HP Photosmart 145 Review

The HP Photosmart 145 is an extremely compact and portable photo printer. While the Photosmart 145 is great for traveling with, there are still better alternatives. Read on to see what we mean.

Summary

The HP Photosmart 145 definitely has it’s drawbacks, including the monochrome LCD, lack of onboard photo editing tools, and a single 3-ink cartridge. But at an average price of $145 it has some appeal to users wanting an entry level compact and mobile photo printer. True to HP’s advertising, this printer is ultra-portable and easy to travel with.

Those wanting a little more polish and function, may want to consider the HP Photosmart 245, which at just $50 more solves some of the issues discovered with the Photosmart 145.

Overview

The HP Photosmart 145 is an extremely small and lightweight entry into the compact photo printer arena. Weighing less than 3 pounds and measuring a scant 9.1 inches wide by 4.4 inches high by 4.9 inches deep, the HP 145 is truly a small mobile printer that fits in the palm of your hand.

Hewlett-Packard states that this $149.99 printer allows you to print 4×6-inch professional-looking, borderless color photos without having to use a computer. It features a built in media card reader and a text-based LCD.

For those wanting to bring their printer along in their travels, the HP Photosmart 145 photo printer is small and light enough to easily tuck into an overnight bag. 

The ultra-portable HP Photosmart 145 photo printer

Features and Design

The Photosmart 145 is finished in the usual HP silver and gray and the components have a nice, clean fit and finish.

The front of the unit features a flip-down input tray with hinges that are strong and sturdy. This tray can hold up to 20 sheets of 4×6-inch stock.

A small issue with compact printers is that adequate clearance must be given to the rear of the unit. As the paper traverses the input path the paper protrudes the back of the unit during printing. The Photosmart 145 is no different from other compact printers in that it also suffers from this issue.

Completing the standalone feature of the printer is a four slot storage card reader found just above the input tray. This flash storage reader can handle CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Secure Digital/Multimedia Card, and x-D Picture card formats. The unit allows you to print from any one of these types of media, and like other HP printers, from select HP cameras via the printer’s USB port.

All of the control buttons are found on the top of the unit. These buttons these allow you to select photos, save to memory card, change the layout and make multiple copies. Above these buttons is the LCD display. 

Printing resolution is a respectable 4800-optimized DPI and the printer is compatible with Windows 98 and above and Mac OS 9 and above.

The front panel flips out to reveal the print tray and the built-in media card reader

A Few Areas Of Concern

Several design and layout issues on the Photosmart 145 were areas of concern with us. Those of you familiar with the built in LCD displays in many of today’s printers may be disappointed in the display on the HP 145. The LCD display is monochrome instead of color and you can’t actually see the photos displayed