HP Deskjet 6980 Color Printer (C8969A#B1H) by Hewlett Packard
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Digital camera reviews of HP Deskjet 6980 Color Printer (C8969A#B1H)
Digital camera Review: Great Printer, but you'd better have a new Linksys router!
Summary: 4 Stars
I was able to get this printer at a good price & liked the wireless idea. But when I opened the box and read the instructions I learned I had to use a router with a "Easy setup" button - i.e. a recent Linksys router. My router is a Netgear and functions very well, thank you.
There were alternate network options to set up the wireless access manually, but the instructions were for Windows XP, not Vista. (This a year after Vista was introduced.) Other workarounds weren't particularly workable either.
After futzing around with it, I ended up buying a USB connection for $36 and used it that way. I grimaced at the price, but 4 months later, I'm glad to using the printer without having to entirely re-do my wireless network.
Digital camera Review: Great Wireless Choice
Summary: 5 Stars
This printer is a great choice for a few reasons. The least reason to buy a printer is appearance, sure, but the stylish blue appearance on the HP 6980 makes it one of the best looking printers out there. Wireless setup is by far the best reason to chose this printer. I was a bit hesitant about how easy it would work, but the documentation in the box by HP (paper manuals) was very helpful. Just take the printer and the router, run an Ethernet cord between them, and run the software on your PC (PC doesn't need to be connected to it). Then it instructs you to remove the ethernet cable and in the end, only the power plug needs to be present. I have one Vista desktop and one Vista laptop currently set to this printer.
Some issues to note. It does in fact shake, as I guess many printers probably shake. I recommend placing this on a different desk/table from which you use for your desktop and/or laptop. It's only a minor inconvenience though. Even with my desktop on the same table, I still feel the shaking somewhat noticeably.
The CD in the package is essentially useless for Vista users. Now in the store, you might see it say "compatible with Vista" and it is, though not as simple as some people I'm sure have been misled to believe. You will need to download the software from the HP site. It's not hard, just a few clicks on the HP site will get you there. Download and then install on EACH PC with which you'd like the printer to work.
One other quick note. The printer allows you to print a report page showing the printer's status on your network and other relevant details as well as an IP address you can enter in the browser that shows details such as ink levels and allows some configuration. HP seems to know printers quite well. Highly recommended!
Digital camera Review: Great printer
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this printer for about 4 months now and it works great. The network setup was easy. I have 4 computers in my home printing to this computer, all are hooked up using a Linksys 54g router.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting a good printer with the feature of wireless printing.
Digital camera Review: Great printer - easy to install
Summary: 5 Stars
This printer works wonderfully. You can even use the wireless feature if your computer doesn't have wireless. I have my desktop pugged into a wireless router. The router communicates wireless with the printer, and so I can print 'wirelessly' even though my desktop computer is not wireless.
The wireless was easy to set-up by the way - no complaints at all - I don't see how they could have made it any easier. Obviously if you're using a password protected wireless network, you'll have to give the printer those settings - that's where temporarily plugging it into the network with an Ethernet cable comes in.
The construct seems quite durable by the way. This is another in the line of excellent HP printers. Of course the cost of ink is another story.
Digital camera Review: Great printer but...
Summary: 4 Stars
the documentation and installation manual should be abandoned immediately. Also, the supplied ethernet cable did not work. It was a combination of the extra plastic gaurding over the clips on each end of the cable, which thoroughly prevented either end from being plugged into either the printer or the router. Also, I was only able to use the third installation option where you have to set up the printer via the ethernet cable. Nowhere does it inform you of the most important step of the installation process. After the WPA information is transferred to the printer, you actually have to remove the ethernet cable from the printer in order for it to connect to the network. You will receive the Network Status: Not Connected, until it's removed.
Once the printer is installed, it works very well. Very quick black/white and nice color prints. Haven't had any wireless network issues. It feels solid and has excellent build quality. A very big improvement over my previous experience with Epson products.