HP 8458 Ink
Photosmart 8458 Ink Cartridges

HP 8458 Printer Review

The HP Photosmart 8458 incorporates so many editing and printing capabilities into the unit itself, that buyers might consider skipping the computer altogether. It can print up to 20 pages per minute in both color and black, and 4x6-inch photos in as little as 27 seconds. Bargain hunters will also be pleased with the large capacity and low cost of Photosmart 8458 printer ink.

The 8458 is sizable for an inkjet, but it isn't exactly bulky. It weighs 15.8 inches with the HP 8458 ink installed, and measures 7.6x21.1x15.8 inches. This puts it comfortably in the desktop category, but just barely. The 2.5-inch LCD screen on the control panel offers previews of images, but also allows for editing such as red-eye removal and cropping, making it a small photo kiosk.

Getting photos into the machine is simple as well. For connecting to computers, it includes both a USB port and an ethernet port for network sharing. A front-mounted USB port supports PictBridge cameras and flash storage media, and the usual compliment of memory card slots is included as well. Bluetooth is also available as an optional upgrade.

While the typical black and tricolor HP 8458 ink cartridges are utilized, there is also a third slot available. This can hold either a photo gray or photo color Photosmart 8458 ink cartridge, depending on the type of output users are printing, allowing for up to 8 ink colors at once. If swapping different colors of HP 8458 ink sounds aggravating, buyers might want to look elsewhere.

With better output quality than many inkjet models in its class, and the ability to do so much without a computer, the Photosmart 8458 is very appealing. Buyers will pay a bit more than average, however, so its extras may not be worth it for those who are more comfortable at the computer.