Not so long ago, having a printer at home was seen as a luxury that only a few could afford. However, these days an increasing number of Indian households keep a printer at home, essentially to meet the homework assignments of children as well as those people who work from home. We face situations where we need to get some documents printed on priority basis and having a printer at home comes handy during such time. One thing is clear: There is a strong customer preference for printers that are portable and do not occupy much space, are easy to operate and maintain, and most importantly, are not expensive.
Towards this, American tech major HP Inc, which has a strong presence in the Indian market in the realm of PCs and printers, has announced the new and upgraded HP Ink Tank Printer series for home as well as micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) users. The key benefits of these printers are the usage of high quality ink, ability to connect with a range of mobile devices through Wi-Fi Direct and Spill-Free Refill system. Capable of printing thousands of pages at ultra-low cost-per-page, these HP devices are suitable for MSMEs with high-volume printing needs as well as home users looking for affordable options. We got the new wireless HP Ink Tank 415 for a product evaluation—it retails for Rs 14,812. Let us take a look at some of its key features and performance.
Out of its extensive packaging, the HP Ink Tank 415 printer is easy to set up and trust me, it is a mere 5-minute job even for a not-so-tech-savvy person. The Wi-Fi Direct function on the printer can be used by a variety of mobile devices, including iPhones and iPads using AirPrint, or smartphones and tablets running Android, Windows 8, or Windows 10. At my end, I connected it with my Windows-based Dell laptop and also synced it with my Android device. The Google Chrome operating system enables users to print from anywhere in the office, even without a wireless network. Additionally, the HP Smart App allows users to quickly send scans to email or cloud storage through their mobile devices.
Performance-wise, the new HP Ink Tank Wireless 415 printer can print up to 8,000 colour pages with a set of three HP colour bottles and up to 6,000 pages with the HP black pigment ink bottle out of the box. The original HP inks are specially formulated to deliver darker, crisper text and vibrant graphics. These days, a lot of colour prints are required as per course material requirement of children and hence I deployed the HP Ink Tank Wireless 415 printer to cater to my daughter’s acadaemic needs. Trust me, the printouts generated are really impressive in terms of print quality. Also, photos printed with this printer are water- and fade-resistant.
Replacing the ink tanks in the HP Ink Tank Wireless 415 printer is simple and fuss-free. With HP’s innovative spill-free refill system, the bottles can simply be plugged into the tank without any squeezing required. This mess-free refilling with resealable bottles adds to the convenience of the users and minimises wastage. Ink levels are also easily visible as the inks are contained in transparent ink tanks.
My takeaway: Get the HP Ink Tank Wireless 415 printer if you have children at home or a home-based business.
Estimated street price: Rs 14,812
