The 4215 from HP helps you to save on valuable space by combining faxing, scanning, printing, and copying functions into one convenient unit. This full color multifunction is designed for home and small office use and features an inkjet printer with up to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution (up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi optimized color) and print speeds of up to 17 ppm for black and up to 12 ppm for color (at lower resolutions).
An 8 MB memory is standard as well as a 20-page automatic document feeder. The paper input tray has an input capacity of up to 100 sheets, and supports a variety of paper types and sizes, including paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards, iron-on transfers, letter, legal, executive, and more.
The color scanner has a 36-bit color depth and a hardware resolution of up to 600 x 1,200 dpi, resulting in accurate, true-to-life scans perfect for a wide variety of applications. The included software bundle helps you to get the best prints and scans possible, and includes HP Director, HP Photo Gallery, HP Image Editor, and Readiris OCR.
HP Director
Access features and common tasks through the easy-to-navigate HP Director software. Depending on the capabilities of your HP all-in-one, the HP Director lets you initiate device functions such as scanning, copying, faxing, or unloading images from a digital camera or memory card. You can also use the HP Director to open the HP Gallery to view, modify, and manage the images on your computer.
- Status: use this feature to display the current status of your HP OfficeJet.
- Settings: use this feature to view or change various settings for your HP OfficeJet, such as print, scan, copy, or fax.
- Select Device: use this feature to select the device you want to use from the list of installed HP devices.
- Help: use this feature to access the HP Photo & Imaging Help, which provides software help, a product tour, troubleshooting information for your HP OfficeJet, and HP OfficeJet product-specific help.
- Scan Picture: use this feature to scan an image and display it in the HP Photo & Imaging Gallery.
- Scan Document: use this feature to scan text and display it in the selected text editing software program.
- Send a Fax: use this feature to open the fax dialog box so you can enter the appropriate information and then send your fax.
- Make Copies: use this feature to display the Copy dialog box where you can select the copy quality, number of copies, color, size, and then start a copy.
- HP Gallery: use this feature to display the HP Photo & Imaging Gallery, where you can view and edit images, print photos in multiple sizes, make and print a photo album, share images through e-mail or a web site, or make a multimedia CD.
- Creative Ideas: use this feature to learn about creative ways to use your HP OfficeJet.
- HP Shopping: use this feature to shop for HP products.
- Software Update: use this feature to check for software updates for your HP OfficeJet.
- Click this arrow to display tool tips that explain each of the HP Director options.
Your features may vary. The HP Director is customized based upon the HP device that is selected. If your device is not equipped with a particular feature, then the icon for that feature will not display in the HP Director on your computer.
The copier has print speeds of up to 17 ppm for black and up to 12 ppm for color, with resolutions as high as 2,400 x 1,200 dpi. You can make up to 100 copies at a time, saving you time and hassle, while a zoom function allows you to reduce or enlarge copies from 25% to 200%.
The fax machine is capable of full-color faxing and has a fast 3-second per page transmission time. A transmission memory of up to 100 pages lets submit large jobs, while a fax broadcast feature lets you send a single fax to 50 separate locations. The fax also features a junk fax barrier, remote retrieval, and auto-redial.
The 4215 conveniently connects via USB and has a small 16.4-by-8-inch footprint. It is compatible with PC and Mac operating platforms and also comes backed by a one-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
4215 all-in-one, HP 56 black inkjet print cartridge (19 ml ink volume), HP 28 tri-color inkjet print cartridge (8 ml ink volume), HP Image Zone Photo and imaging software and user's guide on CD-ROM, setup poster, power cord, phone cord; HP 58 photo inkjet cartridge not included; USB cable not included
OfficeJet 4215 Color All-In-One Printer, Print/Copy/Scan/Fax
1 Excellent Printer
This printer is one of the top rated multi-function printers on CNET. They have given it high remarks for its print quality for both text and photo. I had a Canon S900 which is known as being an excellent photo printer but recently died on me. I wanted a printer that I consolidate my fax, printer and scanner all into one. There are no other printers currently out there for the price of this one with the same features that have the same quality. It is extremely fast using the FAST DRAFT mode for general black text printing. I have printed a few color prints at the highest settings and was really impressed. The prints are extremely high quality and better than my previous printers that I had that were EPSON and HPs. I have not run into any paper-jam issues like some owners have stated on Amazon and hope I will not have the paper-jams issues that were mentioned by them. Overall, an excellent printer which the pro's at CNET also agree.
2 Don't buy this one
paper jams constantly.....basically have to feed a 1 month old printer 1 sheet at a time....unacceptable piece of junk....
3 Good Enough
Good points: Very compact, great price, suprisingly good text quality, good fax interface, good-enough copying, good looks. Generous packaging: print cable (surprise!), phone cord, phone line splitter, etc.
Bad points: Bad up-take from the paper tray, no direct-from-camera printing, unacceptable quality on scanned photos, can't effectively print envelopes or heavy paper, seems rather cheaply made -- I fear about its life expectancy.
The Bad Points are serious considerations, but the 4215xi still a great buy for $80. So, it's good enough for me. I gave it three stars but I'm a tough grader, and there was no "half star" option.
4 VERY HAPPY
I purchased this machine about a month ago. I've been very happy with it. I use it mainly as a black & white printer (no need for color). I'm impressed with the speed especially in fast draft mode. I also use it to make single page copies and to send faxes. It works great for my needs. It's compact, lightweight at a very affordable price. I didn't have any problem loading the software.
The only reason I'm not giving the 4215 a five star rating is because of my experience with HP. I purchased a v40 all-in-one machine two years ago. It also does faxing, printing, scanning and copying. I was very happy with it until it died. The print cartridge mechanism inside the machine stopped moving back and forth. I called HP and they charged me $30 for "tech support". After about 20 minutes doing tests over the phone, the tech told me that my v40 wasn't going to work anymore. I was surprised that the v40 only lasted two years. So I'm a little concerned that the 4215 didn't last more than two years. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
5 No USB Cable?
It looks like a good printer to me. That's why I bought it. But, I can't use it yet because it didn't come with a USB cable. It says this on the box, but I bought it via Amazon and didn't take the time to read the specs.
Serves me right I guess. But, who sells a printer without the necessary cables? HP says the USB cable is optional...what a load of crap.
Unless you have an HP USB cable already, add $20 to the purchase price. What a scam.
6 Great Home Printer
Well, I just plugged her in and she's doing pretty good. I tested with the scanning, I'm pleased as punch with it. Smooth and precise. The color quality is amazing. I did a test copy with a photo, I was stunned, plus I've never had that done in my house before. I bet it looks even better with Photo Paper! I haven't yet used the fax because all the phone lines in my house are used up so i can't tell you anything about that. The printing is a bit loud, like (chugga chugga, clunk, clack) while it's loading the paper, but it's nothing to quibble about. I bought this printer after exahustive research for a printer. I already knew I was going to go with HP because it gets such good ratings. I was going to buy it's more expensive and better rated counter part, the HP OfficeJet 5510, but on account of sleeplessness and cheaperness, I went with this one, and I have to say, I love it. It's only the first day but I hope all goes well with it.
I do have a small quibble about the software because on my computer, it wouldn't finish installing just by me putting the disc in. At about 23% loading, an error sign popped up, I tried three times tp reinstall, nothing, But after i went through the Wizard in which I had to open it up manually and then go through the installation, it went fine. It took awhile but everything's fine now.
I give this 5 stars because i love it and it's my first printer. A good first and final, perhaps last minute choice for you red eyed printer searchers!!
7 A perfect product
I've owned over a dozen printers and for a non-laser printer this is the best I've ever had. I've always been skeptical of the whole 'all in one' approach, but this printer genuinely prints, scans, faxes and copies perfectly. Easy to install, seamless to use and the ink cartridges seem to go on forever. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who needs an inkjet. By the way, the photo printing onto Kodak 4x6s is astonishing.
8 Great Home Office Printer!!
I bought this printer a week ago and I love it. I paid 99.00 for mine at Office Depot but they gave a 15.00 gift card, so that made buying this printer a great buy. I haven't used the fax feature because I really don't have a need for it but I've scanned pictures already. The quality wasn't great but using the right software, you can enhance any photograph.
By the way, I researched this printer to death and all the research paid off.
9 May be fine as a printer
Purchased 2 days ago to replace a Xerox fax machine which had a broken ink cartridge carriage. Am now returning this multifunction machine.
Seems like a good machine and the printing of incoming faxes was perfectly fine. However the page seperator on the feeder for outgoing faxes was woefully insufficient. Anything more than 3 pages in the feeder led to multiple pages feeding at once and jams. Cleaned the page seperator as recommended on the HP support web site, but did not do anything to fix the issue.
Also the motor on the document feeder sounds fairly weak compared to previous machines we have had.
So it seems fine for a printer (though the ink volume is a bit low, but ok for low quantity printing) as the paper seems to feed fine from the tray. However as a fax machine unless you aren't faxing anything over a couple of pages it seems to be inadequate from my experience as it couldn't properly feed pages straight out of the box let alone once it has some wear on the feed mechanisms.
10 Very nice, with reservations
Good price & features, very good performance (trying printing something in FastDraft mode - simply amazing speed with VG quality). Will not co-exist with a NetGear usb print server, as its predecessor, an OfficeJet 300, was happy to do.
If networked printing is a concern, consider other options.
11 Great For A Small Business!
I got this for our office, after our old Canon fax machine started acting up. The Canon was great, but the BX-3 cartridge was almost $40, and had to be purchased from an office supply place. Also, when it ran out, it ran out--there was no warning!
So, we always had to keep an extra one on hand.
Thus, I thought we'd get an HP this time, since I knew we could get their cartridges at Radio Shack, or even the drug store. The black cartridge for this one is only $20, or even less on sale at the drug store. It has less ink than the BX-3, but not that much less. And it shows a warning on the machine screen when it's running low. The strange thing is it showed a warning after one month, but didn't actually run out of ink for at least 4 weeks! There is a color cartridge,too, that must be in the machine for it to operate. We rarely need a color print, so hopefully not using it much will make it last forever.
The machine itself has proved perfect for our office. We could not get a flatbed, because we often have to fax more than one sheet to another office. This one rarely has any problem loading the paper, and we only had jams in the beginning, until we relaized the table it was on was not that sturdy. Small machines need very sturdy tables. Also, it was crushing paper at first when we received faxes, but that was because we use legal size paper, and had the paper catch piece up. We leave it down now, and have no crushes, and the papers don't fall to the floor, when we receive faxes. They sometimes fall to the floor when we send them, but that's no big deal with us.
You do have to alter some of the default settings if you use legal size paper,and need very clear and sharp details, but that is simple. I guess I should mention we do not have this hooked up to a PC. We're a very old-fashioned office! And changing settings on the machine itself is simple. We haven't programmed numbers yet due to lack of time, but that looks simple, too.
The only thing I wish was different about the machine is if it loses power, it loses everything in the memory. Other than that, it's a very easy to use fax/copier machine, and very fast at faxing.
12 HP 4215 Multifunction ($143)
A knockout price...now an HP owner for 30 days so far...I always owned Epsons but this machine is well worth the $$$...setup easy...have used all functions but scan (wife copies for her small SpecEd class and I fax/print for bass clubs' business, etc.)and the USB cable was no big deal...software works well...I have a G4 Mac..OS 10.3.5...not Windoze so maybe that could be a diff, maybe not...so far, I would suggest all those with low/small multi needs look closer at this unit...possible college dorm room dream machine.
13 Horrible. Hassle-riddled. The worst.
I have never written an Amazon review before, but the disgraceful performance of my hp 4215xi drove me to it. I hope that others don't waste their money like I did. I thought . . . wow, great price! And . . . it's an HP, how bad can it be?
Unfortunately, I have found out. This may be the most frustrating piece of technology I've owned (and since I worked in the industry throughout the 90s, I've encountered many of the champions of frustration!). Among the aggravations:
- endless software problems. Won't permit deletion of a document that is printing. Won't permit de-selection or de-installation of the printer itself without complete reinstall of all the software. I've owned this printer for just two months and have been forced to reinstall six times.
- bloated, inefficient software. A big annoyance when you're reinstalling it weekly.
- ink hog. I cannot believe that a printer this greedy and expensive-to-operate still exists!
- clunky form-factor. Cheesy construction.
- cheapo construction. Jam, jam, jam.
RUN, don't walk away from this piece of junk.
14 Stop complaining...this is the best printer of its kind
Look, I'm the type of person that does A LOT of research before buying a product. This one came out and I saw a couple of good reviews (New York Times, PCWORLD) and was all over it.
For what it does, you can't beat the price point. It works like a charm, prints fast and with great quality, both in color and b/w.
One of the nicest features is it's profile: it's the most compact and sleek of the all in one's, a huge bonus for the home office.
All of this complainging about not having a USB cord - yes, that's cheap, but quite frankly, more and more products are not coming with the cord - why? Because most consumers already have them - either from dig cameras, the printer they are tossing, etc. It makes more sense to hit a low price point than to add $10 to the printer itself to provide a cord that most consumers do not need. But if you don't have the cord, add it to your order OR go down to Best Buy and get a generic one for $10. (and yes, it would be nice if amazon warned you when you are checking out about this issue...).
15 Sweet Machine
I'd finally had it with my 4-year-old Canon Multifunction (C555). The fax worked fine but the printer was unreliable, torpid and, because the cartridges kept drying up, frightfully expensive. Despite my wife's warning (she's been having trouble with HP-OSX compatibility issues), I opted for this HP 4215.
When it arrived, I was immediately cheered by a box that was less than half the size of the Canon's. Upon opening it, I was further encouraged by a handy yet complete printed manual. (The Canon's was all online, and the printed-out materials seemed like a life-time of reading.) In 10 minutes I was ready to go--cartridges installed, program installed on my Powerbook, telephone line, USB cable, power cord all hooked up. The unit seemed too light and compact, the set-up too easy and automatic, but I went to a Word document, clicked and waited. Not for long, because the printer not only handled the document in record time but presented me with copy that was sharper than any I'd ever seen.
Next I went on the internet, found a richly textured, page-sized color photo and clicked "print." Same result. The machine speedily delivered a bright yet detailed and subtle color print that was an improvement on the original, even with the cheap copy paper I was using.
My plan was to keep my workhorse Epson for the bulk of my printing and use the HP for faxing, copying, and scanning (all of which it does both better and more efficiently than my old Canon). But the HP is simply too good to be anything less than a starting player. I can't remember ever being more impressed with a device, especially one this complicated, and happier about a computer or office-related purchase.
In spite of my singular success with this particular model, I've learned not to make blanket judgements about a brand or manufacturer based on one particular experience, especially in this field of competitive, rapidly changing technology. My wife just gave up on her HP printer and exchanged it for a Canon.
