HP DeskJet 920C review

The 920C resembles HP's 1115 but can't operate without a computer, as it lacks a card reader.

The similarities are more than skin deep, too - both are based on the same PhotoRET III printing engine, and produced similar results.

Design

Despite its battleship grey finish, the 920C doesn't feel quite as robust as the 1115, though there's nothing drastically flimsy. However, it's only rated to cope with 1,000 pages a month rather than the 3,000 of the 1115.

Paper handling is excellent: the paper is kept perfectly flat and dust-free in a front-mounted tray. However, this does mean the paper goes through a 180-degree turn (tricky for thick card), and occasionally more than one sheet is picked up. There are only three buttons on the curved panel - one of which is a useful cancel button.

The setup routine of the 920C is a model of the way it should be done. There's a colourful and very clear guide on paper, while the installation CD contains cute animated movies that demonstrate how to hook things up. Once the driver is installed, you're ready to print - there's no need for manual calibration. If there's a problem, the driver contains a toolbox with a number of utilities including a calibration routine.

Finally, the tour de force of HP design is virtually silent operation.

Print Quality

The 920C is the epitome of a great all-round printer. Along with its sibling, it was joint-third most convincing photo printer of the six, just behind the Canon. Next to the Epson, the photo wasn't quite as lifelike, with graininess visible on close inspection, but the results were nevertheless very impressive. Text was handled even more impressively, with sharp characters laid down in a rich, black tone. In the newsletter test, photos on plain paper were admirably dealt with, as were the business graphics in the report.

Speed

Compared to the quality tests, the 920C's speed results weren't quite as impressive, but it didn't embarrass itself either. HP claims nine pages per minute for monochrome output, but that's in draft mode. In our tests it was the second slowest at producing plain text, taking 2 minutes and 2 seconds for the five pages.

It was also second slowest for the report, finishing the job in 1 minute, 20 seconds. However, it fared better in the newsletter and photo tests, where it managed second place. However, in the latter it was still over five and a half minutes slower than the lightning-fast Canon.

Overall

The HP richly deserves a Top 50 Best Buy award - not for being the best at anything in particular, but because it's a highly competent printer that does everything well. The combination of good design, all-round print quality and respectable speed are unmatched. When you consider that it will only set you back £70 before VAT, you've got a clear winner on your hands.