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HP Photosmart C5280

83

Very Good

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Pros
Prints CDs and DVDs; easy control panel
Lots of useful software and utilities
Cons
Text looks feathery on plain paper
Onscreen manual thorough but disjointed

$71.11 - $159.00
From 14 Merchants

Pricing: Very Inexpensive: $130 (11/11/2008)
Performance: Good: 76
Features: Fair: 69
Design: Superior: 95

Find out how these four scores, and their relative weights, combine to produce the PC World Rating.

Pricing

Very Inexpensive: $130

Standard-Capacity Black Cartridge - $30

Standard-Capacity Color Cartridge - $35

Performance

Good: 76

Text Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Text Speed (ppm)	7.3
Three-Page Word Document (secs)	47.07
Ten-Page Word Document (secs)	106.66
Text Output Quality	Good

Color Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Color Speed (ppm)	2.4
Two-Page Excel Document (secs)	52.23
One-Page Webpage (secs)	27.71
4 by 6 Color Photo (secs)	21.64
Color Output Quality	Very Good

Color Photo Printing (Glossy Paper, Best Settings)
Tested Glossy Photo Speed (ppm)	0.7
Sports Action Shot (secs)	80.01
Color Photo Quality	Superior

Grayscale Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Grayscale Speed (ppm)	2.7
4 by 6 Grayscale Photo (secs)	21.99
Grayscale Output Quality	Very Good

Grayscale Printing (Glossy Paper, Best Settings)
Grayscale Glossy Output Quality	n/a

Lineart Printing (Plain Paper, Best Settings)
Tested Lineart Speed (ppm)	2.3
300dpi Line Art Image (secs)	26.65
Line Art Output Quality	Good

Scan Tests (in seconds)
Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi	7.62
Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi	7.32
Final Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi	16.8
Preview Scan, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi	7.43
Final Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi	6.88
Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi	7.32
Final Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi	18.88
Overall Scan Quality	Very Good

Copy Tests
One-Page Copy (secs)	23.91
Copy Output Quality	Good

Features

Fair: 69

Memory (in MB)
RAM Installed	64
Maximum Amount of RAM	64

Dimensions
Dimensions	17.8 by 15.24 by 8.03
Weight (pounds)	15.71

Vendor Rated Speeds
B&W Pages per Min.	B&W PPM:32
Color Pages per Min.	Color PPM:24

Resolutions
Max. B&W dpi	4800-by-1200
Max. Color dpi	4800-by-1200

Language & Emulation
Printer Emulation Type	Host-based
PCL Emulation	PCL3 GUI

Interfaces
Parallel Port	No
Serial Port	No
USB 1.1	Yes
USB 2.0	Yes
Ethernet	No
Media Card Readers	CompactFlash, Memory Stick, SD Card, xD-Picture Card
PictBridge	No
Other Interfaces	wireless possible with optional accessory (purchased separately)

Drivers
Macintosh	Yes
Windows 98	No
Windows NT	No
Windows 2000	Yes
Windows XP	Yes
Linux	No

Power
Maximum Power Draw (watts)	28.3
Standby Power Draw (watts)	2.9

Multifunction Printer Specs
Scan Area (inches)	8.5 by 11.7
Max. Scanning dpi	4800 by 4800
Maximum Enhanced Scan Resolution (dpi)	19200
Scanning Image Sensor Type	CIS
Scanner Type	Flatbed
Maximum Scan Color Depth	48
Maximum Scan Grayscale Depth	16
Fax Memory (pages)	0
LCD Type	Color

Paper Handling
Number of Input Trays, Standard	2
Number of Input Trays, Maximum	2
Tray Capacity, pages	125
Maximum Sheets With Optional Paper Trays	125
Manual Feed Slot	No
Maximum Paper Size	Legal
Output Tray Capacity	50
Auto Duplexer	No

Warranty & Support
Labor Warranty (years)	One
Parts Warranty (years)	One
Weekday Support Hours	24
Saturday Support Hours	24
Sunday Support Hours	24
Toll-Free Support	Yes

Cost of Operation Inside of Warranty
Cost per Page, Black	0.18
Cost per Page, Color	0.36

Vendor-Supplied Data (in Pages)
Monthly Duty Cycle	3000
Monochrome Ink/Toner Yields	200
Color Ink/Toner Yields	170

Bundled Items
Included Hardware	Power Supply, Power Cord
Included Software	CD Win/MAC

Reliability & Service
Summary of results for all of brand's products in this category	More bad news for HP: below-average grades for out-of-box problems and significant problems with its printers. Readers aren’t thrilled with HP’s phone support either.

Reliability of brand's products in this category
Reports of products arriving with problems	Worse than Average
Reports of products with any significant problems	Worse than Average
Reports of problems that render a product unusable	Average
Buyers' rating of products ease-of-use	Average
Overall satisfaction with reliability of brand's products in category	Average

Service & Support Quality
Time spent holding for phone support	Average
Overall quality of vendor's phone support	Worse than Average
Reports of problems unresolved after contacting service	Average
Overall quality of service	Average

Design

Superior: 95

HP Photosmart C5280 Review

by Melissa Riofrio

- HP's Photosmart C5280 shows how good design can tame an inherently complicated machine. This inkjet multifunction printer has a few limitations and a mountain of benefits--for a tidy $150.

Read Complete Review »

User Reviews for HP Photosmart C5280

Reviewed by: jikamens

Duration of ownership: 6 Months

Strengths: lots of features, fast text, easy setup and easy use

Weaknesses: Awful photo print quality since day 1. Stripes across the entire page of every print. HP has sent two replacement printers and five replacement ink cartridges, but none of them has solved the problem. I've asked for asked them to take back the printer, ink and paper, all of which were purchased directly from HP, and give me a refund, and they've refused.

Overall Evaluation: OK unit if you don't care abuot photo print quality. Awful service and support. HP used to be an amazing company, but no more.
Reviewed by: DippityDoo

Duration of ownership: 2 Weeks

Strengths: looks nice, has neat video screen.

Weaknesses: AWFUL Print software and USELESS CD/DVD print capabilites...

Overall Evaluation: After a 30 minute software installation on a dual xeon 3.0 running XP pro and 2 GB ram, I thought "this better be good for the install to take that long". I was sorely disappointed when I attempted to print a DVD. If you plan to print to CD's or DVD's, STAY AWAY from the C5280. The software they include limits you to using one of a few grotesque templates, and will not allow you to just put plain text where you please. You may not delete or alter the templates, and are even asked to "upgrade" to an even worse version of their terrible software for just $30 more. I truly feel scammed, as I am now unable to print directly to CD's or DVD's unless I want my discs to look like they were done by a 3rd grade special needs art class. I tried a few other CD print softwares, but this HP will not work with them. They clearly want you to stay with their awful program. If you plan to print to CD's or DVD's, save yourself a step and just put the unit directly into a dumpster.