Hewlett Packard Officejet 4215 All-In-One InkJet Printer Review

Bottom-Line: Small, lightweight, affordable, and collapsible, the HP OfficeJet 4215v represents a viable alternative to it large and more expensive cousins. 

Ahh change, we all (well almost all) shy away from it like it were some rabid animal ready to bite, but change is an inescapable part of life.  In my experience women embrace change more readily then men, especially when it comes to furniture; they can never seem to leave it where it is for very long.  And so it was with my wife's computer desk: while I was at one with its size and functionality, she is less enthused.  And since it sits in our living room, she wanted something smaller and less obtrusive.  So I bought her a smaller corner desk and matching side table.  But of course all of this down sizing meant that the somewhat large HP OfficeJet T45 All-in-One (it's for sale) had to go as well, replace by a smaller, concealable unit with the same basic functionality.  Enter the HP OfficeJet 4215v.

In looking for a replacement unit for the venerable OfficeJet T45 I knew I wanted a relatively inexpensive (around $100.00) color all-n-one (printer, fax, scanner, and copier), unit, and one capable of being concealed beneath the side table when it was not in use.  The HP Officejet 4215v fit the requirements.  The HP Officejet 4215v has the unique ability to fold up into t a unit that is easy to hide.  The scanner/fax input tray, scanner/fax output tray, and paper tray all fold into the unit, resulting in a device that is considerable smaller: 7.1(h) x 16.4(w) x 8.0(d) vs. 13(h) x 16.4 (w) x 16.7(d) with the paper tray full extended. 

In all respects (as indicated above) the HP OfficeJet 4215v is a fully functional all-n-one unit capable of color and black ink faxing at 36.6Kbps, and printing at up to 17 pages per minute (black) and 12 pages per minute (color).  The HP OfficeJet 4215v can copy up to 100 copies of both color and black & white originals up to 17 copies per minute, and the device can scan with 600 x 1200 dpi optical scanning resolution, with up to 19,200 dpi with digital enhancement, and 36-bit color depth.

The front control panel of the off-white and grey HP OfficeJet 4215v is reminiscent of other HP all-n-ones: a small information screen surrounded by various buttons that incorporate the functionality of the unit.  The control panel is by-and-large self-explanatory in nature.

Use

I had the printer completely installed and up and running in a little less than 20 minutes, and the driver setup is pretty typical for an all-n-one device.  At the end of the install process I share out the printer on my home network so I could print to it from my laptop if so inclined.      

There are a few drawbacks to having such a small printer: the bells and whistles associated with larger all-n-one devices are not present.  In practical terms this means the output is not as fast and the feature set not as rich, but it a trade-off my wife is willing to work with in order to get the smaller size. 

The text and graphic output of the HP OfficeJet 4215v is certainly on par with other HP all-n-one units; here there could be no compromise.  The text is clear crisp and concise while the graphic are bright, color-true and smudge-free.  Of course the right paper helps in this regard; we only use 22lbs inkjet paper with a brightness of at least 96.  it is surprising how much your output is enhanced by spending a little more on genuine cotton fiber inkjet paper. 

My Viewpoint

Due to the size and cost of the HP OfficeJet 4215v we had reservations about purchasing it, but those trepidations have all but disappeared now that the multifunction device is up and running.  Small, lightweight, affordable, and collapsible, the HP OfficeJet 4215v represents a viable alternative to it large and more expensive cousins.

However, the software portion of this setup could use some help.  Though the software install as designed, it does not function as designed.  My wife is always complaining about the software's inability to carry out even simple tasks without hiccups.  And did I mention that the two-line grayscale display is all but useless at night without a bright light shinning directly on it?  However if you need an all-n-one device at an affordable price, the HP OfficeJet 4215v might be what you are looking for.