You wont find a lot of discussion regarding HP Photo Printers for the dedicated amateur or budding professional photographer here on Best Photo Printers. That is largely because of a serious lack of quality products at reasonable prices from HP (with a smidgen of personal animosity thrown in resulting from bad past experiences with HP products). But, I have to admit, I may have jumped to judgement a bit too quickly.
I had heard good things about the quality of output from HP’s new addition in the Photosmart Pro series of photo printers. But I was pretty skeptical nonetheless. That was, until I was invited to test one at my friend’s home (who IS a professional photographer). Color me impressed (excuse the pun).
Where do I start? With the most important aspect, I suppose. Output quality is dynamic, vibrant, and just downright stunning. The B9180 uses an 8 ink system that produces amazing images, especially on high quality photo and fine art products. I really was expecting a disappointment when I first witnessed the prints coming through the first time. Disappointment turned out to be disbelief.
Important to note is that this is not a standard ink dye system. This photo printer behemoth uses a pigment application instead, which is apparently supposed to help the final product keep it’s vibrancy longer. Though I think dye inks can last just as long with proper protection and storage.
My friend had his networked with one other desktop in his home, which is a nice feature and one I don’t recall noticing on other, comparable brands.
I did notice that the Photosmart B9180 was a MONSTER! The sheer space absorbed by the printer was significant. Printing takes place straight through the unit, so a large amount of rear clear space is required. I can’t say for sure what the weight of the unit was, but it was a beast. I’d hazard to guess it was at least 40 lbs., maybe slightly less.
Also, it was mentioned to me that the calibration and setup process was a bit odd, and time consuming. However, the calibration process was “automated” to allow for other tasks to be done while you waited for the hour or so process to be completed.
Print speed, while not important with this category of printer, was respectable. We witnessed a few 13 x 19 prints come out in about 5 minutes total. Not bad at all.
All in all, I still can’t believe I have to eat crow regarding the HP Photosmart series. The Pro B9180 was just stellar, and really is worth the money for those looking to produce professional quality prints on a smallish budget. It’s definitely one of the best photo printer units out there right now.