The new HP Photosmart 130 lets you print borderless 4R photos with or without a PC, while doubling as a multiple memory card reader as well.

HP clearly had digital camera users in mind when it designed the compact Photosmart 130. While it can be connected to the PC for printing like most inkjets, this HP offering can also print photos directly from memory cards. As a bonus, the Photosmart 130 also doubles as a multiple memory card reader.

No Pain, No Fuss
HP also designed the Photosmart 130 to be idiot-proof. Just pop in the ink cartridge, connect the power cable, and you're pretty much on your way. Setting up the USB link between PC and printer is also expedited by the intuitive installation software, although it took about 10 minutes to complete the installation process on our Pentium III 700MHz test system.

The printer also comes with a user guide illustrating the steps involved in printing photos from memory cards.

Standalone Printing
Printing photos from a memory card is pretty straightforward. User can toggle between the various options highlighted in the LCD panel at the top of the printer, by tapping on the arrow button and then making changes within each with the "+" and "-" keys. An illuminated "print" key gives the signal to begin printing.

Once the memory card is inserted into the appropriate slot hidden behind the front flip- down cover, the printer reads the images on the card and prompts you for the size of the printout. There are three to choose from: 4 x 6 inch; card-size; and thumbnail which gives an index print of all the images on the card. You're then asked to select the images to print (by looking at the number assigned to each thumbnail on the index sheet), followed by the number of prints before the final print instruction.

While it's great that HP has included built-in slots for all the different types of popular memory cards--CompactFlash Type I and II, Secure Digital/MultiMedia, SmartMedia and Memory Stick- -in the Photosmart 130, it would have been a nice touch if the manufacturer had also indicated the correct way to insert the cards on the printer, rather than in the user guide. This would have been particularly useful for SmartMedia cards which can be inserted face up or down, but read in only one way.

Photos That Look Good
The true strength of the Photosmart 130 printer, however, lies in its print quality. Even though it's equipped with a tri-color ink cartridge that produces composite black rather than true black, the improvement in HP's PhotoREt technology makes it difficult for an untrained eye to notice the difference. In our Lab tests, prints in the optimized 4,800 x 1,200dpi mode yielded crisp images with natural skin tones and a good balance of colors. There was also hardly any oversaturated tones although we did notice a slight loss in details in some of our test images.

The Photosmart 130 took a little less than 3 minutes to print one 4R photo--not bad considering some of the conventional A4 inkjets take even longer. You may have to wait a little longer if you are printing in the optimized 4,800 x 1,200 resolution. Ink usage was seemingly low as there was only a slight drop in ink levels after more than 20 prints.

Diminutive Form Factor
Slightly smaller than a tissue box, the grey-toned Photosmart 130's portability and ruggedness make it suitable for heavy-duty use on the road.

However, its paper tray holds up to 20 sheets of photo media but there isn't a dedicated holder for printouts, so things can get quite messy if you're making multiple copies. Users will also have to vacate a space about the size of the photo paper behind the printer during print operation. This is to allow the Photosmart 130 to process the media for printing from the front edge.

As with most HP imaging products, the Photosmart 130 comes bundled with software for editing and printing pictures. Users can also make use of the included applications for downloading images from memory cards, create slideshows and even make their very own digital photo album.

A Perfect Digicam Companion
As the axiom goes, good things come in small packages, and here, the HP Photosmart 130 fits the label. While it can print only up to 4R-sized photos, its compactness and multiple printing options should make it a popular choice among digital camera users who want printouts with minimum fuss.

HP Photosmart 130
Company: Hewlett Packard Australia
Price: AU$299
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 13 13 47

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