Oddly, the print-all feature is a bit buried.
You can do some minor editing as well, including adjusting the brightness, adding a frame, or altering the color effects, but if you want to do any major editing, you'll need to print from your PC using HP's bundled software (or a third-party photo editing program). Basically, you can print all the photos in one fell swoop or step through the photos on the card, choose which ones you want to print, select among a few paper sizes and layout options, and print. And, finally, you can print them directly off the memory card, but the PC-free photo printing options are limited on the C6180. Second, if you've set up the printer on a network, you can e-mail photos. First, you can save all of the photos from the card to your PC. When you insert a memory card into one of the slots, you have a number of options. And unlike the more expensive C7180, you can't scan negatives or slides on the C6180. You get more options if you initiate the scan from HP's bundled Solution Center utility, as opposed to using the control panel. Nor can you choose the destination-it defaults to your My Documents folder. Unfortunately, when scanning to a file, you can't choose the format (for example, TIFF or PDF): it's automatically saved as a GIF. When scanning, you can save the document to your PC or to a memory device connected to the PictBridge port reprint the scanned document have it attached to an outgoing e-mail or scan it into a number of programs (such as Word, Paint, or PowerPoint) or into one of HP's bundled utilities for editing. You can also reduce or enlarge the original, either using preset values or custom, from 50 percent to 400 percent. When copying, you can select the type of original (to maximize copy quality), change the number of copies, crop, change paper size, and so on.
The copy and scan functions offer the array of features we've come to expect from HP. Eventually, we found it by pressing the printer's general Setup button, which isn't intuitive. One minor problem we encountered was an organization issue: we pressed the Fax Menu button, expecting to find an option that would allow us to program speed-dial numbers but we didn't. If you subscribe to caller ID, you can also turn on junk-fax blocking, which blocks faxes from numbers you designate. You can program up to 60 individual speed dial numbers and up to 60 groups.
The setup manual walks you through various fax configurations, depending on the type of phone line and accessories you have (such as answering machines).
The C6180 includes built-in fax, which is more commonly found on office AIOs. Even better, you can network the printer wirelessly, as it comes with a built-in wireless print server. You can connect to the printer directly via USB or mount it on a network so everyone can share.
The Photosmart C6180 comes chockablock full of features that blend a photo-oriented printer with a more business-minded one. The color estimates for both the Canon Pixma MP830 and the Dell Photo 966 are lower. Based on HP's estimates of cartridge yields, we estimate that a black page costs about 2.7 cents and a full-color page costs just over 10 cents. Black cartridges cost $18 and each color cartridge costs $10, so changing the whole lot will cost you $68. Because the tanks aren't attached directly to the printhead, changing them (even while the printer is powered down) is a snap. The HP Photosmart C6180 employs a six-ink/six-cartridge print system. Rounding out the control panel is a 2.4-inch color LCD display that pivots through a range of almost 90 degrees so you can optimize the viewing angle. Additionally, there is an alphanumeric keypad, menu navigation buttons, and some photo shortcut buttons, including zoom, preview, reprints, and Photo Fix. The control panel on the C6180 is quite busy because each function has its own set of buttons, including menu and start buttons. A small window in the output tray lets you see whether the photo tray is empty. Finally, above both inputs is the output tray, which flips up to allow access to the input trays.
Above the main paper cassette is a dedicated photo paper tray that holds 4圆 sheets and smaller. The main input tray pulls out partway for easier loading, and adjustable paper guides help you align everything from envelopes to legal paper. The C6180 AIO employs HP's consolidated paper system.