HP 6943 Ink
Deskjet 6943 Ink Cartridges

HP 6943 Printer Review

With the option for using 4-color or 6-color printer ink, the HP Deskjet 6943 inkjet printer adds the kind of versatility usually only seen in more high-end models, but is still reasonably affordable. It can handle plain paper prints at up to 36 pages per minute in black and 27 pages per minute in color, but users may spend a lot on HP 6943 ink over time.

The boxy design of the 6943 is nothing special, but it gets the job done. The unit measures only 5.7 inches high, with a footprint of 17.7x14.4 inches that is an easy fit on a smaller desk surface. It also weighs just 13.2 pounds, even with both Deskjet 6943 ink supplies installed. The control panel is very limited, relying on the software for most operations, though a USB port is included on the front for PictBridge control by a digital camera, even without a PC. HP's Real Life Technologies can even remove red eye and enhance photos automatically.

A USB port on the rear can connect to a single computer, and an ethernet port is available for connecting to a network. Given the price of HP 6943 printer ink, this could be an expensive device to share among too many users, however.

Though a little pricey, the benefit of HP 6943 ink cartridges is that they do offer fairly large capacities for an inkjet model. The tricolor supply provides up to 560 pages, while the black supply yields up to 860. An optional "photo color" Deskjet 6943 ink cartridge is needed for 6-color printing, but it and the "photo gray" supply for black-and-white printing are both expensive and have fairly small capacities.

The highlight of the Deskjet 6943 is its excellent output quality. It doesn't have as many PC-free printing options as competing models, however, and its 6-color system is expensive to operate.