The HP Photosmart 7260 photo printer delivers easy true-to-life photo printing in 6-ink color or up to 4800-optimized. At the touch of a button, it is so quick and easy to download, print and save your photo. Just slip your camera's memory card into a compatible slot and print - no PC required! Or, use your printer's save-to-PC button to easily save photos to your computer. Photos resist fading for generations - twice generations - twice as long as most traditionally-processed photos! And, it's a snap to print fabulous borderless photos using the convenient 4 x 6-inch photo paper tray and HP Premium Plus Photo paper.
HP's PhotoSmart 7260 photo printer offers high-quality, convenient photo printing directly from your digital camera's memory card, or from your PC or Mac computer. With four built-in memory card slots, you can be guaranteed compatibility with virtually any camera--choose from CompactFlash (Type I and II), SmartMedia, Memory Sticks, Secure Digital, Multi Media Card and xD-Picture Card memory cards.
Print speeds are variable, depending on the speed/quality mode selected, but range from up to 10 ppm for black printing (Fast Draft mode) to approximately 114 seconds for a 4-by-6-inch photo print (Best mode). Print speeds are enhanced further with the addition of the optional HP no. 56 black print cartridge, which enables 6-ink color printing for optimal photo finish results.
The PhotoSmart 7260 handles a wide range of media types and sizes, and comes with a dedicated 24-sheet 4-by-6-inch photo paper tray plus a 100-sheet standard media input tray to easily handle all your everyday printing. The PhotoSmart 7260 comes with just about everything you'll need to get started (USB cable not included), and is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's in the Box
HP PhotoSmart 7260 photo printer, HP no. 57 (C6657A) tri-color inkjet print cartridge, HP no. 58 (C6658A) photo inkjet print cartridge, power supply, basics guide, software on CD-ROM (PC and Mac), electronic documentation, media pack
1 Excellent!
I bought the 7200 about 6 months ago, and as I'm used to work heavily with my computer and the printer, so I can say I know a bit of writing reviews about it. And I have to say, I'd not buy other printer for a long time. The user guide is perfect, it prints very nicely, and its very light. Now I'm printing photos, and the results were very satisfying too. I recommend it.
2 preforms well for me so far
I had a problem with the paper jamming on me also, until I realized it was a user malfunction, not the printer's fault. Now I have no problems with the printer at all. I haven't used it that much so far, but it does very well when I do use it.
If I was a company selling products like this I would get very frustrated at simple, impatient consumers blaming their problems on the product when a lot of the times it is simply user error.
Also, if one looks at the specs for this printer you would see it is not meant for heavy use. Says 1000 pages per month. We also have a 5550, not a photo printer as it has no memory card slots, but prints faster at the same resolution and is meant to be used up to 5000 pages per month.
The photosmart 7260 is a much quieter printer, and jerks around much less also. So far I'm happy with it. HP printers print heads are built into the ink cartridges, so if you have a problem with the print head you just have to replace the cartridge. I believe HP is the only brand that can make that claim, which may very well save you some money in the long run also.
3 A Frustrating Printer
I've found this printer to be, overall, annoying and frustrating. The paper tray will not hold a large amount of paper, necessitating frequent refills. Print quality is decent, but banding appears when printing some pictures.
The HP software included with the printer is awful. It runs three (3) programs in the background, when only one would suffice. When ink is low, it is curteous enough to remind you to refill it EVERY SINGLE TIME you start the computer or attempt to print something. Turning the printer on and off is a hassle, as the button will only respond if the printer is not busy; this means that everytime it's locked up or confused (by no means a rare occasion), you must unplug the printer to reset it. Plugging it back in will automatically cause the printer to turn back on, whether you want it to or not. Turning the printer on means that the ink writer inside must move around pointlessly for a few minutes before you can print. If the printer happens to be folded up (one of the best features for those of us with small desks) and automatically turns on, the writer will bang up against the paper tray until you unfold it, as it isn't intelligent enough to sense when the tray is folded up inside.
I've had problems such as these with every HP I've had. Next time I'm going with a different brand.
4 Slow, Very slow............
I am very disappointed in this printer. It is the slowest printer that I have ever owned. It takes forever to print out a page at the normal print setting. The print head will print one line and then pause for a second and then print the next lint and pause etcetera... etcetera, until the document is printed. I have spoken with tech support and after trying several different fixes there has been no improvement. I have tried this printer on several different machines running Windows XP PRO via a USB Cable and get the same results. I have to print in draft mode to get any kind of normal speed out of it. If you are the type of person who doesn't mind a painfully slow printer (like watching the grass grow) then I guess that this printer will suffice. But if you want any kind of productivity out of one then I suggest you look else ware.
5 "One of the worst and loudest printer"
This is one of the loudest printer I have ever bought. I bought this printer because it was a photo printer and I needed one. This printer is so loud. This printer also gets the paper jamed. I bought a Epson C84 inkjet printer and it is so quiet and fast. I recommend the Epson Stylus C84 instead of the Hp 7260 printer.
6 Great for photos and print art for a reasonable price.
After going through so many bad printers within a year (hp 3420 & 3320) I use this photo smart printer mainly for photos which does an exceptional job. However, if you are going to use the color ink and photo ink together, avoid printing any black and white documents, it will take forever and prints in an off-black color. For me this is minor, you would expect that if you don't use a black cartridge in most photo printers. I have seperate printer for document printing.
I also have this printer for over a year and so far no problems, it does not "gulp" ink or give me much paper jams. You will be satisfied for the price you pay, reasonable fast borderless printing with professional quality and great card reader features. I highly recommend.
7 Not Recommended
I received this printer On October 7, 2004. Initial results on my photo quality labels was impressive. But it didn't last. Soon the printer had problems pulling the paper into the printer and then alignment on my labels was off. Yesterday I printed some checks on cheque paper and the printing was not well aligned, i.e. crooked. I hope to return this item.
8 Outstanding in Every Way
I love this printer!
I purchased it two months ago and I have already printed out more than 700 photos on it.
Assembly: I found the assembly very easy. HP provides you with a simple set of instructions that make sense.
Photo transfer to computer: HP's sofware is user friendly. The transfer of photos is very fast.
Printing: HP provides you with a number of options-quick prints, different sizes, album pages-all of which work. The speed depends on your computer to a certain degree. Mine come relatively quickly.
Support: HP support is friendly and on top of everything. At one point, I was using the wrong type of paper and my photos were blurry. I called them, they identified the problem almost immediately, and they didn't call me stupid!
Quality: Everyone has commented on the high quality of my photos. I am a camera buff and I frame my photos from my trips around my home. I can't tell the difference between these photos and the finest labs.
