HP 540 Ink
Deskjet 540 Ink Cartridges

HP 540 Printer Review

Saying the HP Deskjet 540 is outdated would be an understatement - this inkjet unit is about as simple and elderly as it gets. With only a parallel interface, there aren't many connection options, and the parallel chord must be purchased separately. This Windows-only compatible machine has a monthly duty cycle of only 1,000 pages. Unlike most inkjet printers, the 540 is a monochrome printer that has an optional HP color kit that gives it the ability to print color documents. Newer machines comes with 2 tanks, one for black, such as HP 901 Black ink and one with cyan, magenta and yellow in it. The 540 would probably best fit in a home office with low-volume printing needs. Its weight of 11.6 pounds and dimensions of 17.2x16x7.9 inches won't take up too much space or be hard to move.

The black HP 540 ink is needed for printing, while color printer ink is optional. The black Deskjet 540 ink has a resolution of 600x300 dpi in letter-quality mode. With such a small resolution, documents could appear grainy or distilled. The black HP 540 ink cartridges only last for about 790 pages. The optional color kits include one Deskjet 540 ink cartridge with the same 600x300 dpi, but the page yield is less at only 640 pages. The printer ink, unfortunately, is a little pricey for the quality it exerts. A lower cost per page could be provided by Xerox 108R00662 ink.

The biggest downside to the 540, though, is hands down its slow printing speeds. When printing using black or color ink, 3 pages per minute are the most that can be produced. This could easily become an annoyance for users printing more than 3 pages at one given time - especially when newer models can offer much faster speeds.

Most would be disappointed with the overall costs and reliability of this product. However, third party compatible or remanufactured HP 540 ink tanks can save users money, making this unit worth a glance for consumers on a tight budget.