HP 725 Ink
OfficeJet 725 Ink Cartridges

HP 725 Printer Review

The capabilities of the HP OfficeJet 725 all-in-one inkjet printer are somewhat limited, with slow faxing and basic scanning, but the fact that it can do so much in such a compact design is appealing. Its print speeds are slow, at only 5 pages per minute in black and 2 pages per minute in color, and prices for HP 725 printer ink are quite high.

The unit can handle printing, faxing, scanning, and copying, but each function has some limitations. Faxing is limited to 14.4 Kbps, for example, so expect slow performance. The maximum copy resolution of 300 dpi is probably good enough for simple copying at home, but quality will suffer somewhat. The document feeder can only hold up to 20 sheets, but this is fairly average for a unit this size. The lack of a flatbed scanner, however, limits the types of media that can be copied and faxed.

The compact design of the unit is one of its best features. It measures 10.15x17x14.15 inches with the tray installed, and weighs 15 pounds without the OfficeJet 725 printer ink supplies. The control panel is simple, but quite functional, and includes a full keypad. The single-line LCD screen provides enough information for the machine's basic functionality, but lacks to ability to preview images.

With a low purchase price, the 725 would be a good value if it weren't for expensive HP 725 ink cartridges. While the OfficeJet 725 ink cartridges are a little larger than those of the average inkjet in capacity, they still offer a fairly high cost per page. Using remanufactured HP 725 ink can reduce costs by about half, but they still come out fairly pricey by comparison.

With slow speeds for both printing and faxing, and a limited copy resolution, the OfficeJet 725 doesn't handle any of its functions particularly well. Even those who are drawn to its compact design and low purchase price may do better with faster models.