Review: HP Photosmart A620 Printer

The only portable printer I've ever used is a Kodak Easy Share Printer Dock that came with my camera. It was a basic model and did what it was supposed to do - print photos. So when I agreed to review the HP Photosmart Printer, I expected it to be the same way. Boy, was I wrong!

Talk about bells and whistles! With this portable printer you can creatively edit your photos in a variety of different ways.

• Scribble - allows you to draw on the photo using a stylus (included). You can easily change the color and line thickness. And if you make a mistake, just hit the erase button and scribble it all away!
• Design Gallery - Print your photos in black & white, sepia, antique, and a bunch of other special effects. There's even a slimming effect. Gotta love that one!
• Caption - add a title or description to your photo. You can select from 5 fonts and 6 colors.
• Clip Art - Add a special touch to your photo with a little clip art work. This was a really fun feature to use!
  
• Album - Select your favorite photos and turn them into a album page. Again, I wish there were more of a selection to choose from.
• Frames - There are different categories you can choose from - seasonal, kids, general, special - which allows you to put a frame around your photo. This will work in either portrait or landscape. The only thing is that I wish there were more of a variety of frames to choose from.

The initial set-up was a breeze. Just install the program and you're up and running in minutes. All you need to do is insert your memory card in the installed card reader and thumbnails of your photos are displayed on the printer screen. By using the included stylus, you can edit and print your favorite pictures! I didn't even need to read the manual. You can pretty much figure everything out from viewing the 4.8" touch screen.

As for photo quality, it's pretty amazing with a 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi. The finish product can be in a range of sizes including 4 x 6 in, 4 x 6.5 in, 4 x 8-in photo card, 4 x 12-in panorama, or 5 x 7.

If you prefer to print from your home computer, just use a USB cable (not included) to connect the two, install the system program, and you're all set. I think that printing from your own computer gives you more creative options in terms of size and layouts.

The only thing missing is the ability to save your photos after editing them on the printer. Instead, I had to print the photo out then scan them into my home computer for future use.

All in all, this is a great printer if you're looking for portability and ease of use. It even comes with a carry handle for those on-the-go. If you'd like one of your very own, they're currently going for $129.99 with free standard shipping.


In conjunction with this printer, I also received the HP Photobook in two sizes - 5" x 7" and 81/2" x 11". These were actually pretty cool since there was no sleeves to insert the photos into. Just bend back the covers and place the pictures directly in. This makes it very easy to change the photos around or add more. The cover is made of a thick cardboard with a canvas like texture. Very professional looking.

You can get a special 20% discount on these books by visiting Snapshot Chronicles and using the code AC8595 when placing your order. These books make a great addition to the HP Photosmart Printer. We'll be using ours to make photo books for family members who live far away. It's a great way to get them up-to-date on what we've done throughout the year.

Thank you to Parent Bloggers Network for this great review opportunity!