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 Burning up the inks! Mar 09, 2010
Wonderful HP printer but it runs through the inks even when not regularly used. Expensive printer to maintain!
Genuine HP inks at prices even HP cannot meet Feb 16, 2010
I have a rather expensive HP Photosmart printer that requires eight different ink cartridges. The benefit of this product is that I can order individual cartridges when a particular color runs low, rather than a multi-color cartridge that must be replaced when just one of three colors runs out. This review covers all colors of HP 38 cartridges that I have purchased through Amazon.com.
Since I paid a small fortune for this photo printer, I refuse to use after-market inks. I only use HP Vivera inks. Eight ink cartridges can be pretty pricey. However, Amazon.com offers these genuine HP inks at prices lower than I can find anywhere else.
As genuine HP inks, the color and printing quality is superb and consistent. Amazon.com helps keep the price within reason which allows me to enjoy the photo printer.
Thank you.
VIVERA Ink - HP Feb 07, 2010
I have always been satisfied with VIVERA ink. I use a lot of it. It is not cheap, but coupons available from time to time help.
Monochrome print wonders Aug 28, 2009
One acid test that I've been throwing at today's digital photography printers is to see how closely a black and white print from the digital printer matches a darkroom produced photographic print. I miss film, darkroom chemicals, and the touch and feel of enlargers, and watching prints slowly resolve as they wash through the developing agent. But I especially miss the silvery blackness of the prints against the glistening whites of the paper.
The whites have been captured well. Inkjet paper, at its best, looks as good as photographic paper finally. But what about the blacks? Here, we've been dependent upon the ink to carry the day. And black ink doesn't typically look just like the black of a monochrome print straight out of the wash sink.
The HP 38 line of ink comes incredibly close. Can I still tell the difference between a real print and an inkjet print? Sure, but the ink is becoming less the critical factor. With the HP printers, you can sometimes see the telltale sign of the geared wheel that drives the paper forward. And up close, you can see the spray of the inkjet on large solid areas of the image. But stand back a foot and those issues disappear. Now the question is simply: do the blacks match?
The HP38 Photo Black is about a 9 out of 10 where 10 would be a match for a photographic print. We're real close now, with only an oil like sheen when the light strikes the print from a certain direction to differentiate the inkjet print from the real print.
As others have noted, these inks run out quickly. If you like 13x19 prints (that's the whole reason to get the printer), then you'll go through these quickly. And when they run out, it might just be in the middle of a picture. You can swap inks, however, in the middle of a print run should that happen so my rule of thumb is to have one extra of each cartridge, ordering another one as soon as I've fed the replacement to the printer.
The carts have expiration dates on them, however, so you want to make sure that it's not going to sit on the shelf for two years before you feed your printer with it (the printer, amazingly, knows if the ink has expired and warns you and tells you that you're voiding the warranty, blah blah blah, before accepting the offering).
So great ink, incredibly expensive per drop but you have no choice in the matter. If you have the printer, you must have the ink.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Good ink, but texture not the same as other inks. Costs too much! Jun 15, 2009
When you receive this HP cartidge, you will find it very easy to install on a B9180 printer. They just snap right in. I never have any problems with clogs or color. Matte Black does have a slightly different texture than other inks, so you can see where the matte black lies on photos.
My only negative comment is that the ink does not last anywhere near what HP claims. Typically I can get about 30-35 5x7s before needing to replace an ink cartridge. Since there's 8 cartriges I figure each 5x7 costs around $5 or more. I can no longer afford this so I will either stop printing, buy another printer, or get 3rd party ink even if it means some quality issues.
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