All-In-One Printers: HP 1610

By Jonathan Berohn

I don't often say this about a piece of technology-well, OK.I have been known to say it about quite a few pieces of technology-but I don't usually say this about non-entertainment pieces of technology: I love my new printer.

There, it's out in the open, and I'm not ashamed.  The Hewlett-Packard 1610 all-in-one printer is a godsend.

All-In-One Printers

In case you're not familiar with latest in printer lingo (that would actually be something to be ashamed of) all-in-one printers combine all the printing related features you need in one piece of equipment.  They print (obviously), but they also scan and photocopy.  For the home office, that means one piece of equipment now lets you print, scan, copy, and fax.  You can even print directly from digital camera memory devices.  And the HP 1610 does all of them well.

Printing

Obviously when you buy a printer, you want it to print well.  As most inkjet printers do, the 1610 is an inkjet that prints both color and black & white.  It can crank out up to 18 pages per minute in color and an amazing 28 in black & white.  This is in draft, mode, though, so you generally won't get that kind of output.  The 1610 does offer a "fast normal," though, that is certainly good enough for anything but the most formal presentations.  This is all through the computer, naturally enough, but if you are into digital photography, you plug your USB camera right into the printer or stick a memory device into one of the 1610's 5 different slots.

Scanning

The scanning function is about as straightforward as you would want.  You can scan directly to applications or, again, to a camera memory device.  I would like to see a scan to file feature, but that's kind of quibbling.  The resolution of the scans is 1200 x 4800 dpi, and it can go as high as 19,200 enhanced dpi depending upon your system-certainly good enough for what most users will need.

Copying

The copying feature is, of course, an amalgamation of printing and scanning.  You can copy in both color and black & white, and you can enlarge your copies just like if you were using a copy machine.  I know that I, for one, am pretty pleased I won't have to run out to the local Kinko's or UPS Store to make that one copy I need to send out in the mail any more.