Why is there a huge $100 rebate on the HP C5180?

[JohnF]

I'm looking for a multi-function printer/scanner/copier for my sister, and i
did a double take when I saw the HP C5180 at Office Depot for $199 minus a
$100 rebate ($99 price after rebate).

This seems like an huge rebate. Is there a problem with the C5180?

I like the C5180 for its ink tanks (instead of cartridges with built-in
print heads. Also, has some nice features including Ethernet interface and
automatic duplex printing.

I would otherwise go for the Canon MP600, which has ink tanks, auto-duplex,
and (I believe) a friendlier software package.

Comments?

John

 

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

This seems like an huge rebate. Is there a problem with the C5180?

If there is, I haven't found it. So far I've only found a lot to like about
mine. For starters, the consumables cost is definitely better than some--you
can buy all six (!!!) tanks and 150 sheets of photo paper (4x6" IIRC) for
$35 or so. Or you can buy just the color you need. Black is $8, the others
are around $6 per tank.

The lifetime of the consumables seems pretty good so far. I've printed over
200 pages and several photos with mine. Only the black ink has reported any
drop in level. All the colors are still full. The scanner is OK...it's
probably not what you'd want for really high quality work, but it gets the
job done for almost everything else. Copies made with the "black" button on
the unit look a bit green when they come out of the printer. Doing a "color"
copy instead solves this problem.

The only bad thing I can think of so far are the permanently installed print
heads. Someday they will probably fail, and then it will be new printer
time. I'm not sure how HP handles this, but replacements don't seem to be
available. Even if they were, I am not sure how you'd get the already
installed ones out of there. This, to me, was a disappointment, as it meant
that the rest of the device will probably still be working fine when the
printheads do finally quit. I tend to keep and use my computer hardware for
a *long* time.

As for software, I have used some features of both the Macintosh and PC
versions, particularly the scanner driver and photo printing application. On
an Intel Mac or a Windows PC, the applications have been very stable, well
featured and easy to use. On a PowerPC Mac, the photo application wasn't
always stable. With perseverance, however, it did eventually work.

There is no automatic duplexer on the C5180. It looks like there was to be
one, but HP must have dropped it at the last minute. The C5180's internal
web page shows a field for an installed duplexer and the back door comes off
for some reason--probably to remove jams or install the
optional-but-never-produced duplexer module.

I have never used Canon's software, so how it would compare is beyond me.

The onboard "Photosmart Express" software that is resident in the printer is
pretty versatile. The color preview LCD has excellent brightness, displays
clearly and has pretty decent color accuracy. You also get a few handy
functions, including "push to computer" scanning and the ability to make
notebook paper (wide or narrow rule) and graph paper just by pushing a few
buttons on the printer. I've never seen that offered anywhere else, and it
is a nice feature that I wouldn't have thought of using until this printer
came along.

Finally: Why the rebate? Technology moves quickly. A newer model may be
coming out. (Note that I said "newer" and not necessarily "better".)

William

 

[Baz]

--

I'm looking for a multi-function printer/scanner/copier for my sister, and i
did a double take when I saw the HP C5180 at Office Depot for $199 minus a
$100 rebate ($99 price after rebate).

This seems like an huge rebate. Is there a problem with the C5180?

I like the C5180 for its ink tanks (instead of cartridges with built-in
print heads. Also, has some nice features including Ethernet interface and
automatic duplex printing.

I would otherwise go for the Canon MP600, which has ink tanks, auto-duplex,
and (I believe) a friendlier software package.

Comments?

John

Rebates can make sales figure look better. This is good for a company's
share prices.

Barry

 

[andmalc]

Hi!


If there is, I haven't found it. So far I've only found a lot to like about
mine. For starters, the consumables cost is definitely better than some--you
can buy all six (!!!) tanks and 150 sheets of photo paper (4x6" IIRC) for
$35 or so. Or you can buy just the color you need. Black is $8, the others
are around $6 per tank.

The lifetime of the consumables seems pretty good so far. I've printed over
200 pages and several photos with mine. Only the black ink has reported any
drop in level. All the colors are still full. The scanner is OK...it's
probably not what you'd want for really high quality work, but it gets the
job done for almost everything else. Copies made with the "black" button on
the unit look a bit green when they come out of the printer. Doing a "color"
copy instead solves this problem.

The official 'yield' of the 02 black cart is 660 pages! The black cart
in the $35 deal will be lower, though.
Still, that is a good deal.

The only bad thing I can think of so far are the permanently installed print
heads. Someday they will probably fail, and then it will be new printer
time. I'm not sure how HP handles this, but replacements don't seem to be
available. Even if they were, I am not sure how you'd get the already
installed ones out of there. This, to me, was a disappointment, as it meant
that the rest of the device will probably still be working fine when the
printheads do finally quit. I tend to keep and use my computer hardware for
a *long* time.

Well, that was a big deal with the old Officejet 7100's. Not an issue
with these new ones, so far.

As for software, I have used some features of both the Macintosh and PC
versions, particularly the scanner driver and photo printing application. On
an Intel Mac or a Windows PC, the applications have been very stable, well
featured and easy to use. On a PowerPC Mac, the photo application wasn't
always stable. With perseverance, however, it did eventually work.

There is no automatic duplexer on the C5180. It looks like there was to be
one, but HP must have dropped it at the last minute. The C5180's internal
web page shows a field for an installed duplexer and the back door comes off
for some reason--probably to remove jams or install the
optional-but-never-produced duplexer module.

Yes, it's there to remove jams.

Yeah, the duplex is unavailable for order at the moment. Don't know
for how long.

I have never used Canon's software, so how it would compare is beyond me.

The onboard "Photosmart Express" software that is resident in the printer is
pretty versatile. The color preview LCD has excellent brightness, displays
clearly and has pretty decent color accuracy. You also get a few handy
functions, including "push to computer" scanning and the ability to make
notebook paper (wide or narrow rule) and graph paper just by pushing a few
buttons on the printer. I've never seen that offered anywhere else, and it
is a nice feature that I wouldn't have thought of using until this printer
came along.

Finally: Why the rebate? Technology moves quickly. A newer model may be
coming out. (Note that I said "newer" and not necessarily "better".)

The C5100, C6100, and C7100 only came out last Fall.

 

[Andrew Rossmann]

Yeah, the duplex is unavailable for order at the moment. Don't know
for how long.

Does HP change their inkjet duplexers often? I used to use a duplexer
from a 970 in a psc2410. Looking at the duplexer in my current OfficeJet
7310, it appears to be virtually identical, other than the color.

 

[Andrew Gabriel]

The official 'yield' of the 02 black cart is 660 pages! The black cart
in the $35 deal will be lower, though.
Still, that is a good deal.

If it uses same ink as the C6180, there are two sizes of black
available -- one is about 3 times the capacity of the other IIRC.

 

[andmalc]

Does HP change their inkjet duplexers often? I used to use a duplexer
from a 970 in a psc2410. Looking at the duplexer in my current OfficeJet
7310, it appears to be virtually identical, other than the color.

The C series Photosmarts are new models. There's no way they'd use the
same duplexers as the 7310 etc. which are circa 2004.