CHEAPSKATE PRODUCT NOTE:
I am a bit hesitant about using the term “review” here since I don’t really do all the fancy performance tests that most hardware review sites like Cnet.com or zdnet.com does. All I can tell you are the experiences I have with a product and in what ways you can save money by buying or using it.
The HP900 Printer
This is the first cheapskate product I will discuss here. I bought one last November 2007 and I am very happy with it. It fits all my printing needs perfectly.The Details:
Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
Product Name: HP900
Type: Ink Jet Printer
Cost: PhP 4,999 (around $110)
At around $110 dollars, you can buy cheaper inkjets such as Canon’s Pixma iP1xxx line or Epson’s C79. HP even has the HP2360, which retails for half the price of the HP900. So why buy the HP900? Simple - because of the price of the Ink Cartridges.
The HP900’s color cartridge is priced around $10, while the black cartridge is around $8. The total page output according to the HP site is about 1000 pages. That’s about $0.018 per page, truly a CHEAPSKATE printout! Don't worry, Print quality doesn't look like CHEAPSKATE though. The print quality rivals that of my Canon iP4200 (both at default settings). I have been able to print 400+ pages 4x6 photos using only 2 color ink cartridges (1 of which is still ¼ full) and half of the black ink cartridge. If I would print my 400 photos at a printing establishment, it would cost me around $60. Using the HP900, the same number of photos would only cost around $40 (using a generic 4x6 photo paper which is similar to those used by printing establishments).
The printer does have some setbacks however. First of which is that I’m having a hard time printing borderless photos. The included software doesn’t have much features. The print utility is also kind of annoying when the ink levels become low. It pops out a cartridge warning before printing every page. Knowing how much of a CHEAPSKATE I am, I just proceeded with the prints, and wait for the print quality to become dismal before actually replacing the empty cartridge. I was still able to squeeze out 46 4x6 photos before the color cartridge actually ran out of ink.
If you want a no frills home or office printer, the HP900 is great candidate. It has a great printout yield and the low printing costs saves you more money in the long run. It is great for those who prints out pages frequently. You actually save more when you print more. Currently, I think the HP900 is only sold in Asia. If you happen to find one in your local computer store, I highly recommend you buy this certified CHEAPSKATE PRODUCT.
For more information for the HP900, go here.
