HP Photosmart A646

HP Photosmart A646

The HP Photosmart A646 Compact Photo Printer offers a few surprising features for its midrange price ($150 as of 11/11/09). Compared with the Epson PictureMate Charm, which costs the same, the Photosmart A646 offers more versatility, but it falls slightly short in speed, print quality, and ink costs. The Photosmart A646 has some impressive features. Most snapshot printers take only one size of media, but the Photosmart A646 accepts three: 4 by 6 inches (the size of our test photos), 4 by 12 inches (panoramic), and 5 by 7 inches. On the inside front panel are two media slots for Memory Stick, SD Card, and XD-Picture Card. The unit also has a PictBridge port and built-in Bluetooth support. Interestingly, the printer chassis is made from more than 30 percent recycled plastic; the carrying case is constructed entirely from recycled plastic bottles. However, while the case design implies portability, HP doesn't offer an optional battery pack. On the display panel is a 3.45-inch color touchscreen LCD, flanked by touch-sensitive controls. You can browse and select menu options using your finger or the included stylus. It's fun to try the many available photo enhancements, including borders, captions, and clip art; you can also create a doodle overlay or apply a posterized or retro look.