Hewlett Packard Photosmart C5580 All-In-One InkJet Printer

After several months of using the HP Photosmart C5580 at my new office, I've found that it is a decent all-in-one machine that prints, scans and copies and does them all pretty well.  I have not found many issues with the C5580 beyond the fact that it uses lots of ink, like most ink jet printers.  Otherwise it's been a little workhorse on my desk, printing out my draft documents and occasionally printing and making color copies for me.  I use the scanner quite a bit too.  I really did not think too much of the printer when I started, but considering all that it can do, I have come to like this printer.

HP Photosmart C5580 Basics

The C5580 is a all-in-one machine that can copy, scan and print.  Unlike some multi-function machines, there is no fax function with the C5580.  However, there are memory card slots on printer that let you modify and directly print photos from the memory cards.  The printer connects to your computer via a USB connection.

There's a small (2.4") color LCD screen on the top left corner of the printer that you can use to access all the functions and lets you preview photos before you print them.  The screen also alerts you to the status of the printer and notifies you if there are any problems are errors when it is working.  There are also buttons along the front of the machine that let you copy and scan quickly without having to navigate the menu on the LCD screen.

The scanner bed is on top of the printer.  Just lift up the cover and you can scan something to your computer or you can copy it. I like the fact that with the scan function, there are a number of different options quickly available so you can save your scan in the appropriate format. Since 99% of the stuff I scan becomes a PDF, I have my C5580 set up to scan directly to PDF unless I choose otherwise.  The scanning process is pretty much automatic.  Just start the scan on the machine and the appropriate software loads up and processes the scan on your computer. 

The copy function works well and I've used it a few times when I've needed color copies of something.  I haven't had any real issues with it, except that you've got to make sure the original is lined up just how you want it, otherwise the copies can easily become a bit crooked.

The printer is a standard ink jet printer when it comes to documents and black and white text. With color, it prints good color graphics and while I've only done a few pictures since I've had it, the photos have come fine with this printer if you have the right paper for the job.  There is also a tray that lets you print CD labels or directly onto a CD.  I have never used it in the office, but it would be a handy thing to have at home.

Print speed is pretty average overall, but the machine can really fly on plain black text.  I have my printer set to draft so that unless I'm looking for a final copy of something, it lets me print very quickly and with less ink than normal. It does quick work of text documents, while graphics intensive pages tend to print more slowly, even at the draft speed.  HP claims the print speed can be as fast as 34 pages per minute with black text.  I'm not sure it's that fast, but it really does chug through my text documents.  When it comes to printing graphics or printing on the standard or high quality mode, the print speed drops quite a bit.

For an all-in-one machine, the C5580 doesn't take up a ton of room on my desk.  It is a rectangular box that's about 18 inches in width, about 15 inches in width, and about 8 inches in height.  That is not small, but compared to the all-in-one machine I have in my home office, this one seems quite small and tidy.  I keep it in the corner of my desk and it has been fine.

Experiences

I have been using this printer pretty much every day for about 6 months now and have not had any serious problems with it.  I print just about every day I am in the office and while the majority of the time it is just draft text documents, I have done my fair share of color and graphics printing.  I've even used it to make batches of color copies at different times.  All those times it has worked well. 

The only technical issue I've had so far with the C5580 is that occasionally the pre-sets in the machine seem to be lost and I have to set them back up.  It has only happened twice so far and both times, the software on my computer detected it and asked me to re-establish my defaults on the printer.  That process is pretty pain free - just select the options you want available on the machine's LCD screen.

I know this machine is designed more as a home office or strictly a home all-in-one printer and so I don't think my one real complaint isn't exactly fair.  That said, it seems to be that this printer just sails through ink cartridges.  Before I discovered the XL cartridges, it seriously felt like I was always changing the ink.  Now I know that color graphics or even black and white graphics take up a lot ink, but the majority of my printing is the black and white kind and its draft text documents, but I'm figuring I'm using the printer more often than an average home user would, so my heavy ink usage is just a function of my higher printing needs.  Now I'm not paying for the ink so it doesn't pain me too much, but it is something to consider if you've got a lot of stuff to print.  I have had other ink jets in the past that did not seem to go through as much ink as this one does.

Final Thoughts
 
Even though this all-in-one machine seems to use more ink than other ink jets that I have had, I do like it.  It gives you quite a bit of flexibility in a pretty compact package.  I do think it uses a lot of ink, but I'm probably using the printer more than the average user would.

Overall though, I have come to like this all-in-one machine.  It fits well on my desk, does all of its various jobs well, and I have found it to be a great general purpose draft office printer.

In my mind, if you are considering an all-in-one printer without a fax, the HP Photosmart C5580 All-In-One is definitely worth looking at.