Customer Reviews

HP Photosmart C4680 All-in-one Printer (Q8418A#ABA)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

The first thing I learned when I put the HP 4680 on line was that the old usb cable I had from my evidently crippled HP 1210 had failed. I didn't even know that usb cables could do that, but the 4680 couldn't 'see' the connection using the old cable. When I purchased and attached the new cable, the 4680 then went righ along very well.
Incidently, my curiosity was eating me alive as to whether, all this time, the cable could be the problem with my old HP 1210. Turns out, it was, and the old printer was once again functioning. With it now resurrected, I began to question whether I really needed the new 4680. Still, it was pretty nice with the little LCD screen & all - so I put it on line.
Two days later my wife was attempting to scan a page, not using the computer, and it would not, saying, instead, try scanning from the computer. So - went to the HP Solutions Center program, and again, it would not, and gave some sort of 'disconnect' error code.
Yesterday I spent over two hours with HP tech support and really they were very polite, worked hard, reinstalled the software, installed other software, etc., and still could not get it to scan as indicated in the manual. The tech guy DID discover, however, that it would scan using Microsoft Windows Gallery, under the heading of 'Insert' 'Scan'. So we then knew that the scanner really works, just not using the software from HP, at least so far.
So - now I am about convinced to return the 4680 and shop for some other sort of printer, or just keep going with my old one. I don't know whether anyone else has had this problem, nor, of course, whether a solution has been found. I just want it to work as indicated.

After reading numerous reviews, this unit looked too good to pass up. The price was a definite factor, but I've also had good success with HP products. I was hoping to find a review from a Linux user, but since I've found very little that Ubuntu Linux can't handle I bought it. Well, after a very quick ship (thanks!) and a no-hassle installation (like I said, Ubuntu just finds it even without the installation software), I thought I was all set ... until I tried to scan something to the computer. I couldn't even find the scanner through Xsane (the scanner app). A quick search revealed that this HP unit needed the latest HPLIP driver. A few minutes later everything was connected.

Here's that info for anyone running Linux:
Download newest driver from http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/install_wizard/index.html (a .run file) and then go to that directory in terminal (commands are based on downloading to the Desktop and using latest driver at the time)

In the terminal enter the following:

cd Desktop

sh hplip-3.9.8.run

Jim

Well almost "all-in-one". I didn't pay close enough attention when ordering and thought this was a 4 function all-in-one---printer, copier, scanner, fax. IT IS NOT A FAX. Disappointing, but for the price, I'm still pleased. The quality is great, though I'm still not familiar enough with it to know how to do certain things that I want to do. It does go through the ink quicker than it's supposed to. I printed a 20 page b&w document, two 8x10 colors pics, and one 5x7 color pic and my ink is 3/4 gone! It was delivered quickly, great price, and looks sleek.

After installing this printer and using all features I decided it needs and deserves better press than it has been receiving at Amazon reviews, where even some of the more favorable essays contain caveats. My experience is only positive. I have installed the printer using Windows 7 64 bit Home Edition using the CD install disk right out of the box.

INSTALLATION: no issues. Just follow the steps in sequence and do
not connect the USB cable until you are supposed to.

PAPER HANDLING: Note the instruction that paper should be loaded when the printer is turned on (so that you will not push it too far into the printer). When this note is heeded all paper, including plain copy paper, feeds flawlessly -- at least for me.

SCANNER: It seems everyone has problems with the scanner. I scanned documents using the HP Solution Center icon on my desktop. It created
.pdf documents flawlessly. No problems whatever.

COPIER: As a copier it delivered clean, reasonably sharp copies of documents and very true color copies of photos. No issues and results
were pleasing.

PRINTING: Copy is clean and sharp. No scattering, smearing, jagged
edges, and sufficient print darkness and sharpness. Good enough for
a presentation if good paper is used.

INK CAPACITY: I have printed about 85 pages and the ink reservoirs
are close to full. I used the printer options to select black ink
only for letters so that composite printing would not start to drain
the color cartridge.

NOISE: what noise? Just a little normal whirring, clicking and
grinding on start up.

CARTRIDGE INSERT: it was only slightly difficult to insert the
cartridges without forcing them. Just angle them in patiently
and then snap it back.

CABLE: yes, you have to buy a USB cable. If the fit into the printer
is too tight and the printer doesn't respond turn the cable plug upside down and reinsert.

APPEARANCE: it has a nice footprint with good lines.

FAX: No fax. It is almost but not quite "all" in one.

HP SUPPORT: Having contacted HP Support several times after buying
a new Pavillion notebook and once after the printer software was
disrupted by a blue screen problem (temporary) I can only say that
the technicians are well trained, knowledgeable, patient, and
courteous.

WHY FOUR STARS: I can't give five stars to a budget printer which
is not designed to serve as a high output work horse. Aside from
that the C4680 revealed no glitches or flaws. However, I don't think
the construction is rugged enough to withstand careless handling in
a busy office by many people. This unit is for home use.

####

I have had this printer for about a year. The major problem is that it won't use refilled cartridges. It has a sensor that rejects any HP cartridge that has been refilled. I've tried refills from Walgrens, Ink,Paper, Scissors, and Costco, the last of which has high standards for refilling to factory specifications. So, cartridge costs for the XL size are around $35 new instead of $10 for a refill. Upon further research, this printer HAS THE HIGHEST COST PER PAGE AT 7.5 CENTS PER PAGE OF ANY INKJET PRINTER ON THE MARKET!

HP tech support refuses to address this question.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRINTER OR YOU WILL BE SORELY SURPRISED AT HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO OPERATE!

Rus Iida

Absolutely the worst purchase I've made for my computer. My last printer, also an HP, died after 5 years. Being as I had no issues with that printer, I ventured to buy another HP. Based on the reviews on this page, I decided that the downsides were acceptable. My other printer had a lot of the same complaints, of which I had no issue.

When the unit arrived, I immediately noticed the quality difference. Cheap, thin plastic, poor construction, poor design. I wasn't, however, that concerned with those things- what mattered was how it performed.

And that's the rub. It doesn't. It has jammed countless times in three months. It consistently tells me it is out of paper. It doesn't like photo paper at all (ruined 12 sheets to get one shabby-looking photo printed). The print quality, at its finest setting, is nothing short of awful. The scanner, which I use heavily, is both loud and slow. After five scans or so, it just stops working. Though I assume it does this to cool down, which would be another detriment to this awful piece of equipment, the management software doesn't give any sort of information on its status. In fact, the management software is just as annoying as the lack of production. Don't even think about trying to multitask while using this device- everything it does takes precedence. When it experiences a jam or thinks its out of paper, multiple windows pop open. You can't scan to file to manage later. It insists on telling you that its starting, showing you progress, and opening the photo manager when it's finished. In this high-speed, hi-tech world, I couldn't imagine a more frustrating process.

I would pay twice as much to have less headaches than this useless POS has given me. I wrote to HP, expecting something- anything, really. Even if they wanted to give me a discount on a much more expensive machine. They couldn't care less. You bought it- deal with it. Oh, and thank you for being a loyal customer. Wood for the trees, I suppose.

DO NOT BUY. YOU WILL BE SORRY.

Look at the cost of ink for this printer.
One set of BW and color XL cartridges will cost as much as the entire printer!

I bought this for my son to use for his school work. I was looking for something relatively inexpensive yet reliable. His previous printer only cost $30 but malfunctioned after less than a year of ownership. So I wanted to spend a little more and get a little better quality. When this printer arrived, the first thing I noticed was the good build quality. Setup was easy. Not only did HP include the usual illustrated setup poster, the printer also provided guided setup on the LCD. Speaking of the LCD, although it's a tad small, it is vivid and sharp. The LCD has soft touch buttons which almost give it a touch screen effect. Printing performance was great; on par with more expensive HP printers. Text is sharp and clear. No smudges, jaggies, or ink splatter. Photo printing was excellent also, especially on HP photo paper. Copying was speedy and scanning performance was fine. This is a no frills printer without a lot of bells and whistles but I think that makes it even nicer. You can get right to the task at hand without stumbling through numerous menus first. The printer uses two HP 60 cartridges (color and Black & white). I need a few months of ownership to determine ink usage. The only problem I have with the new HP printers is that although the ink costs half the price of previous HP printers, it also only lasts half as long. I have already changed the ink in my HP C6380 three times since purchasing it in March of this year. I hope this printer gives me a little more ink longevity. Otherwise, a very good printer for the money. Just make sure you grab a USB cable while ordering because there isn't one included.

Got this printer for free with the purchase of an Apple laptop. Prints well and is easy to use, but goes through ink way too quick even on draft. I can get about 80 printed pages of Word documents on draft setting until the black ink needs to replaced. With ink costing around $15 - $20, this printer can get very expensive. I need to replace the blank ink every two weeks. With my old Lexmark, I could print easily 500 to 600 pages until I needed to replace the cartridge, and the ink is the same price. Stay away.

My Photosmart was about six years old. HP does not make printers like they used to. The 500, 600, 800 series lasted forever. I even have a 500 series still working at a shop in Detroit. Maybe HP was making them in the United States then, I don't know. But what failed on my Photosmart printer was the PC mount right angle USB connector on the printed circuit board in the printer. I tried looking for a manual to repair it, so I tried to take it apart. I have no idea what kind of special screw driver was necessary. So I scrapped it and was very disappointed in HP quality.

I researched printers for days and come upon this one. What I like about this one is that it only had one color cartridge. I rarely use color. Plus the cartridges were inexpensive. I could have cared less about the scanner, many reviews said the scanner was worthless. I have my own scanner so like I said, I could have cared less. The setup was a breeze, and the printer worked flawlessly. The plastic is a little thinner this time around with this machine. But HP is saving money, plus they are probably making this in some sweat shop in China.

I like the LED feature and the flash card features work. Most of the stores I went to had a price of $99.00, the lowest price I found was $78.00 not including tax. So Amazon was an amazing deal.

Hey, all I care about is that it prints and I am so happy to have a printer again. Plus the quality of the print is good. The color is wonderful.

I am in the computer business and when I say I researched a printer, I mean I researched every site and spent hours and hours reading reviews. In the end this HP model was the best for my home based business.

I realize that if you really want a printer you go with an expensive Laser Jet. But I am just a small one man band, and this is what I needed. I recommend it to all who fits my profile.