Customer Reviews

Apollo APO P2250-101 Inkjet Printer

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recently purchased this variety of printer for both its price and the fact it's powered by HP technology. I planned to get a LaserJet, but wanted an inexpensive printer in the interim that handled simple black and white pages --- and I wasn't disappointed. The quality was a lot better than I expected -- it was hard to tell apart from some LaserJet prints. But only when there isn't too much text crowded onto a page. For example, my resume has a lot of information packed onto one page, and althought the print looked good, you could tell it wasn't done on a LaserJet. Whereas, a written letter with less crowded text, appeared to past as a LaserJet page. In short, have professional resumes done on a LaserJet, but all other printed work can be done on the Apollo Inkjet with no discernible difference. Also, the model also has a sleek design that is comparable with most any other home office furniture or equipment.

A nice feature of this printer is it uses standard hp cartridges, the same cartridges as the HP 610/612 AKA - HP #20 & HP #49. The 51649 is the same cartridge used in all HP 690 series printers for years. The 20 is a fairly new cartridge so it may be a little more uncomon to find it. You can buy these cartridges at just about any store that sells HP cartridges. This is a great feature because it is nearly imposible to find ink for some of the other lowbuck printers out there. Print quality is good & it is a cool design. ... ?

I bought the first one that came out on the market about 3 years ago and it is still going strong I find changing the cartridges out much more easier than the other printers. I am very interested in buying another one ... .

I bought the 2250 after my second Epson went south. The Color 600 needed so many repairs that I gave up. Then the Color 740 went south. I just needed a printer to do odd jobs since my wife's computer has a good HP. The only problem is that nobody who carries the printer seems to have the ink cartridges. That's not good planning from Apollo. Print quality is great for such an inexpensive printer. Just don't expect that 10 page document to finish by dinnertime.

The Apollo P-2250 color inkjet printer has a beige and turquoise case whose style departs from the boxy designs of other HP printers. It comes with a guide for "Setting Up Your Printer". If the "New Hardware Found" box appears click [Cancel]; you must install the software from the CD. It provides support for Windows 95, 98, and Windows NT 4.0, plus Windows 3.1x. [It also works in Windows Me.] This printer uses the #20 black and #49 tricolor cartridges. Your parallel port must be defined as "ECP". This printer will work when connected to an IOMEGA ZIP 100 drive parallel port. The 16-page "User's Guide" contains the needed information to set up the printer. There is a 49-page "Online Manual" in the installation CD.

The "User's Guide" mentions the printing options on the `Features' tab: two-sided printing, orientation (portrait or landscape). The `Setup' tab will select print quality, paper size, and paper type. The printing speed depends on the complexity of the job and the print quality. You can print envelopes, index cards, and postcards (pp.4-5), and labels and transparencies (pp.6-7). Pages 8 to 10 offer suggestions when things go wrong. The buttons and lights are explained (p.11). You can remove the printer software (p.13) and replace print cartridges (p.14). The printer specifications are listed on page 15.

Your electronic equipment must be protected by a surge suppressor. I use another to switch off power to the printer power supply when not in use; heat is the enemy of electronic equipment. There are warnings about the proper care of inkjet cartridges. Leaving them unused for many months may shorten their useful life. The plastic tape over the nozzles of new cartridges prevents oxidation of the ink. HP seems to have a policy of "planned obsolescence" in manufacturing new printers that use new inkjet cartridges; or it may be due to progress in cartridge design. Like other HP printers the paper path takes a U-turn in printing, so less desk space is needed. HP does not recommend refilling these cartridges.

I actually have a P2200 inkjet by Apollo, a close cousin this printer. I have found it work reliably and consistantly. Just what this colloege student needs. The best part was, is that it was affordable. Keep up the good work Apollo.

One and one half years old and only prints black. When I set it up the test page had color.I only printed letters and didn't know
it dosen't print color until a few days ago. Informton and help
seem non existence. Few stores stock a black cartridge.

The quality of this printer is phenomenal, I was truly impressed. The only downfall is the 6ppm, I am used to faster printers than that. This has been my absolute favorite printer.

This is a newer version of the 2250. The specs appear to be the same, but the paper tray seems to be improved. When first set up, it worked fine. But two days later, it refused to print. After several self-tests and an e-mail to Apollo customer support (who replied within 3 hours!), it turns out that the parallel cable that came supplied with the printer was defective. Text documents print fine, and I'd have no problem submitting a resume printed on the "best" setting, but photos or maps just don't have the sharpness and color clarity of the HP 932 I use at work. Apollo offers the option of using the HP C1816 photo cartridge for better clarity, but I haven't given it a try yet. If you're in need of high quality color photos or graphics, I'd spend more. The noise and clunkiness are still there, but considering the price, this one will do nicely for now.

In appearance, the P-2200 does bear a faint resemblance to an HP Deskjet. with a similar paper feed arrangement (paper tray on one side, out tray immediately above it). On closer examination, I reached the conclusion that the print engine comes from the HP Deskjet 610C, which is a little more expensive.

About the performance and image quality, it've a good quality, but ocasionally there is a banding on the printed area.

On the other hand, build quality was poor, the printer and feed mechanisms feel flimsy, and it's too much noise.