HP Officejet Pro 7740 review: Ideal small office size with big function

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Printers are one of those things you really wish you didn’t need to use but they do come in handy from time to time. Businesses are especially in need of a good printer and the HP Officejet Pro 7740 is an ideal size for a small office that doesn’t skimp on the functions. My office is what you call, really small, so this review is from a single user perspective and I didn’t truly test this in a larger office environment. That being said, read on (right after the ridiculously long specs list) for our review of the HP Officejet Pro 7740.

Specifications

The HP Officejet Pro 7740 has the following specifications and features:

  • Functions: Print, copy, scan, fax
  • Copies, maximum: Up to 99 copies
  • Faxing: Yes, color
  • Fax transmission speed: 4 sec per page
  • Fax memory: Up to 100 pages
  • Fax resolution: Up to 300 x 300 dpi
  • Speed dials: Up to 99 numbers
  • Broadcast locations: No
  • Input voltage: 100 to 240 VAC (+/- 10%), 50/60 Hz
  • Power consumption: 37 watts maximum, 0.20 watts (Manual-Off), 6.5 watts (Standby), 1.47 watts (Sleep)
  • Operating temperature range: 41 to 104ºF
  • Operating humidity range: 20% to 80% RH
  • First page out (ready) black: As fast as 9 sec
  • First page out (ready) color: As fast as 10 sec
  • Resolution (black): Up to 1200 x 1200 rendered dpi
  • Resolution (color): Up to 4800 by 1200 optimized dpi on HP Advance Photo Paper 1200 by 1200 dpi input
  • Resolution technology: HP Thermal Inkjet
  • Monthly duty cycle: Up to 30,000 pages
  • Print speed, black:
    • ISO, laser comparable: Up to 22 ppm
    • Normal: Up to 22 ppm
    • Draft: Up to 34 ppm
  • Print speed, color:
    • ISO, laser comparable: Up to 18 ppm
    • Normal: Up to 18 ppm
    • Draft: Up to 34 ppm
    • Draft, 4×6 photo: As fast as 16 sec
  • Recommended monthly page volume: 250 to 1500
  • Paper handling input, standard: 250-sheet input tray, 250-sheet plain paper tray
  • Paper handling output, standard: 75-sheet output tray
  • Duplex printing: Automatic
  • Envelope input capacity: Up to 30
  • Borderless printing: Yes (up to A3/11 x 17-in)
  • Finished output handling: Sheetfed
  • Media sizes, custom: Tray 1: 3 x 5 to 11.7 x 17 in; Tray 2: 8.5 x 11 to 11.7 x 17 in
  • Media types:
    • Plain
    • HP EcoFFICIENT
    • HP Premium Presentation Matte 120g
    • HP Tri-fold Brochure Glossy 180g
    • HP Brochure Matte 180g
    • HP Brochure Glossy 180g
    • HP Advanced Photo Papers
    • Light 60-74g
  • Recommended media weight: 16 to 28 lb, bond
  • Print Technology: HP Thermal Inkjet
  • Display: 2.65″ (6.75 cm) LCD with TouchSmart Frame
  • Processor speed: 1.2 GHz
  • Number of print cartridges: 4 (1 each black, cyan, magenta, yellow)
  • Replacement cartridges: 
    • HP 952 Black OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~1000 pages)
    • HP 952 CMY OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~700 pages)
    • HP 952XL Black OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~2000 pages)
    • HP 952XL CMY OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~1600 pages)
  • Compatible ink types: Pigment-based (black and color)
  • Print languages: HP PCL 3 GUI, HP PCL 3 Enhanced
  • Automatic paper sensor: No
  • Paper trays, standard: 2
  • Paper trays, maximum: Up to 2
  • Mobile Printing Capability:
    • HP ePrint
    • Apple AirPrint™
    • Mopria™-certified
    • Wireless direct printing
    • Google Cloud Print™
  • Connectivity:
    • 1 USB 2.0 with compatibility with USB 3.0 devices
    • 1 Host USB
    • 1 Ethernet
    • 1 Wireless 802.11b/g/n
    • 2 RJ-11 modem ports
  • Network ready: built-in Ethernet, WiFi 802.11b/g/n
  • Minimum system requirements:
    • OS X v10.11 El Capitan or OS X v10.10 Yosemite or OS X v10.9 Mavericks, 1 GB HD, Internet, USB
    • Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7: 32-bit or 64-bit, 2 GB available hard disk space, CD-ROM/DVD drive or Internet connection, USB port, Internet Explorer
    • Windows Vista (32-bit only): 2 GB available hard disk space, CD-ROM/DVD drive or Internet connection, USB port, Internet Explorer 8
    • Windows XP SP3 or higher (32-bit only): any Intel Pentium II, Celeron or 233 MHz compatible processor, 850 MB available hard disk space, CD-ROM/DVD drive or Internet connection, USB port, Internet Explorer 8
    • Not supporting Windows® XP (64-bit) and Windows Vista® (64-bit)
  • Memory card compatibility: Support Thumb Drive
  • Memory: 512 MB – Memory, maximum – 512 MB
  • Supported network protocols: TCP/IP
  • Scanner type: Flatbed, ADF
  • Scan File Type supported by Software: Bitmap (.bmp), JPEG (.jpg), PDF (.pdf), PNG (.png), Rich Text (.rtf), Searchable PDF (.pdf), Text (.txt), TIFF (.tif)
  • Scan resolution, hardware: Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi
  • Scan resolution, optical: Up to 1200 dpi
  • Scan size (flatbed), maximum: 11.69 x 17 in
  • Scan size (ADF), maximum: A3: 11.69 x 16.53 in; B: 11 x 17 in
  • ADF Capacity: Standard, 35 sheets
  • Digital sending features: Scan to PC; Scan to Memory Device; Scan to email
  • Digital send file Formats: PDF; TIFF; JPEG
  • Copy speed:
    • Black (draft): Up to 33 cpm
    • Color (draft): Up to 31 cpm
  • Copy resolution:
    • Black text: Up to 600 dpi
    • Colour text and graphics: Up to 600 dpi
  • Copy reduce/enlarge settings: 25 to 400%
  • Dimensions (W x D x H): 23 x 18.38 x 15.10 in
  • Dimensions Maximum (W x D x H): 23 x 28.06 x 15.10 in
  • Weight: 42.9 lb

What’s in the Box

  • HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Wide Format All-in-One Printer
  • HP 952 Setup Black OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~1000 pages)
  • HP 952 Setup CMY OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~625 pages)
  • Power cord
  • Phone Cord
  • CD-ROM
  • Setup poster
  • Getting started guide
  • Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty; For more info please visit us at http://support.hp.com
  • Software included
  • HP Dropbox, HP Google Drive, Microsoft DotNet

https://youtu.be/pi296fSmxCQ

Design

What’s there to say about a mid-sized business printer? It’s certainly much larger than a personal printer but not ungodly, the dimensions are in the specs above and the weight is just under 43lbs. Like most printers, it’s made from plastic but doesn’t feel cheap at all. It is well constructed and the touchscreen is a decent size, though I do wish it was an inch or two bigger for larger fingers like mine. The black portion of the printer doesn’t  pick up fingerprints like I thought it would, and that’s awesome! Overall the design is pretty much standard printer looks, nothing earth shattering but also not horribly ugly.

Software/Ecosystem

As far as software is concerned, I didn’t have to install any software at all (since we don’t scan documents or photos). There is an included drivers disc which you will want to keep just in case you do end up needing it and the software for the scanner will also be needed. Setup was a breeze, I just searched for my Wi-Fi network and connected. Once I was connected, I was able to print from my Windows 10 desktop using Chrome and Edge. I was able to print from my MacBook Pro on macOS Sierre and my Lenovo 710 Windows 10 laptop. Both macOS and Windows 10 instantly recognized there was a new printer on the network and I was able to print without installing anything else.

The same went for mobile use. Printing from our iPhones and Android devices was painless as the printing options on both mobile OS’s found the HP Officejet Pro 7740 without any issues. It was a real treat that all the operating systems were able to detect the 7740 and there was no other software or hoops that I needed to jump through. The 7740 also comes with Readiris Pro software which is used to turn written text into documents that you can edit on your PC, we did not use this software. Overall the experience is the best I’ve had with a printer setup in a long time.

Ease of Use

As I’ve already mentioned in the software section, setup was a breeze and getting all my devices to work with the printer was simple. Printing was super easy from all my laptops, desktop, and smartphones. Using the touchscreen was simple too, it’s a bit smaller than I would like but my fingers aren’t exactly small. All the rest of the bits and pieces that make up a printer are typical and simple to operate.

The 7740 also features scanner, copier, and fax functions which are all pretty important for small businesses. I can say for certain the printing and copier functions work like a charm without a hitch. The fax functions I could not test since we do not have a telephone line for testing. Overall, setup is a breeze, the touchscreen functions are simple to navigate (though it can be clumsy with the small screen), and printing, scanning, and copying are all effortless.

Performance

The HP Officejet Pro 7740 not only prints, scans, copies, and faxes, but it also can use paper up to 11 x 17. For printing, scanning, and copying, the maximum size is 11 x 17 while the maximum size for faxing is 8.5 x 14 (legal format). The 7740 also features two 250-sheet input trays for your printing jobs as well as an auto-feed feature. HP says the 7740 prints in vibrant colors and I’ll have to agree with that assessment, I printed a few photos out (on regular paper) just to see and the color was very rich. Printing from mobile devices is probably my favorite seamless feature as my wife and I do a lot with our smartphones.

The 7740 is also very fast at printing, super fast in fact. Overall the 7740 is a great performer and offers a lot of versatility that’s best suited for a small office.

Price/Value

When I first saw the $249.99USD price tag I thought it had to be a mistake but it’s definitely not. I’ve seen a lot of personal printers that can get upwards of $200USD so being priced in at $249.99USD for the size and capacity of this printer, I think it’s a great value.

Wrap Up

The HP Officejet Pro 7740 is most certainly not a personal printer and is best suited for a small office or small business, and it will serve them really well. Of course, you’ll have to dig into replacement ink costs and maintenance costs but that all goes along with using a printer. Overall this printer should be on any small office or small business list of potential purchases.

[rwp-review id=”0″]
*We were sent a review unit of the HP Officejet Pro 7740 for the purposes of this review.

Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

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