I’ve been a big fan of HP printers since their first All-in-One PSC (printer/scanner/copier) came out about 6 years ago.  When I was at Type A Mom Conference in September HP had a room set up with all their new gadgets- including their newest “all in one”- it prints, scans, copies, faxes…  Oh, and it’s web enabled with a touchscreen.  I was so enamored that I sent out this tweet: “Played with the #hpwebprinter…amazing. Want one….” — @iatraveler

Well, lo and behold, I now have one.  Before I tell you all the things I love about this printer I want to take you on a little tour:

Isn’t it incredible?  I know! I actually have to remind my girls that it is not a toy and they cannot print without asking permission.  Here’s what I’ve found after playing with it for a couple of weeks:

• It was easy for me to set up.  In only 5 minutes I was printing from the web; in under 10 I was hooked up to my computer.  Easy peasy.  Added bonus: it comes with all the cords you need!  Many printers don’t include a USB cord and it’s really annoying if you don’t have one just lying around waiting to be used.
• The photo print quality is on par with professional printers.  No joke.  For truly easy printing HP has the “photo print gadget” that rests in your sidebar (Windows Vista).  Simply drag and drop the photo and the software will detect the orientation, crop and make sure not to cut off anyone’s head.  It’s very cool.
• I love the preview screen in the copy menu.  Editing the settings is incredibly easy, too.
• You can scan to your computer, a thumb drive or an SD card.  I can’t even begin to tell you how handy that will be for when we travel!  No more printing out articles – I’ll just scan them to my thumb drive.  Fabulous!
• I like the Google maps feature.  I will like it more when it can give me directions and not just map out a location.
• Because we don’t have a phone line I haven’t used the fax.  I (Who needs to fax when you can scan and email?)

My very favorite feature, however, has nothing to do with the touchscreen, though.  It has everything to do with the fact that I download a lot of e-books and .pdf items.  But I absolutely hate reading them on my computer.  Hate, hate, hate it.  So I was positively giddy when I saw that I could do this:

Yes, I suppose I am pretty easy to please, but I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to print two sided pages!

As an HP printer owner for 6+ years I am very impressed with their newest offering. To get a feel for the print apps I invite you to click here.  To see live feedback from Type A Mom Conference check this out:

Free Stuff for You (Even if you don’t have an HP printer)

HP has a wonderful site full of download-able projects, gift ideas and games- many of them free.  A few of my favorites:

Printable holiday cards

Martha Stewart pop-up cards and holiday crafts

The daily surprise app- a new craft delivered to your desktop daily

Calendars- one sheet or many, monthly and yearly

Christmas stocking ornaments

Recipe cards (print favorite recipes on 3×5 cards with photos and have them bound…  what a personal gift!)

Disney decorations

3D Military paper craft vehicles

The list just goes on and on; it’s really very cool and worth bookmarking.

Disclosure:  HP sent me the new TouchSmart Web printer to use and review.  All thoughts and comments are my own.