HP Smart 4+

I used to have an HP printer and it was injured beyond repair in a move. That printer was my best friend sometimes and I was so indecisive when considering a new one. It has taken me years to commit to a new printer; I've picked up second hand ones, emailed documents to printing shops or used the library printer. This HP Deskjet 4100e was given to me as a gift (from someone who probably thought I was ridiculous to not have a printer-considering my working/volunteering/Momming from home). I was reluctant to have a brand new-fresh out of the box printer, but I couldn't refuse the gift. I honestly couldn't have imagined the ease of setting this printer up. (It sat new in the box for a few days; we blinked at each other for a bit). I finally opened it up and wow! Bluetooth communication is so liberating! I can relax and send to print as I scroll. The only drawback is it holds a small amount of paper-which is a good thing in my case so I can spare some trees and be mindful of my environmental footprint. (I'm guessing it holds a half an inch of paper-haven't counted how many pages. I prefer to read, not count). Anyways, this is a great printer overall and I'm happy with everything about it!

I have struggled with this printer/app/software trifecta of disaster for far longer than I’d care to admit. From issues of the app simply never wanting to work in any sense of consistency, to the printer itself too stupid to recognized the difference between used and brand new ink, it baffles me I have not simply thrown the whole thing into the dumpster.

There seems to be a new flavor of difficulty every time I want to use the thing, which is rare and saved only when there comes a time of desperate need. That is how much I despite using this printer. I have reinstalled the app more times I can count on one hand, due to issues that can range from being inexplicably unable to to save a pdf to something as major as not being able to use it at all because it can’t sustain itself from crashing long enough to log me in. And if I can miraculously get the program to execute its basic functions, the printer suddenly decides it will simply not print more than half a page, or worse, that it will cease to remember how to wirelessly connect to the computer in the first place.

This product uses technology that makes it “sleek” and modern but is riddled with more bugs than a NYC dumpster and good luck manipulating their virtual assistant into getting you real, human help. I have tried time and time again to fix and make this work, but it’s clear now I will be staying away from ALL HP products from here on out.

First off, I was never a fan of the big common printer names such as HP, epsom and the like. I felt like they gave printers away cheap only to price gouge on ink and do everything in their power to prevent the use of 3rd party cartridges. I preferred Brother and the fact I could use any ink. This tactic would trick a lot of people who aren’t tech savvy. Well I currently have an hp due to my elderly mother insisting and Its not as bad as it used to be. Hardware is pretty good, ink is reasonably priced and the app is great. The app makes using your hp printer much easier and gives full access to all advanced printer features and modes (scan, fax, copy, print). Nice to have that on a mobile device. I usually opt to use this app and my iPad over my PC or MacBook. I’ll just save the documents to iCloud and that’s that. I also love the fax feature and use it all the time. We have a dedicated fax line for our HP printer, but I always use this app bc it’s much easier to work with. So no need to get or keep a fax line. If only I could convince my stubborn mom to get rid of the line!