The Hewlett-Packard Photosmart C6280 includes some very nice features that you might not expect to find in a multifunction device in its price range. However, there are also a few features that you might expect to find in this unit that HP decided not to include.

First, the good news: The C6280's six-ink printing system produces photo prints with outstandingly realistic colors. You can print photos directly from memory cards and preview them using this unit's 2.4-inch color LCD screen. The C6280 even allows you to perform some minor editing -- including red-eye removal -- when printing photos directly from a card. Unfortunately, you cannot print from a PictBridge connection. And although the C6280 can print text at speeds of up to 34ppm in "Draft" mode, photo printing is much slower, especially at the "Best" quality setting.

The C6280 offers Ethernet networking options, which is a surprising feature for a multifunction device in this price range. This device's scanner is outstanding, and you have a lot of options for saving your scanned documents and files in various formats and to various locations, including a memory card.

Unfortunately, the C6280's copier functions are extremely basic; it allows a maximum of only 50 copies at a time, for example. Additionally, the C6280's included software doesn't work well with older computers and requires a lot of disk space. What's more, the C6280 offers no fax capabilities, which makes this unit difficult to recommend, even at its price point. The C6280 isn't a bad machine, but before you buy one, make sure its features -- and lack thereof -- match your needs precisely.


Pros: Six-ink printing system, 2.4-inch LCD, photo-paper tray, Ethernet networking, strong scanning function, low price
Cons: No fax features, cumbersome software, slow photo printing, no PictBridge connection, copy features are minimal

Warranty
1 year, limited