The HP Deskjet D4160 is a color inkjet printer released by Hewlett-Packard in 2006. As an inexpensive home and office printer, the D4160 features print speeds up to 20 pages per minute in black and 14 pages per minute in color. With a maximum print resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi, the D4160 can produce lab-quality photos and razor-sharp text documents.

Some key specifications of the HP Deskjet D4160 include:

• Print technology: Inkjet
• Connectivity: USB 2.0
• Print speed: Up to 20 ppm black, 14 ppm color
• Print resolution: Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi
• Paper handling: 100-sheet input tray
• Compatible operating systems: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X v10.3.9 or higher

The D4160 is an affordable printer capable of handling both text and photo printing needs for home and small office users. Its compact size and USB connectivity make it easy to set up and use with a computer.

Design

The HP Deskjet D4160 has a compact design with dimensions of 17.7 x 12.4 x 5.7 inches and weighs just 8.1 pounds. This makes it easy to place the printer in most home or office settings without taking up too much space.

The printer casing has a two-tone light gray and white color scheme that gives it a clean, modern look. The top panel includes well-spaced buttons for power, resume, cancel, and wireless. There are also indicator lights for power, ink, and wireless connectivity.

The input and output trays fold neatly into the unit when not in use. Connectivity ports including USB and power are located on the back panel and are easy to access. The front houses the cartridge bay inside the input tray. Overall, it has a thoughtful design optimized for desktop use.

Print Quality

The HP Deskjet D4160 produces high quality prints with 4800 x 1200 dpi optimized resolution and HP Photoret technology. It can print documents at speeds up to 20 ppm black and 14 ppm color.

For photos, this printer uses HP's Vivera inks to produce lab-quality prints with vibrant colors and sharp detail. The 6-ink system includes both dye-based and pigment black inks for crisp black text and deep blacks in photos. The ink droplets are as small as 5 picoliters for fine detail.

Print quality for everyday documents is also good. Text comes out sharp and readable even at small font sizes. Colors are bright and saturated in graphical documents. The printer can handle plain paper well but prints best on HP's specialized photo papers.

Overall print quality is suitable for home photos, schoolwork, documents, web pages, and other general use printing. While not at the professional photo lab level, the photo output exceeds basic multifunction inkjets. The Deskjet D4160 delivers good quality for a home photo printer.

Connectivity

The HP Deskjet D4160 offers both wired and wireless connectivity options. It connects to computers via a standard USB 2.0 cable which provides a simple plug-and-play setup for Windows and Mac OS systems.

For wireless connectivity, the D4160 is compatible with 802.11b/g/n WiFi networks. Connecting to your wireless network is straightforward with the printer's built-in setup wizard. It automatically detects nearby networks and guides you through selecting the network, entering the password and completing the setup.

Once connected, either through USB or WiFi, the D4160 allows you to print from Windows, Mac OS, and Linux systems. Mobile printing is supported using the HP ePrint app which lets you print from iOS, Android, Windows Mobile devices. The printer is easily discoverable for wireless printing from mobile devices on the same network.

Overall the D4160 provides versatile connectivity options with standard USB, WiFi and mobile printing capabilities. Setup is quick and easy thanks to the built-in wireless setup wizard. This allows you to place the printer anywhere within range of your wireless network for convenient access from computers and mobile devices.

Print Capabilities

The HP Deskjet D4160 has basic print capabilities suitable for home or home office use. It can print on standard paper sizes including letter, legal, 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", envelopes, and index cards.

The printer has automatic double-sided printing capability, allowing you to print on both sides of the page to save paper. It can scan documents at up to 1200 dpi optical resolution using the integrated scanner with a letter/A4 flatbed. Scanned documents can be saved directly to your computer or memory card.

While the D4160 does not have copying or fax capabilities, its essential print and scan features are decent for personal use. If you need more robust office-oriented features like copying, faxing, auto-document feeder, or higher print volumes, you may want to consider an all-in-one inkjet printer or laser printer model instead. But for basic printing and scanning tasks, the D4160 gets the job done.

Ink & Toner

The HP Deskjet D4160 uses both a black and tri-color ink cartridge. The included standard cartridges can print up to 200 pages in black and white and 150 pages in color.

Replacement standard cartridges yield about 175 pages in black and 110 pages in color. High-yield cartridges are available for this printer which can print up to 425 pages in black and 325 pages in color.

Using HP's standard cartridges, cost per page is approximately 5 cents for black pages and 13 cents for color pages. The high-yield cartridges bring cost per page down to around 3 cents for black and 8 cents for color.

HP ink cartridges are readily available both online and in most retail stores that sell printer supplies. The D4160 uses the HP 21 black cartridge and HP 22 tri-color cartridge. Both standard and high-yield options can be found for reasonable prices.

Overall, the ink costs for this printer are average for an inkjet in this class. The high-yield cartridges help lower cost per page for frequent printing. And HP cartridges are easy to find from various sources.

Software

The HP Deskjet D4160 includes the easy-to-use HP software suite for convenient printer management and scanning capabilities. The software is simple enough for beginners yet powerful enough for advanced users.

HP's software installation is quick and hassle-free. Once installed, the control panel provides an intuitive interface to manage all print and scan functions. You can easily check ink levels, configure printer settings, and maintain your HP Deskjet with handy tools for printhead cleaning and alignment.

For scanning, the included software enables you to scan directly to your computer or email. The scans are saved as PDFs or JPEGs for versatile file sharing. Automated settings like auto-straighten and color restoration help you improve scanned image quality with a click. You can also scan multiple pages to create combined PDFs.

Overall, the software suite adds excellent functionality to maximize the usefulness of the Deskjet D4160. Managing prints, scans, and maintenance is straightforward right from your desktop. The tools are robust yet simple enough for users of any skill level.

Pros

Excellent Print Quality

The HP D4160 desktop printer produces high quality text and graphics. It uses HP's PhotoREt IV color layering technology for crisp, vibrant color printing. Text is sharp and clear even at small font sizes thanks to the printer's 600 dpi resolution. Overall, the print quality rivals more expensive inkjet printers.

Compact, Space-Saving Design

This printer has a compact footprint that takes up minimal desk space. It measures just 17.4 x 13.9 x 5.7 inches, so it can sit conveniently on a desktop without occupying too much real estate. The vertical, upright design with fold-down paper tray allows it to fit into tight spaces and corners. This is ideal for homes and small offices with limited surface areas.

Wireless Connectivity

The D4160 offers built-in wireless 802.11b/g/n networking. This allows you to place the printer anywhere in your home or office and print from laptops and mobile devices wirelessly, without being tethered by cables. The wireless setup is quick and easy.

Cons

The HP Deskjet D4160 has a few drawbacks to be aware of:

• It is relatively slow, with print speeds of up to 21 pages per minute in black and white and 15 pages per minute in color. It may not be the best option for high volume printing.

• The cost per page is higher than laser printers due to the price of ink cartridges. Replacement cartridges can be expensive over time for frequent printing.

• It lacks some convenient features found on more advanced printers like wireless connectivity, automatic duplex printing, and copying/scanning capabilities. The D4160 is quite basic when it comes to features.

• Some users report issues with ink clogging or printhead failures after a period of infrequent use. This appears to be a common problem with many inkjet printers if not used regularly.

• There have been some complaints about poor print quality on plain paper, with grainy or streaked output reported in some cases. Results seem best on high quality photo paper.

• The included software is very minimal, with just basic printer drivers and no photo editing or document management apps. Those looking for robust software may need to purchase third-party programs.

So while the D4160 delivers adequate home printing for light use, high volume or more demanding users may want to consider other options. The lack of wireless connectivity, automatic duplexing, and basic software suite also lead to a more limited feature set compared to other models in this price range.

Conclusion

Overall, the HP Deskjet D4160 is a decent choice for a home or small office printer with moderate printing needs. It produces good quality text and graphics at acceptable speeds for an inkjet printer. The all-in-one design allows for printing, scanning, and copying which adds versatility.

Some of the key strengths of this printer are the easy to use control panel, built-in networking for wireless printing, and the ability to print borderless photos and brochures. It also supports printing from smartphones and tablets which is convenient.

The main downsides are the somewhat slow print speeds, especially for photos, and the high operating costs due to ink cartridge replacements. The print quality is not quite as good as more expensive inkjet printers either.

In summary, the HP D4160 is a reasonably priced jack-of-all-trades printer suitable for home and home office uses. It can handle the occasional photo print or copy job, but it's not ideal for heavy duty printing. The wireless networking and mobile printing capabilities add worthwhile functionality. Overall it's a solid budget-friendly choice that covers the basics fairly well.