When it comes to buying a used printer, you often get more than just value and ease of use. You will usually get good information on what customers have thought of that product. When there have been so many ratings and reviews, the averages and information are often accurate. While the ratings for the HP DeskJet 3520 are accurate, they’re also confusing. Ratings for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are almost even across the board. In most cases, you will see the majority of the customers sway to one side. With this printer, that’s not the case. This means this printer is great for some people, good for others, and terrible for yet another group.
The good news is that the HP DeskJet 3520 is very cheap if you buy it used. Although it is currently unavailable at Amazon.com, you may be able to find it elsewhere if you just keep looking. But of course, keep checking back on Amazon as they update their products regularly.
Features
It’s a single cartridge printer that uses black ink and tri-color ink. This means you will have to manually switch the cartridges when necessary, which can be annoying. Regardless of what cartridge you’re using, resolution can reach up to 2400 dpi. As far as speed goes, it can print 8 pages per minute black and color if you’re using the standard tri-color cartridge. It can print 12 pages per minute black if you’re using the black cartridge.
The DeskJet 3520 has a few other basic features. One is the onscreen cancel button. This will stop any print immediately. Another beneficial feature is the onscreen ink level indicator. This will help you avoid time and stress as you are able to monitor your ink consumption and will know when to head out and buy more ink. That said, it is always better to stock up on ink so you don’t have to make a lot of trips to the store or keep ordering online.
If you want to slightly increase the speed and quality of your machine, consider buying the HP No. 27 black ink cartridge. Two other neat features are that the paper tray can hold up to 100 sheets and there is a rear access door to help you fix paper jams.
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A Few Negatives
There are a few negatives for the HP DeskJet 3520. One negative is that the ink is quite on the expensive side, especially since you have to buy so much of it. Although this can be easily solved by buying the combo packs of cartridges of four or more, which are ultimately cheaper than buying the individual packs, and therefore, give you more mileage and can print more pages than the individual ones. Available on Amazon are the twin packs of HP 27 Black at just under $30, where regular price is around $45. Also available is HP 28 Tricolor twin pack at only $47, regular price around $59.
Speaking of ink, if you happen to be printing 8 x 10 photos, you should expect to get no more than a dozen prints before running out and replacing a new cartridge. The only other downside is the constantly having to switch ink cartridges based on your needs, as mentioned earlier.
Another negative is that you must purchase the USB cord separately, which is unfortunate but most manufacturers do not include the USB printer cable with the unit. But if you buy your 3520 second hand, most likely you will have it thrown in. Since USB most printer cables are of standard size and make, you will be able to use an old USB cable from an old printer.
User Reviews
Many users have posted their feedback on the use of the DeskJet 3520. Their common denomination is that it is a simple machine that is meant for home or school use that offers basic printing functions. It is durable and reliable and many are actually still using this model since it was first released in 2003.
Photo prints are good enough and are on par with most photo printers of today, but it is not recommended if photo printing is your main need for a printer. Likewise, it cannot handle thick paper like greeting card or board paper stock.
Knowing its limits, the HP DeskJet 3520 can be a reliable printer if you do not expect too much from it. It runs on a USB interface and is PC and Mac compatible. It’s best suited for someone looking for light printing. Its reviews are mixed, but for the extremely low price tag, it’s worth taking a shot on.
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