HP 816C Ink
Deskjet 816C Ink Cartridges

HP 816C Printer Review

The HP Deskjet 816C is not a particularly fast color inkjet printer. Its maximum speeds of only 6.5 pages per minute for black and 4.5 pages per minute for color are a bit slow, but it uses PhotoRet II technology to provide sharp image quality at an affordable price. Unfortunately, HP 816C printer ink prices make for expensive running costs.

The 816C utilizes the typical HP design for home inkjet devices, with an output tray stacked on top of a front-loading input paper tray. The input tray can hold up to 100 sheets of standard paper, and the output tray can hold half of that, at 50 sheets. The unit itself is quite compact, measuring 7.5x17.6x14 inches, with a weight of around 12.5 pounds before the Deskjet 816C printer ink is installed.

You won't find many extras like automatic duplexing, and the included memory is only 2 MB, but this is the tradeoff for such an affordable price. Printing in black-and-white produces a maximum resolution of 600 dpi, but printing with color HP 816C ink uses PhotoRet II technology to layer colors for more accurate results.

As with many affordable models in its class, the cost of replacement HP 816C ink cartridges is quite high. Using remanufactured Deskjet 816C ink cartridges instead of OEM versions can drastically reduce costs, however, and the large page yields of each supply will result in a low cost per page, making it very economical over the long run.

While there are certainly models in its class with better output quality and faster speeds, the HP 816C hits a sweet spot of affordability and compact design that should appeal to many home users. For those who don't want to pay for unnecessary extras, it is a solid choice that can be very cost-effective.