On a recent trip to New York I had the chance to discover the simple joy of using a wireless printer. Exactly where I have been all these years? Somehow in the rush to get work done, I have become oblivious to the snake’s nest of cables adorning my workspace. No more!

From this day forward, if there’s a reasonably priced wireless solution to be had, I’m having it! Starting with the HP DeskJet 460c Inkjet Printer, which I had the chance to try.

This color printer claims a 17-page-per-minute print speed. (That’s definitely optimal conditions. No doubt, your mileage will vary.) The print quality for my purposes was fine. And the unit itself was small enough that I wasn’t sure I had actually found the printer when somebody told me it was around the corner from where I was working. I thought I was looking at a mini fax machine. Silly me.

PriceGrabber reviewer fireworks1972 points out that a lithium ion battery for the unit is extra, since it’s promoted as a portable printer. But since AC was supplying the power for my work, I didn’t notice that aspect of it.

Also, here’s the pain point. You’ll need a Bluetooth or 802.11b printer card to go the wireless route, which nearly — but not quite — doubles the price. If that’s too much all in one swallow, you can add on a USB cable to go the usual physical route for connecting your computer to the printer.

Of course, the 460 is a generation old, but for just a little more money, the H470 promises print speeds of up to 22 pages a minute and a traveling weight of about five pounds, when you’re hauling the battery with it.

The newer version of the printer runs with the HP 98 black cartridge and the 95 tri-color cartridge. The 460c runs with a 94 black print cartridge and the 95 tri-color cartridge.

Posted on February 12th, 2008 by dian