It is generally seen that, a specific product is better for
a specific job. But, due to increasing population, spaces for building houses
are decreasing. People are getting business minded and so they are utilizing
the entire spaces of their home as economically as they can.
Don't be mistaken, I am not talking about the people with a
huge bank balance. I am talking about the average people, who have to save
their earnings to plan a trip on the weekend. Yes, it is true, we are
economically using spaces. So, the business sector is producing products in a
similar mindset and adding as much value as they can to attract borrowers. Same
is the case of HP Officejet 4300. The product has been packed with printer,
copier, scanner and a fax machine.
A Little about HP Officejet 4300:
THE BEST THING ABOUT HP Officejet 4300 is that, you need not
turn on your PC to perform the operations. The jobs like sending a fax or
making a copy can be done at an ease without bothering your computer.
Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard Company.
Manufacturer's Address: 16399 West Bernardo Drive, San
Diego, CA 92127, USA.
The HP Officejet 4300 mainly comprises of the following
parts:
1. The Document feeder tray: This document feeder tray is
used for feeding documents to the machine so as to make copies or for
scanning. The feeder can be folded over
the machine to give it a good look and whenever it is to be used, it can be
open by throwing it behind the machine. Just feed your materials and give your
appropriate command for action.
2. Control Panel: It is the panel where the keys are placed
suitably on the Key Pad to be used as and when necessary. The keypad contains
text, symbols and numbers which are placed systematically in two halves with
the control panel display placed top of the centre. On the Right hand side
there are 9 round or button shaped keys and 12 somewhat rectangular solid
keys(one may prefer to say buttons rather). Below the control panel display are
five buttons of different shapes and towards the right there are 8 buttons. On
the extreme left there is the space for the handset (limited to handset models
only). One will miss two buttons, the on light button and the attention light
button just at the sides of the power button at the centre bottom of the
control panel unless observes minutely. The various buttons or keys over the
keypad of the control panel are provided with independent functions as below:
Speed dial: for speed dialling a number which is already
saved to the machine.
Redial/pause: This button is used to redial a number which
is used on the last occasion and also it can pause a dialled number in the middle.
If you are disturbed by connectivity, you need not dial a number repeatedly.
Just press the redial and it will do the work of redialling the number you want
of its own.
Lighter/darker: This key is used for the purpose of
lightening or darkening of the fax pages, the black and white ones, which are being sent from your machine. This facilitates the receiver of the fax to
get the accurate message you want to convey.
Fax Resolution: This button is also use to adjust the
resolution of the fax material so as to fax a clearer image of what is being
faxed.
On Light: This is a light instead a button which is on when
we power on the machine. As the machine is put into task, it starts blinking.
The blinking indicates that the machine is performing a function or preparing
itself for the command we had given it to perform. As we cut down the power,
the light gets off.
Attention Light: This is a special button designed to
facilitate the user of the machine. The light blinks constantly whenever there
is a error. The blinking is to attract attention of the user so that he can
attend to the machine and correct the error to set it back into smooth
functioning.
Display: This is a place to monitor if there are any
messages or to view various menus essential to operate the machine. It is
placed centrally over the panel for an easy access by the user. Even if the
document feeder tray is folded over the machine, the display can be monitored.
Answer Mode: This specialized key is provided to set
automated answers to un-attended phone calls. But this requires a setting and
one may be puzzled for the first few uses unless he is accustomed to its use.
Flash: This key is used to cancel a fax and bring up a dial
tone. In the handset models, the button may be used to answer a waiting call.
This facilitates you to attend a call without disturbing your work.
Setup: This is the vital key of the machine as it is related
to the settings of various systems. This key is also used for generating
reports and accessing the help menu. We can scroll through the help menu to
look for the required help and press OK to select the required help. The selected
topic opens at our computer monitor.
Fax: As the name suggests, this button is used for
functioning of the fax machine. The press of the button sets the HP Officejet
4300 in fax mode and presents the required fax menu. You can scroll through the
fax menu by pressing the fax button repeatedly until you are displayed with the
desired action.
Scan: It is used for setting the multifunction machine to
its scanning mode. Same as that of fax button press the scan button repeatedly
until your desired functioned is displayed at the display.
Copy: The copy button sets the machine to copy mode and as
the way you approached in the previous two menus, you can approach in a similar
way with this button too. The uniformity used by the HP is for easy handling of
the machine.
Start Black: This button is used for performing any of the
function of copying, faxing or scanning a document in black and white. These
buttons facilitates to save unnecessary wastage of ink due to careless commands
we may provide if going to print a document from the computer in a LaserJet.
Start Color: This button performs the function of copy,
printing or fax in coloured mode.
Cancel: This is another important and unavoidable key
provided to the machine to cancel a job in the middle or exit a menu or
setting. This function saves our time in a way and also helps saving wastages
of time as well as money.
Right Arrow: This key is used to increase the values on the
display. This is used in the adjustment of various functions like regulating
resolution, darkness, brightness, etc.
Left Arrow: As that
of the right arrow, it performs a function just opposite to that of right
arrow. The function is to reduce adjustment values.
OK: This key is used to select a particular setting or menu
that we desired to work for.
On: As we know, the word itself indicates the function of
the key. We can also call it the power key. Whenever we want to switch the
machine on or off, we will have to press the key to get the desired action. It
is the key which starts the machine with switching on and off the machine with
the press of the button. This button is provided with a indicator on light and
the glowing of the light will indicate that the machine is on and if the area
appears dark, the machine is off. Although we switch of the power, the machine
is on power supply, though it is a minimal power and this can be completely
disconnected by switching off the machine or unplugging the power cord.
Keypad: The main key pad comprises of 12 keys and these are
used to enter fax numbers, values or text.
One-touch speed dial buttons: These buttons are used for
speed dialling of the saved numbers, up to ten numbers, with press to the
button. As we press the button the numbers appear at the left hand column and
repeating the pushing will show us the number in the right column. This
facilitates us to store frequently used numbers to be accessed quickly without
referring a directory or phone book.
3. Paper Guides: These are specially incorporated to the machine
to guide the paper as per our requirement for job. They guide the paper into
the machine for the copying and faxing actions preventing them to roll or jam
in the process.
4. Print Cartridge
Door: This door is given at the right
hand side of the machine for ease of operation. This door is used to replace
print cartridges when they show low in ink while commanding the machine for a
job. Switch on the HP Officejet 4300 to change or replace the print cartridges.
If power supply is off, there are every chances of damaging the machine. Open
the door by lifting it up with the finger tip, We should wait until the print
cartridge moves to the far right side of the machine. If it does not go to the
far right, then we have to re-start the machine by switching off and then on.
As the cartridge slot reaches the far right, lightly press the old cartridges
down to release and replace it with the new ones. The perfectness of
replacement will be indicated with a clicking sound of the replaced cartridge
to the socket. After replacement of the necessary cartridge(s), close the print
cartridge door. Do not forget to remove the plastic tape adhered to the
cartridge before replacement, Else the nozzle will be blocked and thereby
leading to faulty printing. Caution should be taken not to touch the ink
nozzles which may damage the cartridge by way of clogs, ink failure and bad
electrical connections.
5. Input Tray: This is a tray which is provided to set the
papers to be used for copying or printing jobs. The tray is provided with a
tray extender to accommodate the papers comfortably. When the command for
printing or copying is set, the machine pulls papers singly from the tray
systematically. There is a paper width
guide which facilitates to set the printing according to required size. The
different sized papers can be fed to the machine without any discomfort.
6. Document Catcher: It is the place where finished
materials are deposited. The printed papers are deposited to that of the
document catcher which is placed very neatly and helpfully to the machine and
folded over the control panel whenever it is not required for. It is provided
with a document catcher extender so as to facilitate capture of large sized
papers.
7. Handset: It comes with the handset models only. This is a
cute receiver placed to the extreme left of the machine and it increases the
show of the machine. We can use this receiver as that of a telephone receiver
and make calls with ease. The sound wave from the other end is suitable guided
into our ear without distortion of the voice. This is because of the fact that,
there is no adverse affects of external noises between ear and source of sound
to hamper our listening ability.
8. Power Connection: This is set at the rare of the machine
to avoid difficulty in installation of the machine and keep the computer table
clean. The coils of wires do not show up as we can hide them at the back of the
machine. This is to provide power supply to the machine to make it usable or
ready for work.
9. Rear USB Ports: There are USB ports at the rare side of
the machine to support further connective of accessories.
10. 1-LINE (fax) and 2-EXT (phone) ports: There are two
ports for telephone connectivity to the rare of the machine. Out of the two, one is for the fax
connectivity and the other can be used as an extension for the telephone line.
11. Rare Door: This is a door with a special feature. Many a
time a printer is jammed with paper due to faulty command or some other
reasons. If such jams occur, the rare door can be opened to clean the paper jam
and make the HP Officejet 4300 re-usable. The rare door can be accessed with
rare door accessed tab.
INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS:
PRINTER:
The printer is similar to that of other HP Inkjet printers.
It is easy to operate and there is always the trouble of paper jam for
slightest carelessness of the user. Place the paper in the input tray and place
the command to your computer. The HP Officejet 4300 will jump up with a noise
to action. There is free flow of papers if everything is set well and there are
sufficient papers to continue printing. The finished papers after printing will
be deposited to the document catcher. Once the numbers of papers are reduced,
the problems may start to show up.
Specifications:
Resolution: 1200x1200 dpi black, 4800 optimized dpi colour,
4800dpi 6ink.
Method: Drop on demand thermal inkjet.
Language: Lightweight Imaging Device Interface Language (LIDIL).
FAX:
The functions of the fax are set well and one can operate it
with an ease. The specific buttons for redialling and speed dialling and also the
attending to call waiting system benefits the user a lot. The machine can be
connected to the internet by way of various connectivity modems.
Fax specifications:
Walk-up-black & white and colour fax capability.
Up to 10 speed dials.
Up to 100 page memory.
Manual fax sends and received.
Automatic busy redial up to five times.
Automatic no answer redial by one time.
Confirmation and activity reports.
CCITT/ITU group 3 fax with error correction mode.
33.6Kbps transmission.
Ring detect with automatic fax/answering machine switching.
SCANNER:
The scanner too is easy to use. Load your job and use the
button on the control panel to scan. The job will be done within a couple of
minutes with a slight jerk at the machine. The scanned image can be resized and
edited at the computer.
Specifications:
Image editor included.
Integrated OCR software automatically converts scanned test
to editable text.
Twain-compliant interface.
Resolution: 1200x1200 dpi optical, up to 19,200dpi enhanced.
Colour: 16-bit per RGB colour, 48-bit total.
COPIER:
It is easy to copy to as many as 99 copies from the
original. The number of copy may vary with different models. I don't try this
system much as I hardly need the copier at my workplace.
Specifications:
Digital image processing.
Up to 99 copies from the original(varies with model)
Digital zoom from 25 to 400%.
Scan resolution:
BEST: 600x1200 dpi.
Normal & Fast: 300x300dpi, maximum at 400% scaling.
PAPER SIZES:
The HP Officejet 4300 can use a varied size of papers. It
can also print envelops, transparency film, photo papers, cards, labels.
Specifications:
A4: 210x297mm(8.3x11.7inches).
Legal: 216x356mm(8.5x14.0inches).
B5-JIS: 182x257mm(7.2x10.1inches).
MY EXPERIENCE:
I have this HP Officejet 4300 model at our Branch Office and
we frequently use this in connection with our regular work. It is easy to use, especially
for the purpose of printing, scanning and fax. A DSL line is connected to the
machine for network accessibility by all the staff members of our branch. The
most frequently I use it for printing purpose and the noise with the amount of
jerk it produces is similar to that of the other range of HP Inkjet printers.
The print quality, especially of text and photo are very good though I am not
sure to call them excellent. The phone receiver or the handset is appealing.
The buttons are soft and easy to press without error. The fax facility cannot
be commented as there is always a network problem around our place. But the facilities
of speed dialling provided are quite good. As a scanner, the image scanned is
good and we can edit the scan without much difficulty.
MY VERDICT:
The HP Officejet 4300 is a nice machine to envy upon and can
be equally used in homes, offices and home-offices. The best about the machine
is that it is a multi-tasking and is quite well in all its functionaries. It is
easy to operate and have an additional facility to answer un-attended phone calls.
It can record messages and also we can automatically set functioning though I
never tried any by myself. The only drawback I found so far is that it produces
a lot of noise while printing. It produces images with high resolutions and so
the image qualities are very well to be praised.
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