HP new 3050A Deskjet is good value for money for home or small office use. Its WiFi feature permits it to be used as the single printer from multiple devices in the home. It combines print, scan and copy functions and is able to connect to HP e-print or Google’s Cloud Print service so that content from smart phones and tablets can be printed without first sending to a computer.
What is it?
The Deskjet 3050 A inkjet printer is an upgrade of the entry level Deskjet 1050 with the added feature of wireless connectivity. The printer is compact and lightweight featuring HP’s standard two-tone grey with an attractive maroon color band around the scan surface and on the paper tray. Another added feature is a pop-up LCD screen with buttons on either side to select menu options.
Key Features:
Go Wireless: Print from any room in the house
The most significant new feature is the wireless interface that permits the printer to be used from multiple devices around the house. The wireless feature also permits the printer to be located separate from a computer. The location can be chosen to permit easy access to all printer users in the home. Paper supplies can be stored near the printer and the pile up of print orders waiting for collection don’t cause a mess.
The wireless interface is especially good for print jobs from mobile phones or tablets. For example, for printing an e-mail message or a map or a photograph from a phone or tablet, there is no need to first send it to a computer.
Easily Print, Scan and Copy at home
The Deskjet 3050A combines the three key needs of printing, scanning and copying most commonly used at home. The printer includes a quick forms button for printing useful templates such as the calendar or board games.
The paper feeds vertically into a fold out tray at the back of the printer. This is a good feature instead of the paper cassette as different types of paper may be needed for each print job and it is easier to feed the requisite type of paper into the open tray. The paper tray holds 60 sheets and is adequate for most home print jobs. The printed copies are conveniently delivered on a fold out telescopic flat tray on the front.
Count on dependable performance and convenience
The 3050 A is essentially plug and play. The wireless router is readily configured.
Print speeds are perfectly acceptable with a 10 page black and white text document being printed in 1.75 minutes and a 10 page color brochure in 5 minutes.
Copy speeds are good with only 18 seconds needed for a black and white page. The scanner has good resolution at 1200 dpi which yields good color reproduction and no loss of details.
Reduce energy consumption and conserve resources
The Deskjet 3050 A is Energy Star rated and consumes only 9 watts of power in operation, 2.5 watts on stand-by and 1.2 watts in sleep mode. Some 35 percent of the components are made from recycled plastic. The spent ink cartridges are fully recyclable.
What’s innovative:
The wireless connectivity is the most innovative feature in Deskjet 3050A that makes it different from other entry level printers.
Price and availability
The HP 3050A is priced an attractive $80 and is available from most electronics stores like Best Buy and Next besides mail order websites
Accessories
The HP 3050A has black and tri-color limited use ( 160 to 200 pages) ink cartridges, the power supply and power cord and a software CD with set up guide. A tote bag is also supplied.
HP also supplies various types of paper including recycled paper for everyday printing, special occasion paper, paper for brochures and photo quality paper. HP also supplies spare print cartridges.
The upside:
The HP 3050A is compact at 16.8 X 16 X 9.8 inches with trays open and weighs only 8 pounds. The wireless connectivity ensures that the printer can be accessed from all over the house and from any communication device, not just computers.
The downside:
The HP 3050A does not have an Ethernet port and cannot be used for wired networking. The copier and scanner bed can only accept 8.5 X 17 inch documents and does not have a hinged cover to accommodate thicker material such as copying from a magazine or book that is often needed in home and small business use. The printer also does not have a slot for receiving camera memory cards for direct printing of photographs from digital cameras.
The ink cartridge life is modest and any substantial printing job would need pre planning for spare cartridges. Both cartridges need to be replaced together, which is an additional cost.
The print quality is acceptable but not as sharp as in other entry level printers.
The bottom line:
The HP Deskjet 3050A is an attractively priced entry level printer with features and performance well sited for its target market of homes and small businesses.
