In order to keep devices portable and small, some compromise needs to be made. For printers that compromise is generally related to the maximum media size supported. Most of the compact photo printers out there limit you to 4 by 6 inches or even worse, 2 by 3 inch photographs (zink technology printers). The HP Photosmart A636 is an exception to that rule and offers a bit more versatility, allowing 4 by 6 inch, 5 by 7 inch, 4 by 12 panoramas and 4 by 8 inch. So why would you want a compact photo printer?




There are many reasons for buying one. It offers printing on the go when you’re traveling and need it. A compact lightweight printer like the A636 with it’s built in handle works great when taken alongside a digital camera. Even if you aren’t traveling the A636 will take very little space on your desk and can be ported around from room to room with ease.

Using as well as installing the printer is exceptionally easy. As soon as you unbox the printer it will take only a couple of minutes to get it running. The animated instructions on the LCD screen will clear up the whole process. The navigation is also simple and the main menu was kept to the point.

On top of the printer you will notice a 4.8 inch touch screen that pops up the very second you open the front lid. Right under the front lid the user will find an USB port as well as the four memory card slots that support SD/MMC, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro and xD Picture cards. On top of printing from digital camera and memory stick, assuming you’re willing to purchase the optional Bluetooth adapter, that sells for $40, you can also print through Bluetooth from a mobile camera phone, for example. The $150 HP Photosmart A636 doesn’t shine when it comes to actual printing.

The speed is relatively low, as a 4 by 6 inch high resolution photo will take around a minute and a half to print. This is not going to count for most users because they might simply not be in a hurry or care that the printer takes so long for a single photo. But the area where the A636 might truly loose some potential customers is the actual quality of photographs. Most photos look over exposed ans some may feature a yellow tint.

On top of the actual printing the A636 also packs a wide variety of photo editing options and effects like cropping, adjusting brightness, saturation, adding frames, actually drawing on the photos or adding clip art. Most of this is done with the help of the LCD screen and the included stylus that proves to be easy to use. The A636 compact photo printers offer an affordable initial buying price (even though replacing consumables after buying may cost more), good photo quality and a ton of fun features.

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