Looking Closely at the HP Deskjet F380

For the office or small business setup, efficiency and savings are everything. This applies to all of its aspects, including office space and equipment. The HP Deskjet F380 is an all in one printer designed to meet the common needs like faxing, printing, scanning and photocopying. It eliminates the need to buy separate equipment for each of these tasks, and ultimately saves on time moving from one station to the other, as well as electric bills.

Many people have commented on the different aspects of the HP Deskjet F380. One of those aspects is the HP F380‘s construction. Out of the box, it appears a little flimsy and fragile. This is due to the lightweight plastic material that was used on the unit. This is more apparent on the scanner’s lid which is wobbly and has to be lifted out to accommodate a thick bundle of papers. However, the overall feel of the unit is durable enough to handle its various functions.

Another aspect is the control panel. There are no LCD screens to guide the user, and there are no advanced controls like an autoduplexer. However, there are the basic buttons like number of copies, paper type, black or color indicators, and a scan button. Of course, there are also the power and cancel buttons in place. These are enough for most users’ needs, and present enough value for the printer’s cheaper price.

Then there is the printing performance of the HP Deskjet F380. The black ink printing is decent, with only minimal shadowing, however, the color printing is less than satisfactory, showing loss of detail and noticeable banding with photos. The vividness of the printout is also lacking. Print speed is not that fast, but is at par with other cheaper printers. As for the scans, there are also similar banding and some loss of detail. Overall, the unit appears to be more suited to text and a few simple color prints.

After some issues with the hardware, the software appears quite satisfactory. The setup is simple, and the HP Solution Center as well as the Photosmart Essential is great for organizing and setting up any print job. Compatibility is also good with Windows 98, 2000, XP and Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4. To users who only need the basics done well, the HP Deskjet F380 is a good place to find efficiency. To buy or get more information about the F380 go to Printershaven.com.