I’ve been taking a lot of photos over the last few years and I have to say the majority has stayed on my computer. I signed up for an online photo printing service and I think I used them once or twice. They did a good job, but over time I just stopped using them. I’ve had a color inkjet printer that is fairly new, but always found it was too much work to print out a 5×7 shot. I guess I’m too lazy but I like convenience as well. Compact Photo printers were always too expensive, too slow and the quality just wasn’t there yet. I have to say the technology has improved. I was able to pick up the HP Photosmart A516 printer for $99 at my local Office Depot and I am very happy with the results.

The unit uses a single color cartridge that runs about $20. Some of the other manufacturers offer cartridges for each color which may become cost effective, but I’ve found I usually use the same amount of color throughout the cartridge. When printing normal documents I do use a lot more black, but that’s not the intention of this printer.

I picked up a pack of HP photo paper for about $15 for 100 sheets. I figured the trial pack wasn’t going to cut it if I was going to do some serious photo printing.

So out the door I was able to buy the printer, extra ink and extra paper for under $150. I have extra USB cables but even if you had to purchase that it would still be around that $150 price point.

The unit has a single paper tray in the back which seems unusual to me for HP. Usually they have a tray in the front and Epson and Canon feed from the back. In any case it works just fine like that. The paper feeds from the back and outputs to the front. The ink cartridge is loaded through the front once the front door is pulled down.

When the front door is pulled down it also exposes the built in card reader and USB port for direct printing. These are handy features for printing without the need of a PC.

For those looking to connect to a PC, there is a USB port in the back and the unit is also compatible with HP’s optional Bluetooth adapter. The HP Photosmart A516 is Windows and Mac OS X compatible. For those using Mac OS X it’s nice to see that the software is Universal for those using Intel based Apple computers.

The unit also has an optional battery pack for those looking for a portable printer. The unit is small and compact weighing less than 3 pounds. I can usually wait until I get home to print, but bringing it on a trip is not out of the question.

As far as print quality goes, it’s pretty good. I wouldn’t say it is high end professional quality, but it is more than acceptable. The fast drying ink is a good touch and it says that it won’t fade over time. For the price, personal photo printers have come a long way.

For those looking for an easy to use photo printing solution, I would recommend this printer. If you are willing to move up a model or two you’ll get larger LCD screens and faster printing. I?m okay with the screen size of the HP Photosmart A516 and print speed is acceptable. If you have some experience with this printer please feel free to leave a comment.