| The HP Deskjet 6940 is a basic color | | | | cartridge. For photo printing, you can |
| inkjet printer designed for home and | | | | swap out the black ink for a second |
| small-office users who have low-volume | | | | tricolor ink cartridge for six-color |
| printing needs but may want to print the | | | | printing or for a gray cartridge for |
| occasional snapshot. In fact, its price, | | | | black-and-white photos. Changing ink |
| features, and print quality make it a | | | | cartridges is a simple matter: open the |
| great printer for college dorm rooms. | | | | main cover, flip up the plastic cover |
| Its no-fuss, low-profile design makes it | | | | for each ink tank, and pull the tank |
| easy to tuck in the corner of your | | | | straight out. While the task is easy |
| office or room, and the built-in | | | | enough, it can be a pain if you switch |
| Ethernet capability means you can leave | | | | back and forth often between photos and |
| it there and print from any networked | | | | regular documents. If you're willing to |
| computer in the office or from your | | | | sacrifice a bit of photo quality for |
| roommate's laptop. It's simple to print | | | | convenience, the Canon Pixma iP4200 |
| photos without using your PC with the | | | | doesn't require changing ink tanks for |
| built-in USB port for PictBridge-enabled | | | | photo printing. At least the HP Deskjet |
| cameras or camera phones, but the fact | | | | 6940 uses separate black and color ink |
| that you need to change out ink tanks | | | | tanks, though: if you print primarily |
| for optimal photo quality is a bit of a | | | | black text, you won't have to waste the |
| drag if you switch back and forth | | | | precious (and expensive) color ink when |
| between regular text/graphic documents | | | | you run out of black. HP ships the |
| and photos. Still, at $130, the Deskjet | | | | printer with full ink tanks, but they |
| 6940 is quite a value. If you want | | | | are expensive to replace: the standard |
| autoduplexing and a larger input tray, | | | | black tanks costs $29.99, and the |
| spring for the 6940dt. If you don't need | | | | tricolor tank costs $34.99. The gray |
| the network capability, check out the | | | | photo and tricolor photo ink tanks cost |
| Canon Pixma iP4200; with this printer, | | | | $24.99 each. HP estimates that it costs |
| for less than what you'd pay for the | | | | 3.7 cents to print a page of black text |
| base model of the HP Deskjet 6940, you | | | | and 7.8 cents for a page of color |
| get built-in duplexing and two input | | | | text--a little less expensive than the |
| trays. | | | | cost per page for the Canon Pixma |
| The Deskjet 6940's design is understated | | | | iP4200. |
| and rather prim. The boxy, | | | | With the PictBridge port, you can print |
| silver-and-black printer measures 17.5 | | | | straight from your digital camera or |
| inches wide, 8 inches deep, and 5.5 | | | | camera phone without touching your PC. |
| inches tall, and it weighs a light 13.2 | | | | Additionally, if you have a Bluetooth |
| pounds. The paper input/output tray juts | | | | camera phone, you can connect a wireless |
| out of the printer's front face nearly | | | | Bluetooth adapter (sold separately) to |
| 5.5 inches and doesn't fold up, which | | | | the USB port for wireless photo |
| can be a pain if you're short on desk or | | | | printing. If you print photos from your |
| shelf space. On the front left is a | | | | computer, you can use the HP Real Life |
| limited control panel that reflects the | | | | Technologies software to touch up |
| printer's few functions: a power button, | | | | photos. You can also choose between |
| a print cancel button, a print resume | | | | bordered or borderless photos. |
| button, and a printer report button. | | | | The HP Deskjet 6940 did about as well or |
| There are also graphical LEDs to | | | | better than its competition in |
| indicate low ink and a network | | | | performance tests. It printed black text |
| connection. A single USB port for | | | | at a rate of 6.97 pages per minute (ppm) |
| printing directly from a camera resides | | | | and an 8.5x11 photo at a rate of 0.6ppm. |
| on the other side of the paper tray. The | | | | To compare, the Canon Pixma iP4200 |
| paper cartridge operates as both an | | | | printed black text at 6.7ppm and 8x10 |
| input and output tray. The input tray, | | | | photos at 0.6ppm. Its print quality is |
| which sits below, holds up to 150 sheets | | | | also serviceable for home or light |
| and has two paper guides. You can buy an | | | | office use. Black text looks sharp and |
| optional 250-sheet input tray, as well. | | | | clean to the naked eye and examining the |
| The tray doesn't slide out for | | | | text under a loupe showed only slight |
| refilling, but the input tray's cover, | | | | jagginess. Text was legible down to very |
| which functions as the output tray, | | | | small point sizes. In color graphics, |
| flips up or pulls out entirely for easy | | | | the jagginess was a bit more apparent, |
| access. The output tray has a | | | | but colors looked bright and saturated. |
| pass-through slot for feeding in smaller | | | | We did notice banding in the gradients, |
| media, such as envelopes, 4x6 photo | | | | however. And the printer does a poor job |
| paper, or postcards. A pull-out | | | | of remaining neutral across the entire |
| extension helps keep longer paper in | | | | grayscale gradient. In the photo print |
| check. | | | | on HP photo paper, we noticed some |
| The front cover flips up for easy access | | | | graininess, but for the most part, the |
| to the two ink cartridges, which are | | | | photo quality was good enough for casual |
| simple to switch out. For standard | | | | snapshots. The overall print quality of |
| document printing, use the included | | | | the Deskjet 6940 will satisfy students |
| black cartridge and the tricolor CMY | | | | and office workers. |