When you get hold of this unit for the first time, please follow the instructions and I mean follow them closely.  I initially did not have the time to test the printer the moment I received it because of a major domestic concern so I asked my ever supportive hubby to unpack the unit and set it up for me.  After setting up the connections, he left the installation of the software and inks to me.

The moment I was free of my domestic duties, I immediately placed the HP Photosmart 8230 to the test.  The plastic package containing the inks has a big note on it saying “Please read the quick start manual first”.  Apparently my husband did not see this notice because the first instruction on the quick start manual read: For Microsoft XP – Do not connect USB cable until prompted during software installation.

Since the USB was connected already, I just cancelled the prompt Windows launched to automatically install the software and proceeded to load the inks.  Believe it or not, figuring out how to lift the printer cover took me quiet some time.  And when I finally figured out how, it was an “a-ha!” moment for me and ended up laughing at myself. 

The printer uses six separate ink tanks for black, which has a bigger cartridge, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, and light magenta.  This six-color system is supposed to be more economical than the tri-color system as the 8230 can automatically gauge whether there is enough ink to finish a print job.

It took me close to 30 minutes to complete the installation most of which I spent waiting for the system to finish the process.  It’s that easy!  Setting up would have been faster if not for my earlier booboo with the inks.

The unit is boxy and bulky at 8.5kg.  When I initially tested it, it was sitting on the top shelf of my computer table such that the entire table was shaking while the unit was printing that I had to hold the table steady just so the output won’t be affected.  After printing I moved the unit to a sturdier table.

On top of the unit is a sticker claiming in big, bold letters that the Photosmart 8230 is the fastest printer but take a closer look at the images below the words and you’ll see that the claim is for 4x6 prints.  And true to its claim in less than 14 seconds, I have printed a 4x6 photo.  But printing an entire page takes more than a minute or two.

I used two types of photo paper: the ones included in the package and a generic one.  The quality of print using the HP photo paper was a lot better than with the generic photo paper where the images were grainy.  Now I know why manufacturers recommend using only specified photo paper.

I did vouch for the smartness of this photo printer because the software is very user-friendly and it is capable of standalone printing.  The printer supports PictBridge-compatible cameras and the following memory cards: CompactFlash I/II, SD/MMC, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, and xD-Picture Cards.  It has also an optional Bluetooth wireless printer adapter so you can actually print from camera-phones, PDAs, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

The control panel is on the front of the printer and images and menu can be viewed using the 2.5” LCD printer screen.  Don’t worry about the printer menus because they are easy to use.  This is another reason why the Photosmart 8230 deserves to be called smart.

The control panel includes: an Instant Share button, a layout button to select the print layout from one to nine images to a page including panoramic prints, the Menu button, an Ok button at the center of the navigation arrows to select a menu or dialog, Navigation arrows, Zoom In/Out, Rotate button to change the orientation of a shot, a Select button, and a Cancel button which I found handy in some instances.

It can even print from videos stored in the memory cards and photos from an HP iPod.  Isn’t that neat?

After going through most of the printer’s features, I went on a printing frenzy and believe me, I used up more than 20 pieces of photo paper and the ink levels hardly went down.  That to me was amazing.

Now this is one printer that stands by its name.