HP Smart Tank 210 Offers Low-Cost Printing but Lacks Automatic Duplexing

    The HP Smart Tank 210 is the smallest and least expensive model in the company’s line of ink-tank printers. Designed for homes and small offices, the device only prints. The model has no scanner, automatic duplex printing, Ethernet port, touchscreen, or front paper tray. Nevertheless, the printer uses the same printing mechanism as the more expensive HP Smart Tank 5100.    The printer measures 434 x 360 x 134 mm and weighs 3.75 kg. Its body is made with 45% recycled plastic, while the packaging consists entirely of cardboard. Paper is loaded into a 100-sheet feeder at the rear. The output tray for printed documents holds 30 sheets.    The HP Smart Tank 210 supports USB, Bluetooth, and dual-band WiFi connectivity. In addition to AirPrint and Chromebook compatibility, the HP Smart app allows the printer to connect to a wireless network. The device prints 12 black-and-white and 5 color pages per minute. In draft mode, black-and-white printing speed increases to 22 pages per minute.    The printer has 64 MB of memory and supports Letter- and A4-size paper. Its standard print resolution is 600 x 600 dpi, rising to 4800 x 1200 dpi on photo paper. The box includes three 50 ml bottles of color ink and one 375 ml bottle of black ink. This supply is enough to print up to 6000 pages.    The differently shaped nozzles on the ink bottles prevent colors from being poured into the wrong tanks. When the black ink tank is full, the flow stops automatically, preventing the ink from overflowing. During testing, the printer operated without paper jams or software errors. However, the setup process may be somewhat difficult because access to the printheads is limited.    The HP Smart Tank 210 produces sharp text on plain paper and vivid, clear colors on photo paper. The black pigment ink dries quickly and does not smudge when touched, although clarity decreases with very small fonts. Bottled ink costs significantly less than cartridge ink. Although the lack of automatic duplex printing is a serious drawback, the low operating cost makes the model suitable for basic home printing.