For the past three years, I’ve been using an HP A516 Photosmart printer to meet my photo printing needs. So when I saw that Raul was having a contest offering an HP A646 Photosmart Printer to those who left a comment, I figured I’d drop a line to let all those entering know how happy I was with mine. Now true I understood that by leaving a comment I was also entering the contest, but never in a million years did I figure I’d win.

HP Photosmart A646 Compact Photo Printer & Bag

Yet, that’s just what happened. So figuring that I now had this fancy dancy new printer in my hands, it made sense that I share my initial experience with all three of you that swing by.

Upon receiving the printer, the first thing that caught my eye was how eco-friendly it was compared to my “old skool” A516. Built from 32% recycled materials, the printer also includes a stylish carrying case which was made from recycled plastic bottles. It’s also important to note that it’s an Energy Star Qualified Product and uses less than a watt of energy while off. It also boasts a 3.45″ touchscreen to navigate through the many creative options and has ample means to acquire photos to print – whether plugging it direct into a computer, using a USB key, a number of memory cards, or via bluetooth from your phone.

Similar to the A516, the stylish A646 was a breeze to setup with my PC (I’m going to see about setting it up to my Macbook later tonight and figure the experience to be the same). I’m also happy to report that the pictures I printed using the included HP Advanced Photo Paper were phenomenal, but keep in mind that I’m no photophile – to a more technical saavy person the pictures may simply be acceptable.

Overall, I’m quite happy with the product. It’s done everything I’ve asked of it in the short time I’ve played with it and therefore I really don’t have anything to complain about. I do find it interesting that it comes with the tote, as it’s not necessarily something that’s all too portable considering it’s need of an electrical outlet to work (although a battery seems to be available, you still need to “plug” it in). It also prints slower than the 28 seconds as advertised, but I’ve got no need for speed so that doesn’t bother me too much. Lastly, it would have been nice if it was a WiFi enabled, but again not a large deal to me.

So if you’re in the market for a decent photo printer and the $189.99 pricepoint isn’t too scary (Best Buy – 17Nov), I’d recommend that you give the HP A646 Photosmart Printer a go.

I wrote this review after receiving the HP A646 Photosmart Printer via a contest (thanks again Raul of Hummingbird604.com & Linda of Hill and Knowlton). I was neither paid for this review nor asked to provide one and simply did of my own regard – so take what I say for what you figure it’s worth and read my disclosure statement. I’m always game to provide a review – feel free to contact me via this form so we can discuss the details.