Review: HP Photosmart C6180 multi-function device

HP says the Photosmart C6180 is the world’s fastest multi-function device (MFD) at 32ppm (pages per minute) and 31ppm colour.

Claims such as this are often misleading and, sure enough, if you dig into the specs HP actually rates mono, standard quality A4 prints at a more realistic 8.2ppm.

In our tests, this dropped to 6.8ppm for text and 3.9ppm for a mixed Pdf. These are good speeds, but Canon's Pixma MP800R achieved faster results in our labs.

While fast text printing is unlikely to sway home users, HP's claim that the Photosmart C6180 can produce lab-quality photos in 12 seconds will be an obvious draw. However, we found this to be wide of the mark. Colour A4 photos took four minutes 56 seconds while borderless 6x4in versions appeared in two minutes 12 seconds.

The Photosmart C6180 houses six individual ink cartridges using a technology it calls 'Vivera’, to provide sharp, detailed and vibrant photo prints. It's certainly impressive; the only flaw was that prints had a bit too much yellow in them, but this really is nit picking.

The downside is the cost of replacing these cartridges. In total you'll have to shell out £38 every 350 pages, which is relatively expensive.

Standard pages of text were disappointing; letters were soft with a few fuzzy spots. If text quality is a priority then a laser printer would be a far better option. The scanner produced better results; at 200dpi it scanned an A4 document in just 37 seconds.

The USB connection is joined by 802.11b/g Wifi and Ethernet alternatives. You'll also find a card reader on the front of the unit and a bright 2.4in LCD for PC-less operation.

At £199, it's not the cheapest MFD we've seen, but it is well built, has good speeds and great photo print quality. Just don't expect 32ppm.