Specs
Guy: color ink tank printer
Features: Print, scan, copy, mobile fax (send only)
Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
Data storage slots: none
Print speed: 15ppm (mono)
Maximum paper size: Letter/A4
Maximum print quality: 4,800 x 1,200 dpi
Memory: 128MB
Apple AirPrint: Yeah
Consumables include: 5 x 80ml ink bottles (8,000 color or 6,000 black pages)
Dimensions/weight: 723 x 435 x 285mm (WxDxH) /71.4lb/32.4kg
The HP Smart Tank 7001 (or 7005 in the UK and Europe) is a rechargeable ink refill aimed at the home or office. It's a neat desktop design with enough space for 250 sheets of letter paper in its protruding tray and a letter-sized scanner bed on top. Dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in and can be automatic, but there's no multipurpose inbox and no touchscreen.
If that seems bad for a printer that costs around US$260 (£230), remember that this is a SuperKank, so you'll save money on ink in the long run and there's a generous amount of ink in the box. But the Smart Tank makes up a relatively small part of HP's printer lineup, so let's see how it compares to the best inkjet printers, from Megatanks to Ecotanks, currently crowding the market.
HP Smart Tank 7001: Design and construction
The HP Smart Tank 7001 (let's stick with the US name now) looks pretty sharp with its sharp lines, light basalt livery, and seamlessly integrated ink tanks. It's just a shame the paper tray sticks out at the front like that, because it makes the footprint larger than its two closest rivals, the Canon Pixma G3270 and Epson Ecotank ET-2850. But being larger allows it to hold more paper. With room for 250 sheets of letter, or A4 paper rather than the 100-sheet capacity of its peers, it could serve an office more efficiently. The four ink tanks are about the same size as those from Canon and Epson, containing 70ml of color ink and 135ml of black. That's enough to keep it printing for two years, according to HP in the United States. In the UK, HP says three years because there's an extra bottle in the box, so I'll take both claims with a huge amount of salt. The clean plastic windows on these tanks make it easy to check their levels at a glance, which is important because running out of ink can allow problematic air bubbles into the system. The small two-line display isn't backlit, making it harder to see, as are the small black buttons on the climb-oriented control panel.
The plastic casing and the various plastic fins feel quite flimsy, especially the scanner cover. The glass scanner platen is also letter-sized, offering a more satisfying way to scan documents than a phone camera. There's a connection on the back for a USB data cable, but there's no front USB host port and no Ethernet port. Lift the scanner and you will see the covers of the four ink tanks and the two moving print heads. Unlike printers from Epson and Canon, these print heads are replaceable, which could be a plus.
HP Smart Tank 7001: Features and specifications
Compared to the best all-in-one printers at this price, the features list may seem a little thin, but remember this is a supertank, so you're benefiting from the low running cost and plentiful ink tray. entrance. There's no touchscreen, for example, no USB host port, no ADF (automatic document feed), no NFC, and no multipurpose input. It's a similar story with entry-level ink tanks from Epson and Canon. It comes with dual-band Wi-Fi with Apple AirPrint compatibility and a scanner. It doesn't have a built-in fax modem, but you can receive and print a fax using the HP Smart app to take advantage of your smartphone. If you want to send a fax, you'll need to step up to the $400 HP 7602 Smart Tank, which also has an ADF.
One thing that the HP Smart Tank 7001 offers beyond the competition is Bluetooth, which I found to be a real advantage during the initial setup procedure.
HP Smart Tank 7001: Setup and Operation
Pouring ink into the tanks isn't overly complicated, but it's also not completely foolproof, as it is with the Canon and Epson systems. I've read user reviews where new owners have spilled ink and even poured it into the wrong tank, so be careful! I found that pouring into three-quarters of each bottle was not enough to satisfy the HP sensors. Unlike Canon and Epson, you have to fill the border to continue setup. The only downside to an ink tank printer is that transporting them when the tanks are full is a potential hazard.
In operation, the HP Smart Tank 7001 is fine, although there's no denying that it would be easier with a touchscreen interface. The two-line display is not easy to see. HP probably assumes we'll all use the app on our smartphones and laptops to control the printer, and to be fair, that's the best way to do it. HP Smart works equally well on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Chrome. The only problems I encountered were paper jams, or to be precise, the printer's failure to convert pages to print the other side when duplexing automatically. This happened every time the paper in the tray was less than perfectly flat.
HP Smart Tank 7001: performance
The HP Smart Tank 7001 performed some tasks well, and others poorly. Consecutive pages of text appear at a fast, reliable 15 per minute in simplex mode, and characters appear bold and black without overload. At the four point size, everything is readable and every time I try to smudge the print with my thumb as the pages emerge, the pigment ink is already set up and smudge resistant. The same is true in draft mode. The print is a little paler and less sharp, but still acceptable. The problem occurs when automatic duplexing, as any slight creases in the paper prevent the printer from successfully turning the page. After printing one side, the paper is pushed and pulled around to rotate, except you can't seem to align the paper to pull it. correctly, but most of the time the printer gives up and flashes an error message. From the tracking user reviews, I can see that I am not the only one experiencing this problem.
In plain mode, the HP successfully printed on a range of paper stock, from 4″ x 6″ glossy photo paper to card weight up to 200gsm. That's not really very thick and the fact that its rivals can handle 300G/M2 card suggests that the HP just isn't very good at handling paper. Color printing shows how vibrant HP ink is. Color documents really catch the eye with their bright reds and blues. With photos on photo paper, the colors look too bright, making them feel unrealistic. So while the photos are initially quite pleasing for their strong details and bold colors, they don't stack up against photos from a dedicated photo printer.
The scanner worked flawlessly despite the disconcerting shape of its light the entire time the scanner lid was open. You can press the Copy button on the machine or scan using the HP Smart app, where you have the option to choose the number of copies and reduce or enlarge them. Scanning resolution is 1,200 ppi and the duplicates look almost as sharp and just a little paler than the original.
HP Smart Tank 7001: Consumables
HP's bottled ink is about 80 percent cheaper than its cartridge ink, but it's essentially the same. In this case, all three colors, cyan, magenta and yellow are dye-based, while black is a pigment. That's quite common with office ink jets where a black pigment, which is more resistant to smearing and fading, works best for black and white text booklets, while tints are better suited for black and white text booklets. color images.
There are five or six bottles of ink in the box depending on where you purchased the printer. The 135 ml bottle of black ink (HP 32XL) produces 6,000 monochrome pages, while the three 70 ml bottles of C/M/Y should produce 8,000 color pages. That's an order of magnitude more than the ink in one of HP's inkjet cartridges.
HP Smart Tank 7001: Maintenance
Like any of the best inkjet printers, ink tank printers do not like to be unused for long periods because the liquid ink dries up in the print head, clogging the nozzles. To clean it, you can usually run a print head cleaning cycle or two, and because bottled ink is relatively cheap, that's less of a problem for the Superks. This printer is somewhat unusual in having two replaceable print heads, one black and one tri-color. Assuming this does not mean that they are prone to failure, it does suggest that the operational life of the printer can be extended by simply purchasing new print heads, which are reasonably priced.
HP Smart Tank 7001: final verdict
Superk printers often seem overpriced because we're used to cartridge-based ink jets being subsidized by the inflated cost of their cartridges, but that razor and blades business model doesn't apply here. Comparing the HP Smart Tank 7001/7005 to other Superks suggests it's quite reasonable value. There's no touchscreen, no NFC, no ADF and only one input, but it has other features. There's a decent font-size scanner and strong wireless connectivity with dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The 250-sheet paper capacity beats its closest Superkank rivals and there's a useful amount of bottled ink in the box.
It prints monochrome and color documents well and fairly quickly too, but it's not great with photos, which look a bit garish. And it is not good at managing paper stock. The card's 200gsm limitation is very light and the problem it had during testing converting imperfect sheets of paper while duplexing is a concern. There's no doubt that HP's bottled ink printer offers better value than a comparable HP cartridge, but it faces stiff competition from other Superks by Canon and Epson. The Canon equivalent offers better photo quality, while the Epson beats the HP in overall performance. However, with its larger paper capacity and faster print speed, the HP Smart Tank 7001/7005 is better qualified for an office job.
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