HP Smart Tank 5105, the future of printers is here [Review]

Oh the printers... We have all had our ups and downs with these devices, and we all have or have had one at home, which has ended up collecting dust because we already know, ink cartridges have (or rather had) a price of gold .

Manufacturers have realized that the time has come to innovate, to create a new generation of printers that are definitely reconciled with users, and that is precisely what we want to show you. HP Smart Tank 5105 is a printer without cartridges, with great printing capacity and a multitude of functions, the future of printers?

As always, on our channel YouTube You have the complete unboxing, the configuration and a lot of details of this HP Smart Tank 5105, a device that you can buy at an unbeatable price on Amazon.

Design: Yes, it's a printer

There is not much mystery here, a rectangle with good finishes and a resistant plastic. On the front we will find the print output tray, as well as direct access to its innovative ink tank system. We can thus observe the deposits of black, cyan, magenta and yellow.

We find in the upper part, next to the scanner tray, the small screen that shows us the information together with the quick access and configuration buttons.

HP Smart Tank - Front

  • Size: 434,6 361,5 x x 157mm
  • Weight: 5 Kg

On the back is the classic USB-B port that printers continue to maintain (why?) and the connection to the power supply. The design is simple, resistant and functional, the truth is that little more can be asked of a printer.

Configuration: Less is more, and without cables

For users who are not used to working with this type of device, the task can become an ordeal. That is what HP avoids with this model, it has a simple manual, but we recommend download HP app Smart (compatible with iOS y Android) that will allow you to configure the printer in just a few minutes, step by step, and enjoying a WiFi connection.

HP Smart Tank - Tank refilling

Now comes the most important task, recharging the ink tanks with the bottles included in the package, which promise 6.000 pages in black and color. The system has surprised me for being practical, agile, safe and, above all, clean.

  1. Lower the front cover of the printer (from top to bottom)
  2. Remove the cap from the tank you want to fill
  3. Enter the refill bottle

Once the steps are done, the bottle will empty itself, and the operation will end when the tank is full, no more mystery The black ink bottle will give us two tank charges, but not the rest of the color bottles.

Now It's time to place the two print heads, where the ink used to be, you know, it has exactly the same design. They are also included in the package and you just have to press according to the color code (magenta or black).

After completing these very simple steps, the printer will proceed with a calibration print and scan, that we must be careful to manage.

Features: Very focused on "wireless"

It is better that it is missing, say these from HP. The printer supports Apple iBeacon, Apple AirPrint, Bluetooth, Android natively, and Mopria. Once linked to a WiFi network or through the HP Smart app, printing has never been easier, you will forget about the cables completely. Of course, we emphasize that it is not officially compatible with Linus, but... who cares about that?

HP Smart Tank - Tanks

Its printing speed is 12 PPM (pages per minute) in black and white, and 5 PPM when we talk about full color prints, all when we talk about the highest quality allowed. If we decide to go for the "draft" option which will save us ink, and which is more than enough to present that damn report to your boss, we can reach print speeds of up to 22 PPM.

As expected, the printer is focused on the domestic sector, so its printing resolution is 1200×1200 DPI in black and white, rising to 4800×1200 DPI when we talk about color printing, with compatibility for all types of sizes, as long as they are smaller than the A4 standard, that is, we will be able to print photographic paper, envelopes, and even sheets.

HP Smart Tank - Menu

If we talk about the scanner we have a speed of 10 CPM when we talk about black and white scans, slowing down to 2 CPM in the case of color. As an interesting fact, we will be able to choose if the export format of the scan is JPG, or PDF, And from my point of view, whenever you scan, make sure it is in PDF.

HP Smart: The perfect complement

The application, which we have mentioned before, is the perfect ally of this printer. We have to say that we have tested the iOS version and the performance is light, comfortable and extremely functional. In it we will be able to visualize the scan and manage the printer quickly.

Despite this, we have an LCD panel with the classic status icons, as well as the small physical buttons that in this case are illuminated, for the more traditional ones. Among these buttons we find the one that allows us the card scanning function, that allows, for example, to print a copy of the DNI on the front and on the back on the same page.

Editor's opinion

This HP Smart Tank 5105 It seems to me the logical leap that printer manufacturers should take, both to clean up the bad reputation of home printers, and to create a friendly product that allows users to have this product when they need it, finally forgetting about the most that maligned ink cartridges.

In this case, taking into account the capacity of the tanks, it is difficult for you to run out of it or for it to break down, it is always visible and available, and if you want to refill it, you are the one who makes the decision about it. It is more expensive, about two or three times than a traditional cheap printer, but believe me it will be worth it, this is the future of printers.

Smart Tank 5105
  • Editor's rating
  • 4.5 star rating
255
  • 80%

  • Smart Tank 5105
  • Review of:
  • Posted on:
  • Last modification:
  • Integrated
    Publisher: 85%
  • Configuration
    Publisher: 90%
  • Performance
    Publisher: 90%
  • ink capacity
    Publisher: 90%
  • Portability (size / weight)
    Publisher: 85%
  • Price quality
    Publisher: 85%

Pros

  • with ink tanks
  • Quick and easy setup
  • Lots of wireless options

Cons

  • Still with USB-B
  • Without multiple automatic scanning system

 


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