The Small HP Miracle

This fax machine is a simple, small, but quite effective piece of equipment. It stands up to the Hewlett-Packard reputation to which I am dedicated after owning an HP printer that lasted for over 14 years with not a single problem and two cleanings.

I am a medical transcriptionist and send and receive faxes 24 hours, 7 days a week in relatively high volume and this little machine has not let me down. I have used it now for approximately 10 months and have had no maintenance issues. I do keep it clean, dusting it every day and ascertaining that all functions are intact. In other words, I take very good care of all my equipment, never neglecting or abusing it in any way.

I have used HP's technical support at least twice for basic questions and they were quite helpful and were able to resolve whatever issues I may have had. Mostly, programming questions that frustrated me somewhat when reading through their manual. The technicians were ready and willing to help and answered all my questions no matter how seemingly basic they were, they were very patient and very courteous.

We send and receive faxes from three different states, 20 different medical facilities and not once has there been a problem on our end. The only drawback is that because of the high volume, it requires replacement of the ink cartridge frequently which can be quite costly. Thus, we try to keep a good stock handy and always watch for specials, coupons, etc. on the HP20 cartridges at Staples and/or Office Max. The cartridges run about $30 a pop so the $10 off coupons from some of the stores is quite useful. At 100 or more faxes a day at least five days out of the week, the cartridge usually lasts us about 1 to 1-1/2 weeks. Nevertheless, the cartridges are easy to install and easy to discard. We have another larger fax machine as well, also an HP (another review), but this smaller one is easy to use and has served its purpose well.

We have also found the print quality to be excellent. The copies are crisp, legible, and clear as long as the fax copy it is coming from is in the same condition. The paper is easy to fill and refill as we do it frequently and uses the standard copy type sheets. One of the features I especially enjoy using is the speakerphone (blue button) capability, keeping my hands free and not having to pick up the receiver unless I want to or need to. Some users may not think that is relevant, but it is when you are multi-tasking and trying to meet a deadline.

We have not had any problems with receiving from other fax machines as yet and as stated above, our copies are from all different types of places and equipment, even those that are scanned to us via the Internet. There is also a display window which alerts you to what the problem is, such as jams, etc. and is self-explanatory in fixing the problems occurring. Though we do not often use the other features, it does scan and copy as well. And, of course, we can use it as a regular telephone.

I would highly recommend this exceptional fax machine as a home office item, even a small miracle of sorts. We are extremely pleased with the performance up to this point. We paid approximately $99 for it on special and it has been one of the best investments we've made. Happy faxing!