HP Smart Tank 7602 review

 The HP Smart Tank 7602 ($349) is a moderately priced multifunction printer that offers very low ink costs, fast print and copy speeds, and a few office-friendly features. However, after using and testing one myself I'm disappointed by the frustrating software, small touchscreen and photo print quality.

The HP Smart Tank 7602 isn't quite good enough to hang with the best printers on the market, but it's a speedy multifunction that could be handy in a home office. The 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) eases multipage copying, scanning and faxing. Up to 100 sheets can be stored in the fax memory.

The duplexer enables two-sided printing. There is one 250-sheet paper tray, with no second tray for keeping photo paper loaded, for example. The output tray holds up to 100 sheets. A USB port on the front panel allows printing from a thumb drive, but in this HP Smart Tank 7602 review I'll explain why the process of printing from this multifunction can be a hassle.

HP SMART TANK 7602 REVIEW: PRICE & AVAILABILITY

The HP Smart Tank 7602 is available for purchase from HP's website, Amazon and select third-party retailers for a starting price of $449.

However, at time of publication the printer is discounted $100 down to $349, and you may be able to find it on deeper discount during big sales events.

HP SMART TANK 7602 REVIEW: DESIGN

The Smart Tank 7602 measures roughly 16.8 x 14.3 x 9.5 inches. You'll need clearance above the unit: The scanner lid's hinges do not offer resistance to hold it up at less than 90 degrees, so you'll need to open it fully if you want to use both hands. The paper tray is on the front of the printer, with the output tray just above it. The unit weighs 17 pounds.

A 3-inch touchscreen sits on the top, in front of the scanner lid. The screen displays white text on a black background and is capable of displaying three lines of text. However, when pulling up a new menu page, it tends to display only two lines of text, leaving the top of the screen blank. Even when the partially obscured second item was the setting I wanted, I found the touch screen unwilling to let me select it—I routinely had to drag the text upward in order to make my selection.

When pulling out the paper tray, the screen will prompt you to choose a new paper size setting. However, when I failed to do this right away, I could not find any paper setting in the general settings menu, and could find no explanation in the user manual. At that point, I had to use the HP Smart software to set the paper type. The online specifications say that there is a paper sensor, but the 7602 did not automatically change paper sizes for any of the HP papers I used, including multiple photo paper sizes.

The ink tanks are visible from the front panel. The black ink tank sits to the left while the color tanks are grouped on the right side. Refilling them from the included ink bottles was simple: I lifted the ADF lid and filled each of the four tanks without spilling a drop of ink.

A status light above the output tray changes colors as indicators, and you'll need to consult the manual to learn what each color indicates, as well as solid versus pulsing, as this is key to understanding the status of the printer.

HP SMART TANK 7602 REVIEW: PRINT QUALITY

This Smart Tank produced consistently high image quality in our tests. Text printed with sharp edges and graphics looked detailed, with smooth transitions. Colors looked accurate. This was true of copies as well.

Photographs printed on glossy paper were also of a high quality. Details looked sharp. Colors were well saturated, but overall the color cast looked a little unnaturally warm, with hyped reds and yellows. In addition, some dark shadow areas came out with an unnatural blueish cast.

Similarly, scans reproduced details well overall as well as accurate colors. The scans reproduced subtle shadow details without getting blocked up. However, close examination of fine details, on faces in particular, revealed digital artifacts and distortions. At actual size, scans often reveal pixelation and some smoothing perhaps due in part to dust reduction (as appears the case with scans of the same image by the Canon G6020 and Brother MFC-J4535DW). But these two models still reproduced these details while the Smart Tank distorted and obscured some of them, while making some edges look unnaturally harsh.

WORKING EASE

The HP Smart Tank 7602 printer is designed for ease of use, featuring a simple setup process and intuitive controls. Its refillable ink tanks make it easy to monitor ink levels and refill when needed, reducing the hassle of frequent cartridge replacements. Additionally, its wireless connectivity options allow for easy printing from various devices, including smartphones and tablets. The printer also supports automatic double-sided printing, saving time and paper. Overall, the combination of user-friendly features makes the HP Smart Tank 7602 a convenient and straightforward choice for home or office printing needs.

HP Smart Tank 7602 PRINT SPEED

The HP Smart Tank 7602 printer has a print speed of up to 11 pages per minute (ppm) for black and white printing and up to 5 ppm for color printing. These speeds can vary depending on factors like complexity of the document being printed and settings chosen.