The photo gray cartridge gives a clear boost to monochrome photos, doing a noticeably better job than the other two choices at the subtle shading that gives objects a three-dimensional look. Whichever cartridge you prefer, the photos are easily good enough for snapshots to hand out to friends and family, and most are even high-enough quality for cherished memories. But with either choice, the colors are within a reasonable range, and many people prefer punchy colors to more realistic colors. Some colors are noticeably punchy with four-color printing. There are clear differences between four-color and six-color printing, in colors, for example. With the gray cartridge, an 8-by-10 monochrome photo took 5:35.įor color photos, the slightly slower speed for six-color printing may or may not be worth the cost in time, depending on your taste.

Printing with four colors saved only about 20 seconds for 4-by-6s and 30 seconds for 8-by-10s. Using six colors, the C5280 averaged 2:42 for 4-by-6 photos, and 6:20 for 8-by-10s. Unlike most, it also gives you the choice of using a photo gray cartridge for monochrome photos. Like many ink jets, the C5280 can print photos in four colors, or you can swap out the black cartridge for a photo cartridge to print in six colors. HP's own OfficeJet J5780-an identically priced AIO aimed at the home office-took 21:10. The next fastest for the price is the Lexmark X7350, at 20:06.

That doesn't qualify as blazingly fast, but it's enough to make the C5280 the fastest AIO I've yet to see in its price class. Its total time (using QualityLogic's hardware and software, was 17 minutes 50 seconds. Ironically, given that the C5280 is definitively a home printer, its speed on our business applications suite is one of its strong points. Finally, you can run the automated installation routine, and plug in a USB cable when told to.

You have the option of loading the photo paper or not, before telling the AIO to align its print heads. Like some other HP printers and AIOs-including all recent Photosmart AIOs, according to HP-the C5280 includes both a standard paper tray and a dedicated tray for 4-by-6 photo paper. You then snap in the black and tricolor cartridges, and insert paper. After you find a spot for it, you can remove the packing materials, plug in the power cord, and turn it on. Best Malware Removal and Protection Software.

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