HP D4260 Printer: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

For decades, HP has been one of the world's leading printer companies, known for producing affordable and reliable consumer printers. The HP Deskjet series, first introduced in the 1980s, has been a particularly popular line, providing a more compact and economical alternative to HP's professional Officejet printers.

The HP Deskjet D4260 is an entry-level color inkjet printer that represents HP's continual evolution of the Deskjet line. Released in 2011, the D4260 aims to deliver high-quality printing and easy usability at a budget-friendly price point for home offices and students.

As we'll explore in this review, the D4260 offers capable performance for basic everyday printing needs. However, as an older model, it lacks some of the features and technology of more recent Deskjet releases. We'll break down the D4260's key strengths as well as where it falls short compared to newer competitors.

Overview

The HP Deskjet D4260 is an inkjet printer designed for home and home office use. Key features include:

• Print speed: Up to 20 ppm black, up to 16 ppm color
• Print resolution: Up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi
• Paper handling: 150-sheet input tray, 50-sheet output tray
• Supported media sizes: Letter, legal, envelopes #10, envelopes DL, envelopes C6, A4, A5, B5, 16K
• Connectivity: Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port
• Supported OS: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X v10.5, v10.6
• 1-touch buttons: Power, Resume, Cancel, Network, Paper Feed
• Print cartridges: 2 (black, tri-color)
• Duty cycle: Up to 1000 pages per month
• 1-year limited warranty

The D4260 is an affordable, entry-level inkjet printer suitable for basic home printing needs. Key strengths include good print quality, easy setup and use, and low operating costs. Its relatively slow print speeds make it best suited for light home use rather than busy offices. Overall, it provides a solid value for casual home users looking for an inexpensive printer.

Design

The HP Deskjet D4260 has a compact and lightweight design, making it easy to place on a desk or other small workspace. It measures 16.93 x 7.36 x 10.43 inches (WxDxH) and weighs just 8.5 lbs, so it doesn't take up much space.

Despite its small size, the printer has an attractive design with rounded edges and a smooth black and gray color scheme. The top lid opens to reveal the paper tray, control panel, and cartridge access area. There's no display screen - just a few buttons to control the basic functions. Overall it has a minimalist, streamlined look that would blend into most home or office settings.

The D4260 has an exterior made of matte black plastic which feels sturdy enough for regular use. The paper tray has a glossy black finish and there are gray accents on the buttons and lid. Build quality seems decent for the price point but the plastics used give it a lower-end feel compared to more premium printers. There are no optional accessories or stand options available.

Print Quality

The HP D4260 produces high quality prints and sharp details. It has a maximum color resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi which allows for vivid color reproduction, smooth gradients, and crisp text. The printer prints at speeds of up to 34 ppm in black and 31 ppm in color which makes it relatively fast for its class.

The D4260 uses HP's thermal inkjet printing technology to deliver consistent, professional-looking prints. It can handle plain paper and photo paper up to size 13" x 19". Photo prints show good color saturation and dynamic range. Black text is dark and easy to read. The printer also does a decent job at printing borderless photos, though slight smudging may occur on glossy paper.

Overall print quality is very good for home and home office use. The D4260 produces prints comparable to more expensive photo-centric inkjets. While not at the professional photographer level, the output is suitable for printing snapshots, school projects, documents, and marketing materials. The printer delivers vibrant, detailed prints at relatively fast speeds.

Connectivity

The HP Deskjet D4260 offers both wired and wireless connectivity options for convenient printing.

For wired printing, it has a standard USB 2.0 port that you can connect directly to your computer. USB is a fast and reliable way to print, especially for photos or high volume printing jobs. Just plug in the included USB cable and you'll be ready to print within seconds.

This printer also supports wireless printing over WiFi. After connecting the Deskjet D4260 to your wireless network, you can print from any computer or mobile device on that network. Wireless setup is quick and easy using the HP software installer. Wireless printing is extremely convenient for printing from anywhere in your home without being tethered to your computer.

In addition, the D4260 is compatible with HP mobile printing apps such as ePrint, Apple AirPrint and Android printing. This gives you the flexibility to print on the go from your smartphone or tablet. Whether you're in the home office or out and about, you'll be able to print invoices, photos, documents and more wirelessly.

Overall, the wired, wireless and mobile printing capabilities of the Deskjet D4260 make it a very versatile printer for any home or small office environment. Connecting to it and printing from all your devices is fast and straightforward.

Usability

The HP Deskjet D4260 has a user-friendly two-button control panel with LED lights to indicate power and printer status. The buttons allow you to cancel or resume print jobs. The printer does not have a display screen, which helps keep costs down but reduces ease of setup and use compared to models with LCD displays.

The included printer software provides basic options for print tasks like changing quality settings or printing double-sided. However, the software is fairly minimal and lacks advanced features for editing and managing print jobs. There are no options for previewing prints or customizing layouts before sending a document to print.

Overall, the D4260 aims for simplicity over customization. The basic control panel and software get the job done for home printing needs, but may frustrate users looking for more capable and customizable solutions. Those wanting added features may need to explore other models or third-party software utilities. But for users just needing a reliable home printer for basic documents, the simplicity and lower cost of the D4260 could outweigh the lack of bells and whistles.

Supplies and Maintenance

The HP Deskjet D4260 uses HP ink cartridges to print documents and photos. It has four ink cartridges - one black, one cyan, one magenta and one yellow. The cartridges are easy to install and replace when needed.

For paper handling, the D4260 has an automatic document feeder that can hold up to 35 sheets of paper. It supports standard paper sizes up to legal size. The paper tray can hold up to 100 sheets. Printed pages are outputted on top of the printer.

Overall the D4260 requires minimal maintenance. The print heads are self-cleaning, eliminating the need to manually clean them. Replacing the ink cartridges is the main task needed for upkeep. HP also recommends aligning the cartridges periodically for best print quality. The printer will alert you when maintenance tasks are required.

Pros

• Fast print speeds up to 31 pages per minute in black and up to 28 pages per minute in color

• Wireless connectivity allows printing from anywhere in your home wirelessly

• Compact and lightweight design makes it easy to place anywhere and move around

• Separate ink tanks allow you to replace only the color that runs out instead of all at once

• Auto-duplex printing feature lets you easily print on both sides of the paper to save paper

Cons

• The Deskjet D4260 has a slower print speed compared to other inkjet printers in its class. It can only print up to 20 pages per minute in black and 14 pages per minute in color. This makes it less ideal for high volume printing.

• The cost per page is higher than average for this printer. Replacement ink cartridges are expensive which drives up the long-term operating costs. Expect to pay around 13 cents per black page and 28 cents per color page.

• Print quality is subpar, especially for photos and graphics. Colors often look faded and lack vibrancy. Fine details can appear grainy or pixelated. The max resolution is 4800 x 1200 DPI but printouts don't look nearly that sharp.

• Paper handling is limited. There is only one paper tray with a capacity of 80 sheets. For a household printer this may be sufficient but it's not ideal for a busy home office. You'll have to refill paper more frequently.

Conclusion

The HP Deskjet D4260 is a compact, entry-level inkjet printer suitable for basic home printing needs. Overall, it provides decent print quality for the price, though it lacks advanced features found in higher-end models.

The major pros are its small footprint, low noise levels, and affordable ink cartridges. Text printing is sharp and graphics are suitable for everyday use. Connectivity via USB is simple for most computers and the intuitive display panel makes it easy to use.

On the downside, print speeds are relatively slow, especially for graphics. There is no support for wireless connectivity. Photo printing, while good, is not as vivid compared to more advanced photo printers. Lack of an automatic document feeder means scanning multiple pages is tedious.

For home users looking for an inexpensive printer for printing homework, letters, recipes, and other basic documents, the D4260 represents good value. Those needing robust photo printing, fast speeds, wireless access, or scanning should consider other models or an all-in-one inkjet. Overall the D4260 provides respectable performance for the price.