Among HP Photosmart Printers , the tag line of A646 Photoshop Compact Photo Printer, which is versatile and fun –– itself gives an idea about the level of specifications it includes.Offers a few surprising features for its midrange price ($150 as of 11/11/09). Among all the mid-range priced products in the market it provides the maximum dimension of clarity and contrast.
Features of the printer
The A646 Photoshop Compact Photo Printer offers three distinct sizes of media, respectively 4 by 6 inches (the size of our test photos), 4 by 12 inches (panoramic), and 5 by 7 inches in comparison with the other snapshot printers which allows only one. There are two media slots for Memory Stick, SD Card, and XD-Picture Card on the inside front pane. It also has a PictBridge port and of course, the built-in Bluetooth support. An interesting feature is, the chassis of the printer is made from more than 30 percent recycled plastic; the carrying case is totally made from the same making the unit an absolute delight in terms of portability!
Menu & Screen Options
The 3.45-inch touchscreen colored LCD screen of the A646 Photoshop Compact Photo Printer flanks the display mechanism. One can browse through and select menu options with help of one’s finger tip.The photo enhancement options are fun to fiddle with, that includes: setting borders, captions, and clip art; one can also create a doodle overlay or set up a posterized or retro look. HP has made this product, i.e. A646 Photoshop Compact Photo Printer highly user friendly.
The Setup menu includes a huge set of animated and text-based help topics. Whenever one installs this on a PC, an HTML-based Quick Help file installs with the driver automatically. The driver is saved in the printer's firmware, so no CD is needed; just an USB cable is required for connecting it. Thus, this makes the A646 Photoshop Compact Photo Printer one of the best choices for the people.
Cost Per Print & Catridge handlings
Keeping in mind the running cost for the print outs, HP has introduced a paper & ink combi offer- A646 Photoshop Compact Photo Printer. The combi-unit of 140-sheet paper-and-ink 140-sheet costs $47, or 32 cents per print.Easy graphical instructions provide smooth handling of the cartridges clearly. The easy-to-use LCD display of the A646 Photoshop Compact Photo Printer makes it easy to handle for all. This is very important in a printer and is very useful also because this allows you to see the images and have a n idea of how it will appear in print. But perhaps its smarter congenial feature is its versatile paper handling and editing options.
Cons of HP Photosmart Printer A646
The unit does not come along with a battery set. Thus, while you are using the printer, sometimes it might be possible that you will have to stop your work for that.The contrast of the flesh which requires an orange tinge is also not very bold and convincing.Possible USP of this model is the provision for wide variety of paper sizes and editing options available on the A646 and that makes up for a few other shortcomings.