Customer Reviews

HP PhotoSmart 245 Compact Photo Printer

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

........ I chose the HP 245 as it was compact and doesn't take up much space, light weight, quality pictures(demo at store), picture screen to edit your pictures, and portability. It took me less than 3 minutes to set-up. So far i have printed 50 pictures and they look good. I would recommend that you set your digicam to the highest pixel setting as sometimes the print may look a bit blurred if you have it at mid range(i used a casio EZ-3 digital camera)and you use the zoom function). If you compute the cost of the materials per print it comes out about $0.63 per print ($24/60 photo 4x6 sheets and 150 prints/cartridge). It seems more costly than having it developed in the store, but the convenience of printing whenever and wherever you want is a plus, as well as being able to see what you want to print on the small screen(about 1.5 to 2 in screen) and trim the picture/zoom/add effects and borders/and dictate the number of copies. It takes about 80-90 seconds to print per picture, but you'll be amazed how such a small device can print clear pictures, i forgot i was able to increase brightness and contrast on some of my darker picture shots with the printer features. I have enjoyed printing with this item, and i used my SD card with ease to transfer data(it comes with about 4 multi-media slots). If your sole focus is to print photos only then this is a good item. You can also hook it up to your computer, but the features the printer has in it really does not warrant you to hook it up to your computer, by the time you have gone through the menus of yopur computer you probably could have printed 2-3 photos. ..... I only gave it 4 stars due to the limitation on the print size, as you are limited to sizes close to the 4x6 range. I would recommend if you are not as photo/computer literate as the other fellow, and if you only want photo printing as your printer function- otherwise buy the other photo printers... i think it is the most compact photo printer out there right now...

This printer is so easy to use. Without reading the instructions I was printing pictures almost immediately after opening the box. The easiest part about it is that you don't have to hook it up to the computer, and you can still crop and adust the darkness of the picture. In less than a minute you will have a clear true color 4x6 print. This printer can only print 4x6 prints, but how often do you need enlargements? For less than $200 this printer will not disappoint you. The only draw back is that the 1.8" LCD display could be a little more clear. The text is very clear, but the image of your picture isn't as clear as it could be.

I LOVE this printer! Within 2 minutes of opening the box, I was printing beautiful photos from my Sony Memory Stick. I have had a digital camera for over a year and have sent many photos via E-mail to family and friends, but it would always take me "forever" to go get prints made. I absolutely loved being able to hand my neighbor friend pictures of our kids together in their trick-or-treat outfits instantly. It has been a true joy to print out hundreds of photos practically non-stop. SO,WHY IS THIS A MUST HAVE? It is extremely easy to use and comes with a "no brainer" setup guide. What you see on the LCD screen is EXACTLY how the photo will look when you print it. You can enhance the photo (ie: brightness control etc.) right from the printer. All you do is plug it into the wall, and start printing. You don't ever have to connect it to a computer, though you can easily if you want to. It can be used with several memory cards including: CompactFlash Type I and II; Sony Memory Sticks; Lexar Media Sticks; Secure Digital; MultiMedia Card; and xD-Picture Cards. (Wanted to mention this as I was told at a local electronics store that I would need to buy Sony's Photo Printer because the Sony Media Stick wouldn't work with any others). I especially love being able to tell it to print 5 copies of a single photo and go off to do something else and return to find gorgeous photos ready for myself, Grandma and Grandpa, Nana, and Aunts and Uncles to boot...all from the comfort of my own home where it is much easier to entertain my kids than it is at a stores printing center. Give it a try, I am certain you will be impressed!! Sorry I can't comment on the software that came with it as I haven't even opened it yet...no need to my photos are AWESOME already!! THANKS HP!!

This is a GREAT little printer and totally worth the $$$ - YOU WILL LOVE IT TOO! I opened the box and within 5 min had a picture in my hand that was as clear and as good a quality as any online photo shop. It is fast, cheap and EASY and the best part - it's INSTANT. I have already printed out over 100 4x6 photos and the ink cart. is still going strong! A huge plus is not having to turn on your computer and log on everytime you want to print out a picture. I have two small children and I take dozens of pictures of them a week. Its nice to now be able to pick just the right shots and print them INSTANTLY. You literally take the picture, put your memory card into the printer, edit the picture if you want and then print. The WHOLE PROCESS takes less than 2 min. - I am not kidding!!
It is so intuitive, you don't even need to read the instruction manual. Trust me, I didn't believe that I would be impressed, but I was. If you love pictures, this is totally for you!!

I love the convenience and ability to carry this around. Inserting a memory card is all that is needed, but what I didn't know is that, unless this is attached to a computer, you DON'T get the nice, crisp, high-resolution printouts shown in the examples and descriptions. The photos print at a MUCH lower resolution. What looks crisp on the camera may print a little blurred -- unless you attach this printer to a computer. This is a catch I wish had been explained before purchase. For the cost of this printer and the need to have it hooked up to a computer to get quality prints, you might as well invest in a regular-sized printer or get the photos printed on Wal-Mart's superior equipment.

I bought this printer to use with a Nikon Coolpix 4300 digital camera in a medical work envioronment. We print pictures of before and after surgical procedures and we keep a copy in the record and send one home with the client. The details are fantastic and always leave quite an impression! The printer takes up very little space and is very easy to use. We don't even have it connected to a computer. We leave it chairside in the procedure room, though it's easy to pick up and move if we need to. I have not had any problems with paper jamming, and I love being able to put 1,2 or 4 pictures on one sheet of paper. I've tried to keep track of how often we will be replacing the ink cartridge and have found that I can get about 100 prints out of a cartridge (which are about $35 apiece) and we use the matte HP paper. Very well worth the money and prints beautiful pictures in a short amount of time.

You must get this product. It is so fast and easy. I love it. Just put the memory card in, select the photo using the display, then print. In minutes, I have my photo printed. So much better then having to go through the PC. Now I do it without any help from my husband or kids! I wish I got it years ago.

It is a must have.

This is by far the most convenient, compact, and coolest gadget that HP has come out with. You don't even need your computer or your camera. You just extract the memory card, plug it into the printer and BAM, in seconds you have beautiful pictures. It is truly what I have been waiting for. I have been looking and looking for a portable printer that would accomadate the XD card from my Olympus camera and here it is.

I purchased this photo printer for my brother this past Christmas. We set it up and within a matter of minutes we printed up several photos we took that day with our entire extended family by simply plugging in his digital camera's memory stick into the printer. It was that easy to use.

This is perfect for situations where you can instantly print out photos, make multiple copies, and give them to people right there.

Needless to say, the image quality was quite good and the preview window helped to scan through the library of photos of the memory card to select which image to print.

With all that in mind, this might not be a suitable printer if you don't plan on using it for such purposes. But if you like the idea of turning your digital camera into an instant polaroid camera, this is exactly what you need. However my one wish, perhaps for their next model upgrade, is to include battery support so that this printer can be fully portable for say outdoor excursions.

Got the printer and within minutes I was printing quality photographs!!
I had been looking for a printer like this for some time now. I photograph small items in macro conditions that are used for insurance appraisals and this printer fits the bill.
Set-up is fast and easy and printing time (in color - hi-res) is plenty fast for my tastes. The included software for the PC allows you to print out anything from wallet to 4x6" prints with just the click of a button. If you don't want to use a PC, loading pictures directly from you media card or from the camera directly is a breeze. Excellent printer for someone on the go!!