HP DeskJet 2720: review, specs, price, buy

Test conclusion: you have to know that

Choose the best print quality in the printer driver to achieve top results? Not a good idea with the Deskjet 2720 – it is much slower than the competition. Otherwise the HP delivers a decent performance. The printing costs are in the midfield and can be further reduced with an Instant Ink subscription.

Per

• Acceptable print quality
• Low printing costs

Cons

• Very slow with the best print quality
• No menu display
• Small paper storage compartment

D.he company HP is the undisputed number 1 among printer manufacturers with a market share of more than 40 percent. It is not surprising that the range of models is enormous: large, small, cheap, expensive, different printing techniques, for multiple printers, for occasional printers – HP wants to have the right device in its range for every customer, budget and every application. With the DeskJet 2720, the manufacturer has a comparatively inexpensive copy in its range at around 70 euros. Is it just cheap or good too? COMPUTER BILD had the HP DeskJet 2720 in the test.

HP DeskJet 2720 in the test: no price explosion

With its average sales price of 70 euros, the HP DeskJet 2720 has been surprisingly price stable in recent months. After all, sales prices for printers have risen significantly in the past twelve months – on average, they went up 20 to 30 percent. Why? Millions of employees regulate the fate of their company at home. The youngsters sit at the desk or in the children’s room and learn for school. In addition to a tablet, notebook or PC, the home office is only fully equipped with a multifunction device. Sales rose, so did prices. Pleasing: The DeskJet 2720 was spared this price explosion.

The mini display allows only a few setting options.

Mini display and control buttons

The DesKjet 2720 does not have a menu screen, just a mini monochrome display that shows only a few basic functions such as the number of copies or the WLAN connection. Commissioning is therefore tricky – the manual should always be within reach. Nevertheless: What used to be a test of patience is no problem today: unpack, remove transport locks, insert cartridges, connect the computer to the printer, done. PCs and notebooks can be connected to the DeskJet 2720 via a USB cable, but tablets and cell phones can also be connected wirelessly via WLAN if required. But after a successful installation, there is little that can be done on the printer itself without a display. In addition, a copy process can be started here at the push of a button – either in color or black and white. Users can still cancel printing and copying processes by pressing a button on the front of the device, but that’s about it.

HP DeskJet 2720 in the test: For a comparatively cheap 70 euros, customers get a multifunctional device that combines printer, scanner and copier in one housing.

Printers, scanners, copiers

Decent print quality

And how high are the print and scan quality? The test showed: The HP DeskJet 2720 uses the same printing technology as the more expensive HP Envy 6020 and therefore delivered printouts of a similar quality – decent, but not outstanding.

• Photo print quality: Color fidelity / grayscale fidelity / contrast / sharpness somewhat low (59.11?% / 95.10?% / 0.78 / low)
• Graphic print quality: Color fidelity / grayscale fidelity / contrast / sharpness somewhat low (49.91?% / 95.30?% / 0.55 / high)
• Visual test: Text printing / photo printing somewhat fuzzy and frayed / somewhat blurry
• Scan quality: Color fidelity / gray scale fidelity / achieved resolution somewhat low (95.2% / 94.2% / 543 ppi)

All in all, low printing costs

Great: The HP DeskJet 2720 used expensive ink sparingly on average, especially when printing text – an A4 page cost less than five cents.

• Text printing on A4 Ink costs per page / yield black cartridge cheap (4.74 cents) / 464 pages
• Graphic print on A4 Ink cost per page / yield color ink set somewhat expensive (18.17 cents) / 110 pages
• Photo print on 10×15 cm Ink costs per photo / range of color ink set cheap (27.76 cents) / 72 photos

HP DeskJet 2720 in the test: Photos, documents and graphics can also be put on paper from the smartphone with the inexpensive printer.

Really lame with the best print quality …

Choose the best print quality in the printer driver to achieve top results? Not a good idea with the DeskJet 2720 – it is much slower than the competition.

• Color photos in formats 18×24 / 10×15 / three photos 10×15 / 10×15 cm from standby too slow (12:20 / 5:26 / 16:16 / 5:28 min: sec)
• Color graphics: one page / five pages / one page off standby very slowly (14:15 / 46:13 / 10:56 min: sec)
• Text: one page / six pages / one page off standby slow (0:08 / 0:39 / 0:10 min: sec)
• Copy time one A4 text page / A4 photo page very fast (0:15 / 0:45 min: sec)

With HP’s Instant Ink subscription, printing costs can be minimized.

… and really loud

Stupid for the home office: When printing, almost all multifunctional devices make a lot of noise. The HP DesKjet was one of the loudest printers in the test with 13.8 sones. Therefore, the device should be located a little away from the workplace if possible.

• Acceptable print quality
• Low printing costs

• Very slow with the best print quality
• No menu display

HP DeskJet 2720 in the test: conclusion

Choose the best print quality in the printer driver to achieve top results? Not a good idea with the Deskjet 2720 – it is much slower than the competition. Otherwise the HP delivers a decent performance. The printing costs are in the midfield and can be further reduced with an Instant Ink subscription.

* The cheapest price may be higher in the meantime.