The HP Envy 100 Printer...This is how it's supposed to work.

So I got my hands on HP's new Envy 100 series printer. This thing is good. I mainly got it because of the small footprint and the fact that it's got wireless, Airprint, etc. After playing with it for a bit, I'm quite impressed. It's got ePrint, which allows you to basically send the printer an email(the printer has it's own email address via HP's ePrint server), and have it print out. It's also AirPrint capable, which makes printing emails or webpages from your iPhone or iPad simple.

You can't see it in the picture, but the leg that holds the paper up after it prints actually moves in and out of place automatically, and it also features auto-duplex printing. The touch panel above the paper also auto-moves in and out of the way when printing. This means simple, no-hassle or involvement printing. The touch screen is very responsive and sensitive to the touch. It's also loaded with web apps that can be changed or updated and new ones can be downloaded, such as apps for movie tickets, coupons, and recipes. I managed to print myself a daily sudoku puzzle(in 4 difficulty levels, nonetheless), with a few simple touches on the screen.

The scanner on the Envy is a decent 1200 DPI. Nothing to write home about, it just works. This is obviously not a printer for those that need lab-quality prints at home, but the photos it puts out look very nice. Of course, it, like most printers these days, does borderless printing and direct prints from memory cards.

All in all, this one's a winner so far. As always, the cartridges are what get you on a printer, and this one's no different, using the usual HP 60 cartridges. If you're in the market for a wifi or AirPrint-enabled printer, though, this is definitely the way to go if you don't need fax capability. (I'm not sure when the last time I used a fax machine was, myself...)

The HP Envy 100 runs $249 retail, with a $30 instant rebate from HP.com, making it $219, or if you want to save a bit more, Amazon currently has it for $191.17.


Russ