HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One

Bottom Line

The HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-In-One is an all-round printer that's suitable for home use or in small-business settings. Performance is terrific in most regards, but things really shine when it comes to producing high-quality photos.

Ease of Use

Wi-Fi a must for web features. The 4.33-inch color touch screen is the hub of the user interface and has a well-organized icon-based menu from which users can access all the Photosmart 7520's features. Setup is straightforward. The e-All-In-One has some interesting web-based features, but those can only be accessed via Wi-Fi as the printer lacks an Ethernet connection -- an omission that irks some reviewers. You can also hook up the printer directly to a computer via USB.

Performance

High quality at better-than-average speeds. In tests by professional reviewers, the HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-In-One printer produced output at better-than-average speeds. While not blazingly fast, it was faster than some of the slower color laser printers. Scans and copy speeds are also above average for this type of printer.

Although all output from the HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-In-One is at the top-end of the inkjet printer range, this multifunction printer (MFP) really excels when printing photos. Testers at PC World, using the high-quality photo setting, found that their photos had "an elegantly cool color palette and excellent detail, even in dark areas." Monochrome graphics and text are sharp at the lowest print quality settings and "nearly laser-like" at the top settings.

Features

Photo-centric home and office features. The HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-In-One printer has a wide range of features that enable it to work well in both home and small-business environments. This printer has the basic multifunction features of print, scan, copy and fax. The auto-duplex feature is also useful, although at just 125 sheets, the main paper tray supports only light printing without needing constant refilling.

The Photosmart 7520 also comes with HP's web-based apps. HP ePrint lets you email documents for printing directly from mobile or other devices. AirPrint (for printing from the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch over Wi-FI) is also supported.

The Photosmart 7520 supports photo printing in several ways. A separate photo paper tray holds up 20 sheets of up to 5-inch-by-7-inch photo paper. There are five ink cartridges, rather than the usual four. The extra color is a photo black, used on photos in addition to the standard matte black ink.