Product Description

HP's Deskjet 6980DT Color Printer is an affordable performance printer for office and home. Work the way you want to with Wi-Fi wireless and wired Ethernet printing and print sharing. Work more productively with breakthrough speeds up to 36 ppm black, up to 27 ppm color in Fast Draft mode. Print professional-quality color using HP Vivera Inks up to 4800 optimized dpi or optional 6-ink color. Convenient, direct photo printing without a PC from PictBridge-enabled cameras using printer's front USB port. Create standard and custom-size photos up to 8.5 x 24 inches with or without borders. Save time and use up to 50% less paper with auto-two-sided printing accessory included with HP Deskjet 6980dt printer. Automatic paper type sensor and 250-sheet plain paper tray are other convenient paper handling features. Enhance and fix photos automatically with included HP Photosmart Premier software. Easily share the printer with multiple PCs on a small network with built-in Wi-Fi wireless 802.11g/b, secureEasySetup even lets you connect to a wireless network in as little as 10 minutes

Product Details

• Brand: Hewlett-Packard
• Model: Deskjet 6980DT
• Released on: 2006-02-16
• Platforms: Mac, Windows
• Dimensions: 8.00" h x 17.70" w x 17.20" l, 30.00 pounds

Features

• Up to 4800 optimized dpi and Print Speeds up to 36 ppm black/27 ppm color
• Direct Photo Printing without a PC from PictBridge-enabled Cameras
• Wi-Fi Wireless Capability and Wired Ethernet Printing and Print Sharing
• Print Laser-Quality Black and True-to-Life Photos with HP Vivera Inks
• 19.50" lbs. (WxLxH) 17.70" x 17.20" x 8.00"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Printer: Quality through and through
I absolutely love this printer and it's capabilities...
-it is a state of the art machine with duplexing capabilities
-it allows for people, such as me with only a laptop, to print without connecting it directly to the printer and limiting your ability to move around and use a wireless connection if you have one
-it is really good with ink consumption (unless you intend on printing the highest quality every time - of which there is no need because the normal printing is awesome)
-excellent quality printing even on its normal printing mode
-saves you time, not making you wait for printouts
-save you considerably on paper (duplexing also saved me time because I always used to flip the pages for my previous printer which took more time)
-hp customer service is so helpful and responsive
-my only concern is that Amazon's price is a little high due to the fact that techonweb.com gives you free shipping and a mail in rebate with a 1 year warranty. They sell the printer for $170, so a considerable savings.

Simply--a great printer and a worthwhile investment in your sanity, even at Amazon's cost.

Great for wireless -- and double sided -- printing
I was looking for a replacement for a color printer that was networkable so the kids could print from around the house. As I perused the reviews, the HP6980 came highly recommended by PC Mag, plus it came with an automatic duplexer which suited my paper-conserving self.

SETUP

The the DT model's duplexer and extra paper bin make this printer a tad taller and deeper than the usual model -- too large to sit on a normal sized desk, but perfect for a side table or under-table printer shelf. Assembly was almost idiot-proof - assemble a couple of parts, install the print cartridges, and set the printer where you want it.

My network is a mixed marriage of a Dell PC, iMac, linked together via a Linksys WRT54GS wireless router. I found that if you are going to hardwire the printer via network cable or USB, it is truly plug and play for both PCs. If you need wireless commo (as I do) you have to contend with a bit of fiddling. The not-great documentation (spread out over 3 paper manuals, none of which is very good) notes that you have three ways to set up the wireless functions: via the LinkSys SecureEasySetup mode, or using a flashdrive to convey settings to the printer, or via the (temporary) use of an Ethernet cable. I tried all three methods, and would stick with the Ethernet mode. Set the printer on the floor near your router, install the cable, and then follow the instructions to communicate with the printer via its own IP. Get it working via the cable, then disconnect and test wireless function. NB: In my case, ZoneAlarm foiled my attempts to connect wirelessly the first time. I had to disable Zonealarm, then print, then restart ZoneAlarm. Subsequent printing attempts went fine. Your Mileage May Vary.

USAGE

I found HP's printer software to be much improved over other iterations (though it does seek to install a ream of useless photo management crud when all you want is the driver). Particular strenghts are the ability to control the amount of ink used at each setting (i.e. you can have a "draft" mode with less or more ink, depending on your druthers), and good color and paper controls.

Color quality is pretty good but not outstanding - if you want to print out photos, I'd stick with a dedicated photo printer. Text is well formed, even using minimal ink.

Speed is very good EXCEPT if using the duplexer (which, while a marvel to see in action, slows your output significantly -- If two pages of draft text printed on one side take less than 15 seconds, duplexing them more than doubles the output time.)

The build quality of the printer is mediocre: obviously HP kept costs down by using lots and lots of plastic. Output trays are rather flimsy plastic, lower paper bin has only minimal metal, and certain elements of the overall build feel cheap.)

UPSHOT: I'm very happy with the 6980. For under $200, you get a wireless, duplexing printer that allows you to print in color from around the house, save paper, all with a minimal amount of fuss once you get the thing set up. I'd recommend the printer to anyone with these needs.

Comments about the HP 6980 and 6980 DT color printer
HP 6980 and the 6980DT are good printers if you are not running VISTA on your computer. HP has not updated their drivers to accommodate duplexing with VISTA. Quite annoying. I paid for a feature that I can not use until HP gets around to update their drivers, not a good way to treat customers. I also agree with the comment about quality. Too much cheap plastic that does not hold up. After the warranty expired (of course) a little plastic piece that holds the print cartridges broke, when I tried to buy the part and replace it myself (saving ridiculous labor costs) the HP Tech informed me that they do not sell it to customers, you have to take it to an "authorized HP repair" facility to fix it. Overall I think HP makes good printers (not great printers), but their long term durability is certainly questionable at best.