HP5160 CD/DVD Printer

[Bud]

Info only. Just purchased the HP5160 Photosmart Printer at ComUSA for $89.99 with a $50.00 rebate good through Apr 07. It will print on CD/DVD like the Epson 200 series. Ran test on Inkjet printable DVD's. For my purpose, came out good. One advantage is it only uses two ink cartridges, like most HP printers. I would check the HP web sight for more info on this printer. It works for me and will print things I need it for....another option to the Epson for those who have interest.

Bud

[videobread]

How is the HP print DVD software? Is it as easy as Epson?
Looked for carts and found them on ebay, but not on rima.com or atlanticinkjet.com
Are the carts available at reasonable price? I'm always looking at printer options. Keep us updated on how the unit works out. Like are CIS available. How about the speed of printing? How does it compare with Epson?

[Bud]

As I stated, for my use, prints come out very good, colors are good, as with any printers you can set the print resolution to your needs. Buying the cartridge for is not a problem, I can purchase at a local Military Exchange (Cart #95 for the Color and #98 for the B&W my buying price will not match any local market).

Have not checked into the CIS options.

Software takes a little learning, not as user friendly as Epson, I had some minor problems lining up the image to print center on the DVD, ran some test on some old CD’s printable I had, still a work in progress as far as software

But considering the bottom line price after rebate - $40.00, good buy for me.

Others will have to make up their own minds on which CD/DVD Printer to buy. I am not an expert by any means………..

Bud

[videobread]

Good price, but after reading reviews, I'll stick with my Epson. Sounds like the printing software is limited. Cart price is high. Even read "Worst HP Printer Ever" review on Amazon.com. Just hearsay, but too new for my liking. Cart cost and CIS availability is very important to me. I do volume. Thanks for the info though. I am always interested in hearing about units that print on DVD's. Might try the Canon. I live 30 mi from Canadian border and could easily pick one up in Vancouver. For now I'll just stick with the R220.
Note: The R220's seem to be getting harder to come by. Wonder if Epson is phasing them out. I think they want you to upgrade to their more expensive ink, ultra chrome, printers. The R220 has not been available on their site for months. Most stores don't have them. I bought at Staples. Thinking of stocking a couple. They are $89 with free delivery. It seems that when the carts become readily available and cheap, like the R220's, Epson comes up with some trick to lock you into more expensive carts. In my opinion, That's what this ultra chrome ink is all about. Epson did the same with the Photo Stylus 900. They discontinued it. It was a great printer with cheap carts.
If you are in the business, buy R220 while you can.

[overloaded_ide]

One advantage is it only uses two ink cartridges, like most HP printers.

That is NOT an advantage!
For some people not doing alot of printing it may not matter so much. But then again if your not doing alot of printing who cares if theres 100 tanks anyway, you only install once!

But when you put all the colors into one cartrig that means everytime you change the cartrig because one color runs out you are throwing away lots of ink for the other colors!

Use a Canon printer with seperate clear tanks so you can see the ink level and you will see what I mean. When your yellow needs refilled or replaced you may still have 1/2 a tank of magenta and cyan left. An HP 3/1 type cartrig you are throwing away that ink when you install a new cartrig!

Think of it this way, $30 a cartrig, yellow is empty, 1/2 cyan and 1/2 magenta left would add up to one full collor tank. $30/3 colors, throw away one full tank you just tossed out $10 for nothing!

This is one reason I will never buy another Lexmark or HP printer with a 3/1 cartig, or any other printer using one. It's just too easy to intall a new single color tank when needed and actually use all of your ink to put up with throwing away 1/3 of it like that.

To some people it may sound cheaper to buy one tank of 3 colors for $30 instead of 3 seperate tanks for $36 but they don't have a clue as to how much it costs them to throw away all that ink each time they replace a cartrig! If you use 2X as much yellow then you have to throw away 1/2 the others, thats 2 cartriges for $60. With seperate tanks and the same usage you just pop in a $12 cartrig for the yellow. That's $36 for the first set plus $12 for one yellow, $48! You just saved $12!
Figure the first set was free with the printer, so when yellow runs out it costs $30 for a 3/1 or $12 for just yellow, that's an $18 savings.

Also often the 3/1 holds less ink of each color than 3 seperate tanks hold, add that lower volume of ink as more expense!

A 3/1 is not normally easy to refill either though it can be done. Single tanks are normally very easy!

How fast any color is used up depends on the printing being done, but NEVER does it equal out to all three running out at once. I know this for a fact because I refill clear ink tanks very often. I now have 3 printers using them! Never do I have to refill them all at once because they are all out at the same time. I do refill them all at once anyway even when they are still half full and just one is running out. Just so I always have full tanks all the time.

For low volume printing when replacing ink tanks would not be needed much, 3/1 might be ok for some people or if your getting them cheap enough to just not care. Or if such people have more money than they want! Or when it snows Purple Rain, or when dog meows at the cat and the cat barks back at the dog, then 3/1 may be an advantage!

When larger volumes of printing is needed and you do care about costs, 3/1 is nothing but a rippoff!
Any other time is a rippoff also!

Forget manufactorers HYPE about print heads or other crap also. I went through over almost a QUART of ink on one printhead with seperate tanks! You know how many tanks it takes to use up 1 quart of ink? We do alot of printing, sometimes I refill 2X in 1 week, other times may go a month maybe. This printer was used for years before the head went bad. I had a spare printer, just curious how long this one will last I took the new head from the other printer and put in this printer. A new head would have cost $50. That many 3/1 cartriges with built in heads would have cost $2,000!

And I used to refill the 3/1 cartriges when I had those type printers also, and the print heads last along time, so that is just BULLsh... HYPE about getting a new fresh printhead on those expensive 3/1 cartriges.