Customer Reviews

HP DeskJet 6122 Color Printer

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I purchased this printer to replaced my aging 694c. Installation of the 6122 went flawlessly under XP pro and has performed beautifully on everything from text documents to glossy photos. I have an older Photosmart printer and the prints from the 6122 look just as good. The printer comes with a two sided printing accessory (duplexer) which I absolutely love, Printing two sided documents is now a breeze and saves paper too. I also like the fact that this printer uses larger ink cartridges than the 5550 which was the other printer I was considering. If you buy this printer, you will not be disappointed.

I have been an avid Epson user up until now. I'm very noise sensitive because I work at night and don't want to wake up the family while printing out documents. Epson is very loud so I decided to try this HP 6122. I've read that it prints very quietly, and I have to agree. HOWEVER, is everyone ignoring the fact that it makes a dreadful clunking noise BEFORE and AFTER it prints? It sounds as if it's falling off the table!

One other thing - after you press print, there is a (longer than I'm used to) delay before it actually prints. This can be annoying if you need to print a bunch of different documents in a hurry.

I do think the picture quality is right up there with the Epson Photo printers. If only HP would make their inks last as long as Epson! Overall, nice printer except for the clunking.

This is a quality piece of equipment. This is the mid-level HP on the market right now. I did a demo of this and the economy HP 3820, I liked this printer a bit better. This uses the larger, number 45, black ink cartridge that is generally about 2 dollars cheaper than the number 15 that the 3820 uses. The 45 has 42 ml of ink and the 15 only has 25 ml. They both use the number 78 tri-color cartridge. The nicest feature on this piece is the quick print speed; 20 ppm black and 12 ppm color.

The 6122 has the 4800x1200 resolution that puts it right up there with most photo printers. The only problem is that doesn't use the longer-lasting photo ink. But, overall this is a good printer for a good price. It uses big ink tanks and they are reasonably priced. It is more solid than the 3820, but unfortunatly, my company went with the 3820 for price and size reasons. But, if you have the space, and the money, buy the 6122.

Our current office environment is a hodgepodge of desktop and network printers all of which need toner or inkjet cartridges replacements on a continual basis. Even over a short period of time this can add up to a tidy chunk of change, not to mention the storage space needed to store the disparate collection of dissimilar boxes and packages. Add to that the need to call a variable rainbow of manufactures and one could see that something needed to change. We needed a standard for desktop inkjet printing, which would combine outstanding output, low cost, easy maintenance, duplex printing, and a small footprint. Enter the HP Desktop 6122 business class printer.

According to a Hewlett Packard media releases, the HP Desktop 6122 inkjet printer offers the ability to print: "laser-quality black text plus professional color photos at up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi color printing on premium photo papers and 1200 x 1200-input dpi. With quick print speeds - up to 20 pages per minute in black and up to 13 pages per minute (ppm) in color - your high-volume printing will be incredibly efficient!"

The latest crop of HP desktop printers is now indistinguishable from their LaserJet counterparts in print quality when the proper weight paper is utilized; for inkjets that weight should start at 22lbs. Adding color to this functionality makes the HP Desktop 6122 a bargain at $180.00.

Features & Specifications:

One of the biggest selling points of the HP Desktop 6122 is the standard duplex module (the ability to print on both sides of the paper) which ships with the printer, and must be installed during the initial printer setup and configuration. This option is then selectable via the printer software. The duplex printing option has worked perfectly for our user base thus far.

Another feature business-class clients will find useful is the standard 150 sheet paper tray that is standard on the HP Desktop 6122, instead of the 100 sheet tray found on most Inkjet printers at this price point. In addition, an optional 250 sheet paper tray can be added to the printer, which attaches to the bottom of the unit. Also, a number of Ethernet based Jet Direct network cards can be attached to the printer including:

* HP Jetdirect 175x External USB Ethernet Print Server J6035A
* HP Jetdirect wp380 server J6061A
* HP Jetdirect 170x External Parallel Ethernet Print Server J3258BHP
* Wireless Print Server wp110 (802.11b) J6062A

For built-in Ethernet connectivity, HP offers the HP Desktop 6127. Standard connectivity is provided via IEEE 1284-Centronics parallel compatible, and version 2.0 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. It is worth noting that HP does not include either printer cables in the box with the printer. Specifications include:

Duty Cycle: 5,000 pages per month
Black Print Speed: Up to 20 pages a minute (Draft Mode)
Black Print Speed: Up to 5 pages a minute (Normal Mode)
Black Print Speed: Up to 1.4 pages a minute (Best Quality Mode)
Color Print Speed: Up to 13 Pages a minute (Draft Mode)
Color Print Speed: Up to .9 Pages a minute (Normal Mode)
Color Print Speed: Up to 1.2 Pages a minute (Best Quality Mode)
Resolution: 4800 x 1200
Input capacity, max. 150 sheets or 22 envelopes
Duplexing: Automatic module included
Media Sizes: 3 x 5 in to 8.5 x 14 in
Media Types: Paper, envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards (index and greeting), HP premium photo and brochure paper, iron-on transfers
Recommended media weight: 16 to 24 lb
Memory, standard and maximum: 8 mb
Dimensions: 17.9 x 17.3 x 7.3 in
Weight: 14.8 lb
Warranty: 1 year standard

The HP Desktop 6122 printer can be attached to a Mac or PC.

Installation:

Installation of hardware and software components for the HP Desktop 6122 is easy and straight forward, with a typical installation taking less then ten minutes. HP has provided an easy to read (large print) step-by-step installation sheet for both Mac and PC users. The most difficult portion of the installation is the duplex unit which ships unattached; however the procedure for installing it is clearly outlined on the installation sheet.

The HP Desktop 6122 ships with two print cartridges, one black, one tri-color. Installation of these is easy and is again well spelled out on the installation sheet. Unlike some previous models which called for the installation of the software driver before connecting the printer to the USB port, the HP Desktop 6122 installation instructions call for the reverse; i.e. the printer should connected to the USB port first, powered on, at which time the software and drivers can be installed.

First Impressions:

I like the printer. It has a small footprint, and while not the most attractive inkjet on the market it is thus far very reliable, which is a quality I have come to expect from HP products. The black print is outstanding even on standard 20lbs laser paper, though I advise all of my clients to purchase 22-24lbs inkjet paper for the best results. Color output is nothing short of spectacular, and again with dedicated 22-24 pound inkjet paper, or even glossy photo paper, the results will speak for themselves. The colors on the page are sharp, bright, vibrant and true to life, with no streaking or running evident. And while the HP Desktop 6122 may be on the noisy side, the decibels levels are certainly acceptable and not at all distracting.

Conclusions:

Price, fast draft printing (which by the way saves a considerable amount of ink), duplex printing, and options such as a second 250 sheet paper tray, as well as the ability to add an external Jet Direct Ethernet NIC, combine to make the HP Desktop 6122 a very attractive alternative to even the most basic laser printer.

I purchased this printer a few months ago for my work, and I am still totally in love with it. It is really fast, printing 20 ppm black and 12 ppm color. The HP DeskJet 6122 is very quiet, and everything I print looks fabulous, including printing out photographs.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this printer is the automatic double-sided printing feature. I am in awe of this feature. No more manually re-feeding papers through the printer! Yay!

HP has always been my brand of choice; I've always found their products to be highly reliable, affordable, and easy to use. The 6122 is everything I expect from Hewlett Packard and more!

This printer is groovy!

I used an inexpensive HP PhotoSmart printer for 2 years. The print quality was good, but the feed mechanism drove me crazy with frequent paper misfeeds (using HP paper!!!). The support software also contantly gave warnings about a lost connection to the printer (actually to the built-in memory stick reader). There were so many buttons on the housing that I had to study them carefully with a flashlight whenever the printer needed service. It turns out that I had purchased the wrong printer for my needs. The Photosmart was a fancy toy for digital photo enthusiasts. What I needed was a small business-grade printer.

During that period, I built up an investiment in 45/78 cartridges. There is a local service here in North Seattle which refills the cartridges for about $15. They do a good job.

I finally decided to purchase a new printer. The HP 6122 offers three things that I really, really needed:
1. Reliability.
2. Simplicity.
3. Uses the same 45/78 cartridges.

The 6122 cost a lot more than the Photosmart, and it has fewer "cool features." The trick is that the 6122 has everything I actually need---and it works reliably.

As a bonus, the 6122 gives me double-sided printing. When I use this feature with draft quality printing and inexpensive paper, I have a very cost-effective printer. For resumes and important correspondence, I turn up the print quality, switch to single-sided printing and use paper with rag content. The result is equal to that of a laser printer.

There are only three buttons on the housing, and they are easy to see and understand. This printer is not a toy. It prints. That is all it does, and it does that very well.

The HP Preview is included. This is an awesome utility that saves me gallons of ink and tons of paper each year. HP should win a Nobel award or something for that little utility.

THe 6122 is ideal for professionals/small offices needing a simple printer that is very reliable---without spending a forturne. It is well-built, solid and compact.

I am very pleased with the HP 6122.

When printing on two sides, using the duplex, the print choices provide for a "binding margin". This margin is set, not in the application software, but in the print screen. You can set the binding margin at the long side or the short side. This makes sense if you are printing pages of a report, book or thesis.

It does not make sense if you are printing a brochure. So in prinitng a brochure you will end up with a "forced" binder margin. This margin cannot be disabled. So you will have "extra space on one side.

I've had this printer for about 1 1/2 years, having switched to HP after owning an Epson and a Lexmark, with which I was sort of dissapointed. The Lexmark, although pretty advanced for its time (about 4 years ago), had really bad print quality, even at high resolution settings. The Epson Stylus Color 680 had BIG paper feeder problems and I spent many minutes trying to reprint stuff that got caught in the feeder. Anyway, after I unpacked this printer, I was shocked by its extreme weight. This is a good thing, making it a sturdy and solid printing device. The extra piece for double sided printing is a must-have and I've never taken it out. I've printed everything there is to print, from cd labels to high quality photos for presentations, etc, and I've never had any trouble with it. The resolution settings are perfect for their purpose and at "Draft" setting, this printer will slice you in half if you're not careful. The software is extremely easy to install and the packaging is flawless. I recommend it wholeheartedly, great printer for its price.

I have had three HP Deskjet printers for my office and have had great luck with all three. I did not do any comparison shopping for my work printer it was just assigned to me by my company. The HP Deskjet 6122 printer is an outstanding printer. I have had the opportunity to use it with all print modes and several paper types. It prints superb photo quality prints with photo papers. It prints business size envelopes very well. You can feed them in one at a time or place them in the lower tray for multiple envelope printing. It also works well for printing greeting cards. On draft mode it shoots out the pages with lightning speed and even in draft mode the quality of printing is pretty good. It uses high volume ink cartridges and the cartridges are reasonably priced for the amount of printing you get out of them. I like the printer so much that I bought an identical one for home use. The one I bought for home replaced three lousy color inkjet printers that came free in packages with computers a Lexmark, a Cannon and an Epson. This printer is much more expensive than the cheap or free bee printers but it evens out in the end when you look at all the wasted time and money fiddling with dinky low volume cartridges that your lucky if you can get three 8X10 photo prints out of. One day I accidentally printed a photograph on photo paper with my HP 6122 on draft mode and it looked much better than my junky Lexmark does on photo mode.

I had an HP Laser which drove me batty in terms of getting stuck paper unjammed. After looking at 5550 and 5650, along with Epson, Lexmark and Cannon, I bought the 6122. I rate
the printer 4 1/2**** and am in the process of buying a second.

The construction is sturdier than the 5650 and even 960.
The printer memory is amazing. I will print 40 pages. Nothing will come out at first and then they start flying. The quality,
especially for text letters at Best is like laser. Color
quality: I have a picture of my feline and it is superb.

Bugs that may be related to my CPU include having the printer go off line. This is easily fixed. I just delete the pages
in the que, reboot, reenter the pages being printed and off
we go. I have XP Home. The 6122 is quite at home with it.
Generic cartridges work fine. Have a box in front for when the printer gets going, pages fly out.

The 6122 eliminated slight negatism re: HP old laser jamming.
While not as easy to find in stores or on sale much, the
6122 is worth list price plus. I am mystified over some
of the criticisms. The 6122 is not the most space age
stylish model. It is a Clydesdale. Now I will get a new HP Amdahl or Intel CPU to go along with it. Buy the 6122
and use your worries elsewhere. This is almost as reliable as my Honda Accord.