Customer Reviews

HP DeskJet 3740 Color Inkjet Printer

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The print quality of the 3740 is good, but my main complaint with it is that HP doesn't make it clear that you need a USB A/USB B cable to connect it to your computer...which is sold separately (you can get the Belkin Pro Series USB 2.0 Device Cable (USB A/USB B, 10 Feet) from Amazon for $6.74, or else for ~$13 at Wal-Mart). Why would they sell you a printer without the necessary connectivity hardware to use it? Also, it doesn't come with the HP 28 cartridge (black), and that costs about $22 extra as well. Bottom line, this $40 printer will cost more like $65-$80 depending on where you get your cable. The Canon PIXMA iP1500 is a good alternative and the printer cartridges are much less expensive.

More about print quality. I can't say that I was disappointed by the quality of the printed photos. The pictures are professional quality as long as you are using good photo paper (which is the case with any printer). Text is good as well, plus the printer is very small which makes it handy if you don't have a lot of desk space left after hooking up your scanner, wireless router, phone adaptor, cable modem and other various junk that can wind up on a computer desk.

I have owned a number of HP printers over the years. In fact this replaces an older one that just happened to run out of both ink cartridges at the same time. I thought why not get a newer one then. Anyway, the paper capacity is low (something around 20 sheets at best--not 80). It prints slowly (no where near the 14 ppm that it claims on my computer) and fairly loudly for an inkjet printer (should be next to silent, but this sound kind of jerky). I has a fairly cheaply made feel to it. Interestingly, the "50 sheet output tray"--there isn't one. The pages fall right on top of the input paper. The ink cardridges (it only comes with a color--optional BW is at your expense) are very small. So though the cartridges are a little bit cheaper, I seem to now only be getting maybe 100-150 typed pages out of them. Years ago I had an inkjet from a cheaper company. It disappointed me and I spent the little bit extra to go to HP and haven't ever been disappointed until now. This is really sad that HP would make something this badly designed.

Some comments at the end, but first the basics after over 4 months of using this printer:

Installation and Driver
I use the printer shared beween my Mac Mini and a Windows XP Pro box. Installation was simple on both platforms. I only installed the printer driver, I already have select software that I prefer to use for image editing.

While accessing the driver options in Windows is simpler, the Mac driver, when you know where to look, offers a wider array of options (electronic flash, color adjustment, paper presets, etc.). In general I feel that the printer works better under Mac OS-X than under Windows, but that is a common impression between the operating systems in general.

Print Quality
I was very surprised at the print quality from this three color, budget printer. Text is clear with reasonably well defined characters under close scrutiny. Color printing on regular inkjet paper (20lb 90+ brightness) is acceptable if not stunning. Banding can creep in, dithering is visible on large areas of coverage, and some blooming occurs (but that is dependant a lot on the individual paper being used). Experimenting with driver settings can pay off here.

Photo printing, on the other hand, exceeded expectations. I mostly print 4"x6" prints on Kodak Premium Picture Paper (Satin and Gloss). The results are very nice, not a huge amount of dynamic range (it is a just a three color printer) but decent color and a surprising lack of banding and blooming on smaller (4x6 or less) prints. Larger prints show more of the printer's limitations, with visible banding, saturation, and dithering on 8"x10" prints, but it is still very usuable for a $30 printer.

Paper Handling
Unlike my Epson and HP Multifunction machine, I've had little problem with paper handling with this dimunitive printer. I do tend to print photos a sheet a time, but up to 20 sheets of 20lb paper have always fed reliably.

Overall Impressions
I've read all the reviews for this printer and most miss an important point: this is a budget printer. No, you don't get a USB cable in the box (I had several on hand so no big thing), and no black cartridge is included. But c'mon, folks, this is a sub-$30 printer! And for that, it delivers an impressive amount of usability.

Pros
-Acceptable quality text printing (especially with black cartridge) for personal or light business use.

-Low cost of printer and consumables (not price per page but price-per-cartridge)

-Surprising results for printing 3x5 or 4x6 photos (using good quality paper)

-Mac printer driver in particular offers a wide array of useful options

Cons
-Color printing on regular ink jet paper is less than stellar.

-Yield of ink carts is below average (but so is price)

-Speed, this is not a particularly fast printer (not an issue for me)

-Noise, it is a bit clunky sounding at times

Overall, for $30 you will be hard pressed to find this much capability in competing products from Lexmark. Add to that trouble-free printing from Windows or Mac and a truly small footprint and you have one of the best budget printers on the market today.

This is a very inexpensive printer that doesn't include a black ink cartridge nor a USB cable. The color cartridge has a pretty short life as well, maybe 100-150 pages.
I was apprehensive about such an inexpensive printer. I've been plesently surprised. The print quality is very good, photos are good as well. Compared to my old HP712C, this printer is at least as quiet, much faster, and better quality print. I don't agree with the other review saying its noisy. Most printers don't include connecting cables. The Canon another reviewer recommended doesn't include a USB cable either.

We've always had HP printers and when ours got ruined in a move, we went and purchased another one. I realize that this was a cheaper model but was not prepared to find all the problems that I have with it. It always jams with multiple paper feed. Frequently, the light on the front blinks and the whole thing stops working. I have to pull the usb plug on the back to reset it. I'm not happy with the purchase.

I bought this printing after being extremly unpleased with my Dell 962 All In One Printer. This little HP has done wonders for me. I can print and print and print and am pleased with the quality everytime. Although it's not a printer with 4 individual color ink wells like my old Canon the quality is good. I bought this baby for less than 40 bucks and when I need to print something fast it gets the job done. I printed about 75 pages in less than 10 minutes, which is good for an inkjet and the pages had full text. Someone complained of noise, it's not the quietest thing but most of the many printers I have haven't been. What I think is a down side if the color cartridge isn't the cheapest, I haven't found it for less than $20 bucks. But I mean it's a really great printer for the price and try it yourself vs. listening to the naysayers who heavily gripe about a really cheap printer.

If you're considering this product, consider it no further, it is absolute bollocks. It always jams and the catriges cost almost as much as the printer does. Get a lazer printer and get a good one.

I bought this printer back in January, and can't rave about it enough. It's reliable, compact and does the job better than I expected. I own a HP3030 all in one laser printer where the toner costs $70 that I use to print mortgage documents, so I needed a reliable 2nd printer to print miscellaneous things and not waste the expensive toner, and the 3740 couldn't be better choice. I have no complaints. I use it to print brochures, checks, everything! And it's never let me down. Cheap too!

The printer does what is is supposed to do as a home printer. Also uses minimal space.

I just bought this printer it works great. Installation is a snap. The picture quality is really good if you set the printing to the highest quality. And it prints fast for just text printing. The one draw back is that it is a little noisy, and it doesn't come with a USB cable. But if you can handle a little noise and buying a USB cable then it's the printer for you.