HP PhotoSmart 1215 Inkjet Printer

by HP

Product Details

Product Manual [4.94mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 14 x 17 x 7.5 inches ; 14.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 19 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004XREP
• Item model number: C8401AABA
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 12, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Based on the popular HP P1000, the HP PhotoSmart 1215 photo printer directly accepts CompactFlash and SmartMedia cards and prints wirelessly from infrared devices. No PC is required, but it is PC and Mac compatible. With 2,400 x 1,200 dpi resolution and HP's enhanced layering technology, photos are stunningly beautiful and text is razor sharp. The updated version is faster and quieter and has an optical sensor that automatically adjusts printer settings for the paper type.

To test the PS1215, we inserted our digital camera's CompactFlash card into the PS1215's slot and followed the LCD menus to print an index sheet that contained thumbnails of our photos. We also followed the menus to select a photo to print as an 8-by-10. The process was slow but intuitive, with most of our time spent waiting for the index sheet to print. The results were very good, with exceptionally sharp thumbnails and a surprisingly sharp and colorful 8-by-10, even using the printer's default normal mode.

Next, we installed the software drivers, connected the printer to our PC, and printed our standard test documents using the printer's three modes--draft, normal, and best. Mixed color and black text documents printed at 5.6, 2.1, and 0.9 ppm respectively. Black-only text documents printed at 6.3, 3.9, and 0.6 ppm. (All speeds were adjusted upward to account for first-page delay.) Draft documents were faded; normal documents were sharper and had more accurate color; best documents were exceptionally sharp, requiring close inspection to distinguish them from the output of a laser printer.

The PS1215 shined brilliantly in our color photo tests. On our PC, we used the included photo printing software to select our own high-resolution digital photos and to position them in the software's predefined page layouts. Samples were a bit slow to print--a typical 8-by-10 required 4 minutes and 28 seconds--but the output was superb on HP's premium glossy photo paper (sample pack included). Our samples displayed rich and accurate color, perfect register, fine detail, and realistic skin tones. There was no visible banding or smearing and only the faintest hint of pixelation.

The PhotoSmart 1215 is priced considerably above its sub-$200 rivals, but the dramatic improvements in quality justify the extra cost. It operates quietly, sets up easily, prints very sharp text on a variety of media, and produces beautiful color documents and photos. This remarkable performer is an excellent all-purpose printer. --Mike Brown

Pros

• Accepts CompactFlash and SmartMedia directly
• Easy to set up and use
• Sharp text and beautiful color photos
• Detects paper type automatically

Cons

• Slow printing on higher-quality settings
• Expensive ink

Product Description

MD) PHOTOSMART 1215 COLORINKJET PRIT

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Photo Printer!, November 12, 2000

By 

J. Morgan "joelmor" (Millburn, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP PhotoSmart 1215 Inkjet Printer (Office Product)

The HP Photosmart 1215 is a terrific new printer with HP's best photo quality color layering technology. It is a breeze to install - I had mine literally out of the box and printing in 10 minutes without one glitch! I used a standard 2-way parallel cable, but its also works with USB (in either case, you'll need to buy a cable since the printer does not ship with one). This printer has so may great features: if you have a digital camera with either a Smart Media card or a Compact Flash/IBM Microdrive card, you can print directly from the card without using your computer. Or, if you'd rather, you can download to your computer from the card (so you don't even have to attach your camera to your computer!). It comes with terrific printer properties, so if you want to print a photo at the very best level, you can set it at 2400 dpi. And these photos on HP Premium Plus Glossy Photo Paper really are astounding. To my eyes they look every bit as good as a 35 mm camera! It's also fast. The only slight annoyance is that its hard to learn how to load the 4x6 photo paper in the photo try - you'll want an extra box of this paper until you learn how to place it exactly. HP should do something about this - but, to me, it is not enough of a hassle to mar the 5 star rating of this wonderful printer. Its really great!!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Print Quality, June 2, 2001

By 

Joseph Goncu (Edison, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HP PhotoSmart 1215 Inkjet Printer (Office Product)

If you are looking for a printer that will give you photo quality printing, this is the one. I purchased this machine a few weeks ago and I was able to print photo quality pictures. It is easy to set up, and color quality is excellent.

Some friends even suggested that they are better than film pictures. I showed some printed photos to at least 10 people and they are all impressed.

In my opinion, they are not better than film pictures, but very close. Close enough not to bother with sending to a lab. And that is the key, you take the pictures and the printed photo is ready in a nice, glossy paper in less than minutes.

I did not have a chance to compare with other machines from Epson and Canon, but very likely you won't regret buying this machine, if you think that the picture quality is the most important think for you.

One potential problem is that the printer is slow when printing on photo paper, but consider, you will get your quality-photo in one or two minutes at home.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than what I expected ....LOVE THIS PRINTER, December 22, 2001

By 

Lee "07 Dyna Low Rider" (Gladwin, MI, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HP PhotoSmart 1215 Inkjet Printer (Office Product)

extremely easy to install with windows 98. Took me all of 5 minutes to be up and printing. The only tiny problem I found was that it would loose communication with the computer ONLY WHEN I HAD IT CONNCECTED TO A 4 PORT USB extension "HUB" ( too many toys, not enough usb ports). I unconnected it from the hub and used the USB port on the back of my tower...since then, NO PROBLEM WHAT SO EVER. NO PAPER JAMS, PRINTS BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL COLOR PHOTO, AND FAST TOO. It says it prints 17 pages per minute, but it printed out 22 pages in under 60 seconds for me, and the text was sharp,crisp anc clear, as were the color photos I made to send in christmas cards. I love the feature of selecting how many photos on one photo sheet I want to print without having to use someone elses photo software. I suggest that to save photo paper.....you print out the "index" on plain paper.
For those who use alot of color cartridges, may I suggest the
one that holds 38ml of ink. Even though the package says large, look at the item number and ml/oz. The 6578D holds 19ml while the 6578A holds 38ml ( 1.28oz)......twice as much!!!!
Anyway, It is quiet, fast, and gives me excellent results. If you want to spend $100.00 more, check out the HP 1315.....it previews your photos right on a small screen right on the printer itself. No need to print out an index to see the photos and waste ink.... That would be great for people who didnt want to connect it to a computer, but wanted to print out photos.......
Anyway, I am a happy camper with this unit.