing, which offers saturation and color balancing, the user has to connect the device to a computer. Both Mac and Microsoft work fine with this photo printer. HP Instant Share lets users share images via email. The consumer can transfer images from memory cards to the printer, which stores it on the 1.5 GB internal hard drive, and you can print them later when required. Cameras that use CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card and xD- Picture Card (see if you can reword this)

As with most inkjets, the dye-based Photosmart 475 inks will run if the prints come in contact with water. The HP 475 yields good quality prints, particularly with outdoor shots. The print quality is not so good for indoor shots and situations where the lighting is medium to low. The HP Photosmart 475 ink cartridge device prints fastest in comparison to other printers of its ilk. In terms of overall picture sharpness and faithful color representation, this unit is capable of only middling quality. If the user wishes to print at home, it is possible to set up a network of Bluetooth-enabled devices and print wirelessly.