Ians

(Tech Review)

New Delhi: At a time when deskjet printers globally are getting cheaper and easier to operate, finding the best deal is also becoming increasingly difficult. Keeping the changing priorities of consumers in mind, global printer major Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched an all-in-one stylish machine for Indian users that will surely ease your life.

The wireless HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 4535 printer is fast, yields low-cost prints and is packed with other normal features like scanning, photocopying and mobile application support - making it a great choice for affordable, high-quality printing and other home usage.

Let us find out what is in there for you.

First is the design. Similar to the changing design and performance trends in the smartphone market, HP has modelled this all-in-one lifestyle product (as they call it) in such a way that it packs all functions - print, copy, scan - in an aesthetically attractive chassis.

The briefcase-shaped printer has a wide "smile" output opening and looks stunning in matte finish in classic black colour.

The printer offers mobile printing or Wi-Fi direct printing. To check this, I connected the printer and my mobile phone (Android) to the same Wi-Fi device and printed a sheet while sitting on my desk while the printer was in another cabin - and it worked flawlessly.

Wireless printing is compatible with all platforms - Apple's iOS, Android and Windows - and with all devices -- smartphones, tablet and personal computers (PCs).

In the biggest advantage for consumers who face the problem of ink drying up the printer is not used for say one or two weeks, the company is offering inks that do not dry or clog the print heads.

"The inks have been changed from dye-based to pigment-based and the chemical composition of the these inks do not dry, or result in faded prints," a company spokesperson told IANS, adding that "the prints are smudge and waterproof."

A perfect choice for your creative as well as academic requirements, the printer has functionalities with an easy-to-use 2.2-inch touchscreen display panel featuring simple icons for controlling print, scan and copy.

Also, the touchscreen allows a user to download mobile applications such as HP All-in-one Printer Remote app that enables user to re-size and colour-correct the material on the phone itself before printing.

The display panel can also save downloaded pictures and documents -- such as recipes for women or school homework for kids -- on the device for printing.

One of the sleekest machines in the market, the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 4535 printer offers low-cost and fast printing by giving around 19 pages per minute (black and white) and 15 pages per minute (colour).

With its HP 680 colour and black-and-white cartridges costing Rs.550 each, it gives a total of 630 prints (480 in black-and-white and 150 in colour). The cost-per-page for a black and white print is just above Re.1 and approximately Rs.3.50 for a colour print.

Another feature is the automatic two-sided printing that saves time and paper. Also, strike out that extra "white space" from prints with the device's borderless printing technology.

The 4535 printer features a clean flatbed scanner that can scan all formats like TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP and PDF and has an optical scan resolution up to 1,200 dots-per-inch. It takes a minute to scan eight A4-size mono-colour documents (or four coloured documents).

It has an auto-deploying input tray that can handle up to 100 sheets. The output tray can handle 25 sheets.

Weighing just over five kg, the printer gives 50 prints at a stretch.

What doesn't work for the printer?

There are no cons in particular but while shelling out Rs.8,500, a consumer can ask for a fax option that this device does not have.

Verdict: For a wireless all-in-one printer for high-quality printouts at your home, the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 4535 is the device you are looking for. The printer fits well at its demanding price with its good design and performance.

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