HP Smart-Tank 7301 Wireless Ink Printer

It’s not that easy to set up but then again we are not very tech savy. Once you get used to it, it works great.
The ink usage is very good and would recommend for a home set up.

I’ve seen both positive and some negative reviews for this printer and to be honest, I don’t understand the negative reviews at all. To begin with, if you use the HP app on your phone, setup will take you less than 5 minutes. Seriously, and that includes adding the ink. The HP Smart app will quickly add your printer to your wireless network and then guide you through installing the ink and the two print heads. It will then print an alignment page. Be sure it is tight against the edge of the scanner and let it scan. Then your print heads are automatically aligned for best print quality.

I’ve read the reviews that say the scanner doesn’t work, the paper jams, the print quality isn’t great, and so on. All of that is BS. They must be doing something wrong, or using the incorrect settings for the media they are printing on. Case in point, look at my photo I uploaded of flowers. I took that picture with my camera. I printed it on this HP Smart Tank 7301 printer. I don’t know about you, but I find the color bright and vibrant, and the details equally sharp. It looks just like the photo I took and keep in mind you are looking at a picture of a print.

I have used the scanner and the automatic document feeder for small amounts of paper and large amounts. I have yet to have a jam. Likewise, if you are using quality paper with a weight between 20 – 24 pounds, you will have no issues with proper paper feed. I have printed envelopes and obviously, on photo paper which is much, much thicker and heavier. Again, nothing jammed.

I scanned items from the flatbed and the ADF to my Mac and like my previous HP printers, it worked flawlessly using the HP Smart App I downloaded. (The app is available for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android phones.)

But far and away, the thing I like best are the huge ink tanks. I don’t know if the pictures do it justice, but the supplied ink bottles are big. Even the color ones are huge. I can see how you would get 2 years of ink out of these.

In the past I have been using a variety of HP Instant Ink printers. I was fine with Instant Ink, especially since my last one, the 8034e came with a year of free ink. As the free trial was coming to an end, I decided to go for a tankless printer. That way, I am not buying a new one to keep the free ink coming, or locked into a subscription. Now, my tanks are full and this will last a long, long time. I like that if the print heads wear out, I can replace them as well. If you look around, you can score genuine, OEM print heads relatively cheap. I also like that the ink for this printer is inexpensive.

About $66 overall for all 4 bottles that will last another couple years. However, you can even approach the refills in a less expensive manner by buying a bottle a month after you first get your printer. That way, you can spread out the cost, but still have the ink on hand when you need it.

One thing I would recommend is to use ONLY HP ink. It does make a difference. It is formulated for this printer and print head and since it is so inexpensive, it is foolish not to do so. Also, I use HP papers, but if you choose to use another brand, be sure to use a high-quality ColorLok paper. It really does make a difference too.

I am perfectly happy with this printer and if you use the HP Smart App to set it up, stick with genuine HP ink and HP or other quality paper, you will have no issues at all and colorful printing for about a penny a page.

I have owned two of these same printers since January 2022 – High capacity refillable ink tanks. The last one was purchased July 2023. In both cases, my printer was constantly off-line when everything else in my home network was connected to the home network. I’ve spent almost $1000 having technicians come out to work on the printer. now, because of the insurance plan that I bought, I have to suck all the ink out with syringes and return the printer. this is my third HP, my second that holds all the ink. I have wasted so much $! I will never again buy Hewlett-Packard. There’s something not right with the software – Constant connectivity issues. In the 11 months that I’ve had this printer, I’ve spent more time and $ going to Staples to print because this printer is always off-line. I loved the idea of the ink being stored within the printer, but in both cases, having to trash 2 printers with most of the ink still inside, I wasted $. I would never recommend this printer, or any other HP. This weekend, I will be using needle syringes to suck the ink out so that I can return the printer to Assurian. That means I had to order syringes that will fit into each ink compartment. My black ink, after 11-mo, is 95% full because the printer doesn’t print! It’s going to take me forever to get that ink out so that I can return the printer. When I was able to print, everything was great, and there was no rhyme or reason for the printer to go off-line. no power surges, no loss of electricity. between the two printers and Staples, I probably have spent over $2000 in the past 18 months. There is something wrong with the software. When I could print, nine documents would print and then document 10 – the printer is off-line. Even using the HP app – it showed that my printer was connected to my network and the app recognized the printer. 30 minutes later, I still had the “spinning wheels” on my Dell laptop, meaning it could not connect with the printer. I was sitting with my laptop (which is new) right next to the printer. my modem is in the same room as the printer and it’s a good modem. I finally bit the bullet and contacted Assurian. I am dreading having to suck all of that ink out of the printer before I can return it. So much money wasted (twice!!)

Prints well, scans and copies well, lots of ink in the tanks – it is a great printer and worth the expense.