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Updated: 28th January, 2004
Alex G has an answer to my criticism that the heavy inking of HP printers like the 7960 prevents you from using many third party papers. He says: "The 7960 does allow you to reduce the amount of ink placed on the page.
The setting is found in the [basics] [advanced] menu. Setting it down
one notch allows beautiful prints on Epson, Canon and other brand papers."
Egil Eriksen is very complimentary about the review's conclusions: "In my mind, the review hits very close to the bulls eye. It`s a nice printer, and with a better build quality the 7960 would have been brilliant. Anyway, I do not regret to have purchased one, only remember too keep the infants away from it. By the way, I have tried some Kodak paper(Premium Gloss? don`t remenber) and it worked very well."
Gordon Simpson from Canada has had some paper feed problems with his 7960: "My HP 7960, which I purchased December 29 and returned the following week due to a printing problem! This printer suffers from a problem that causes marks (parallel dots) in several lines across the prints. This is evidently caused by the star wheels designed to feed the paper through the 180 degree turn of the paper feed system. These marks were extremely noticeable on HP premium photo paper, and could still be seen by careful viewing on the HP premium plus paper, Ilford Galleria and Kodak Premium Picture Paper and tetanol High Glossy 264 Gm paper. I loved the colour prints produced and thought that I had at last found a great B&W printer with no colour tinges ( I love B&W) as a hobby photographer. I was so disappointed to have to return it. But if I enter prints at the local camera club and such lines on prints would not be acceptable.
"The HP web site at hp.com mentions this problem and states that " there is no service solution to this problem" !!! They suggest that one only uses HP Premium Plus papers as they initially swell up and then help to hide the marks when dry. But this best paper costs 50% more here in Canada, which make it expensive to use all the time. I am surprised that you have not noticed this problem, nor has " Steve's Digicams" noticed either apparently in his tests.
"Perhaps HP will be bringing out a new design with a changed paper feed route which would overcome the problem. They'll have to do something as the print quality is so good that it is a pity to have it marred by this mechanical problem.
Ian replies: I have only seen this problem in Epson printers and then, only rarely and not recently. I believe you had an unrepresentatively faulty printer.
HP Photosmart 7960 printer
Minimum system requirements
Component
Windows PC
Macintosh
Operating system
98, 2000 Professional, Me, XP Professional, XP Home
Mac OS 9 v 9.1 or later, OS X v 10.1 through 10.2
Processor
Pentium II (or equivalent) or greater
G3 or greater
RAM
64 MB (128 MB recommended)
Mac OS 9.1 and OS 9.2: 64 MB (128MB recommended)Mac OS X v 10.1 and OS X v 10.2: 128MB
Free disk space
500 MB
500 MB
Video display
800 x 600, 16-bit or higher
800 x 600, 16-bit or higher
CD-ROM drive
4x
4x
Connectivity
USB: Front and back ports (Windows 98, 2000 Professional, Me, XP Home, and XP Professional)
USB 2.0 full speed (Mac OS 9 v 9.1 or later, OS X v 10.1 through v 10.2)
Ink cartridges
Colors
Cartridge model number
Black
HP #56 (C6656A
Tri-color
HP #57 (C6657A)
Photo
HP #58 (C6658A)
Photo gray
HP #59 (C9359A)
Print resolution
Black truetype resolution
Plain paper/FastDraft
300 x 300 rendered dpi
Plain paper/ Fast Normal
600 x 600 rendered dpi
Plain paper/Normal
600 x 600 rendered dpi
Plain paper/Best
600 x 600 rendered dpi
Plain paper/Maximum dpi
1200 x 1200 rendered dpi black
Color resolution - Four-ink (any paper type)
Plain paper/FastDraft
300 x 300 input dpi
Plain paper/Fast Normal
600 x 600 input dpi
Plain paper/Normal
600 x 600 input dpi
Plain paper/Best
600 x 600 input dpi
Plain paper/Maximum dpi
1200 x 1200 input dpi
Color printing resolution - Six-ink (plain and photo papers)
Plain paper/Fast Draft
600 x 300 dpi; 300 x 300 input dpi
Plain paper/Fast Normal
600 x 600 dpi; 600 x 600 input dpi
Plain paper/Normal
600 x 600 dpi; 600 x 600 input dpi
Plain paper/Best
1200 x 1200 dpi; 600 x 600 input dpi
Plain paper/Maximum dpi
4800 x 1200 optimized dpi; 1200 x 1200 input dpi
Photo paper/Fast Draft
1200 x 1200 dpi; 300 x 300 input dpi
Photo paper/Fast Normal
1200 x 1200 dpi; 600 x 600 input dpi
Photo paper/Normal
1200 x 1200 dpi; 600 x 600 input dpi
Photo paper/Best/Photo REt
1200 x 1200 dpi; 600 x 600 input dpi
Photo paper/Maximum dpi
4800 x 1200 optimized dpi; 1200 x 1200 input dpi
Print speed
Color
Print speed
Black text
21 ppm
Color
16 ppm
Duty cycle
The duty cycle for the HP Photosmart 7960 printer is 5,000 pages per month.
Input/Output
• Front USB port: 2.0 full speed, supporting note book computer and camera connectivity to selected HP cameras
• Rear USB port: supporting computer connectivity
• Five memory card slots: CF I and II, Secure Digital/MM card, SmartMedia card/xD-Picture card, Sony Memory Stick, and IBM Microdrive.
Internal memory 32 MB RAM
Automatic features
• Media-size sensing using width detection
• Media-type detection
• Low ink detection
• Automatic ink cartridge alignment
Paper tray capacity
Paper size
Capacity
A and A4
100 sheets
A6
20 sheets
Photo tray
15 sheets
Physical dimensions
Height
7.24 inches (183.8 mm)
Width
20.43 inches (518.9 mm)
Depth
15.4 inches (391.16 mm)
Weight
14.5 pounds (5.78 kg)
Environmental specifications
Hewlett-Packard Company is committed to providing quality products in an environmentally sound manner. This printer has been designed with several attributes to minimize impact on our environment. For more information, go to HP's Commitment to the Environment Web site at www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/index.html.
Ozone production
This product generates no appreciable ozone gas (O3).
Energy consumption
Energy usage drops significantly while in ENERGY STAR mode, which saves natural resources, and saves money without affecting the high performance of this product. This product qualifies for ENERGY STAR, which is a voluntary program established to encourage the development of energy-efficient office products. ENERGY STAR is a U.S. registered mark of the U.S. EPA. As an ENERGY STAR partner, Hewlett-Packard Company has determined that this product meets the ENERGYSTAR guidelines for energy efficiency. For more information, go to www.energystar.gov.
Paper use
This product is suited for the use of recycled paper according to DIN 19309.Plastic parts over 0.88 ounces (24 grams) are marked according to international standards that enhance the ability to identify plastics for recycling purposes at the end of the printer’s life.
Material safety data sheets
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) can be obtained from the HP Web site at www.hp.com/go/msds. Customers without Internet access should contact HP support.
Recycling program
HP offers an increasing number of product return and recycling programs in many countries and partners with some of the largest electronic recycling centers throughout the world. HP conserves resources by reselling some of its most popular products. This HP product contains lead in the solder, which may require special handling at the end of its life.
