#Hp photosmart a646 mac os x#
#Hp photosmart a646 install#
#Hp photosmart a646 driver#
#Hp photosmart a646 portable#
#Hp photosmart a646 software#

I discovered by accident that if I ignored the message, I could print anyway. In my tests, unfortunately, the printer consistently told me that it couldn't find the cell phone, a message that suggests that it's not ready to print. Simply tap the Bluetooth option, tell your phone to search as well, wait for the phone to find the printer, and then give the print command from your phone. Together, the icons work along with a generally well designed set of menus, with options to let you view, print, and edit photos on a memory card or USB key (to crop them or adjust brightness, for example) as well as view the photos as a slideshow.Īs I've already mentioned, one of the main menu options is for Bluetooth connections, which helps make connecting and printing from, say, a cell phone a lot easier than it would be if you had to dig through the menu system to find the command. Each control icon shows only when it's relevant to the menu or task at hand. Using a touch screen is much more intuitive than using separate buttons along with onscreen menus, and it helps even more that the screen is an ample 3.75 inches diagonally for the full-color display area and 4.75 inches if you include the left and right margins with control icons.

The A646's touch screen is one of its more notable features.

#Hp photosmart a646 mac os x#

In addition, HP says you can download drivers from its website for Vista 64-bit, Windows 7, and Mac OS X 10.6. I installed the printer on a system running Windows Vista, but according to HP, there are also onboard drivers for Windows XP and Mac OS X v10.4 and 10.5.

#Hp photosmart a646 driver#

The print driver and installation routine are stored in the printer itself, so once you plug in the cable, you only have to tell Windows it's okay to run the setup program, click Start, and accept the license agreement. Adding a computer to the list involves little more than connecting a USB cable. Whether you try printing with Bluetooth or not, the A646 is ready at this point to print from PictBridge cameras, memory cards, USB memory keys, and, of course, Bluetooth connections. (So does the Bluetooth option on the main screen, but more on that in a moment.) It's a nice touch, because it makes the Bluetooth feature highly visible. You then get the option, also on the printer's screen, of trying to print a photo from a cell phone by Bluetooth.

#Hp photosmart a646 install#

Setting up the A646 is easy-simply plug it in, turn it on, and follow the instructions on its screen to install the print cartridge and load paper. Unfortunately, the A646 just misses earning the PCMag GreenTech Approved seal, qualifying on all criteria except the percentage of the printer itself that's recyclable (the A646 is 73 percent recyclable by weight). HP has clearly made a commendable effort to make the printer eco-friendly. Also worth mention is that HP says the soft carrying case is made from recycled plastic water bottles. The sleeve is hardly any larger than a typical six-pack cardboard carrier, is fully recyclable, and except for a few thin sheets of plastic on the printer itself is the only packing material that comes with the printer. The eco-friendly packaging is basically a bag in a box-or more precisely, a soft carrying case in a cardboard sleeve. Unlike the model it replaces, the A646 does not include a battery option. One nice touch is that it offers both a built-in handle that pivots out of the way when you're not using it, and a soft carrying case to help protect the printer on the go.

#Hp photosmart a646 portable#

Even so, it's highly portable at 5.3 by 9.9 by 4.6 inches (HWD) and only 2.4 pounds. In addition, it can handle 4- by 12-inch panoramas. Although similar to last year's Editors' Choice A636 in many ways, and still very much worth considering, the A646 falters badly on some usability issues, giving the impression that it was rushed out the door without a final polish.Īs with the A636, the A646 is a little bigger than most small-format printers, because it's designed to print 5-by-7 photos as well as the more usual 4- by 6-inch format. The reality, unfortunately, doesn't quite live up to expectations. HP has a good track record with its compact photo printers, so I was expecting that this year's model, the HP Photosmart A646 Compact Printer ($149.99 direct), would probably stand out as a winner.

#Hp photosmart a646 software#

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