HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer Review: A Comprehensive Look at Its Performance and Value

We’ve all been there: a critical document needs printing, a child’s school project is due, or an important receipt requires scanning, and your trusty old printer decides to throw a tantrum. Connectivity issues, constantly running out of ink at the worst possible moment, or a clunky interface can turn a simple task into a frustrating ordeal. The struggle is real, and it often leads to wasted time, missed deadlines, and unnecessary stress. In a world that’s increasingly digital, having a reliable physical output for your files remains essential, whether for home education, professional documents, or personal records. Ignoring these printing needs can lead to a messy desk filled with notes, misplaced papers, and a general feeling of disorganization. A good all-in-one printer isn’t just about ink on paper; it’s about seamless productivity, peace of mind, and ensuring your digital life has a tangible backup when you need it most.

What to Consider Before Investing in an All-In-One Colour Printer

A All-In-One Colour Printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for streamlining your home or small office environment, consolidating multiple devices into one compact, efficient unit. It tackles the common problems of cluttered workspaces, the need for separate scanners and copiers, and the frustration of managing different pieces of hardware. Its main benefits lie in its versatility – offering print, copy, and scan functions – alongside significant space and cost savings compared to purchasing individual devices. The convenience of having these core functionalities integrated cannot be overstated, especially for busy households or nascent businesses.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing moderate printing, scanning, and copying needs, such as students, remote workers, or families. They might regularly print assignments, travel documents, digital photos, or scan bills and personal records. This versatility makes it perfect for those who value convenience and a tidy setup without requiring enterprise-level performance. Conversely, it might not be suitable for those who require high-volume, continuous printing (e.g., large corporate offices) or professional-grade photo lab quality, where specialized equipment would offer superior results and durability. For heavy-duty tasks or extremely high-fidelity image reproduction, dedicated devices or more robust business printers would be better alternatives.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: In many homes and small offices, desk space is at a premium. Before making a purchase, measure your available area carefully. A printer’s footprint can vary significantly, and the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer, with its compact dimensions of 30.4 x 42.5 x 15.4 centimetres, is designed to fit snugly without dominating your workspace. You’ll also want to consider access for paper loading and ink cartridge replacement, ensuring there’s enough clearance around the unit.
• Capacity/Performance: This refers to how much and how fast a printer can handle your workload. Key metrics include print speed (pages per minute, ppm), input/output tray capacity, and resolution (DPI). The HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer boasts a respectable 20 ppm for black and white and 16 ppm for colour, with a 60-sheet input capacity, making it suitable for typical home use. For scanning and copying, resolution matters for clarity, and a maximum print resolution of 4800-6000 dpi ensures sharp text and decent image quality for everyday documents.
• Materials & Durability: Most consumer-grade all-in-one printers utilize a plastic casing, and the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer is no exception. While not built for rugged industrial use, its construction is perfectly adequate for a home or small office environment, designed to withstand regular handling. Consider the quality of the paper trays and moving parts; these are often the first points of wear and tear. A robust internal mechanism is more important than the external shell for long-term reliability.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A printer should simplify your life, not complicate it. Look for intuitive controls, a straightforward setup process, and easy access to consumables like ink cartridges. The HP Smart App, which accompanies the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer, aims to simplify mobile printing and device management. Additionally, consider the availability and cost of replacement ink. Systems like HP Instant Ink, offered with the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer, can significantly ease maintenance by automating ink delivery, though it comes with its own set of considerations regarding connectivity and proprietary ink use.

Keeping these factors in mind, the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer stands out in several areas, particularly for its blend of functionality and connectivity. You can explore its detailed specifications here.

While the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions and the Core Offerings of the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer

Unboxing the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer, we were immediately struck by its unassuming yet sleek design. The white chassis gives it a clean, modern aesthetic that blends seamlessly into various home or small office décors. It feels lightweight, making it easy to move and position, confirming its suitability for compact spaces – a significant advantage over bulkier predecessors. The packaging was efficient, containing the printer, power cable, and initial ink cartridges, ready to get you started.

Assembly, or rather, the initial setup, proved to be a mixed bag, mirroring sentiments we found among other users. While the physical installation of ink cartridges was straightforward, the digital setup via the HP Smart App presented some minor “buggy” moments. We found that connecting from a laptop proved more reliable initially than using a mobile phone. Despite this hiccup, once connected, the interface of the HP Smart App itself is intuitive, making mobile printing, scanning, and copying surprisingly accessible. This printer doesn’t overwhelm with features but focuses on delivering core functionality reliably for its target audience. It’s clear that HP has prioritized wireless connectivity and smart integration, leveraging the optional HP+ system to offer perks like Instant Ink and an extended warranty, designed to enhance the overall user experience and reduce ongoing costs. It’s not a powerhouse, but rather a practical, aesthetically pleasing solution for everyday demands.

A Deep Dive into the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer’s Performance

Setup & Connectivity – The Initial Hurdle and Its Rewards

Our journey with the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer began, as with any new device, at the setup phase. We had anticipated a smooth, almost instantaneous process, given the modern emphasis on user-friendly interfaces. Physically, loading the ink cartridges and paper was utterly straightforward, guided by clear diagrams. However, the digital aspect of the setup presented a slightly more nuanced challenge. While some users reported it being “a breeze,” we, like others, found the initial connection via the HP Smart App on a mobile phone to be somewhat “buggy.” The instructions, being solely diagrammatic, offered little help when things deviated from the expected path. This meant a minor detour to HP’s website for troubleshooting, adding about 30 minutes to what we hoped would be a quick start. It became evident that proximity to our router played a crucial role in establishing a stable initial connection, a point echoed by several users who advised placing the printer “as close to your router/WiFi as possible.”

Once these initial hurdles were overcome, primarily by shifting to a laptop for the primary setup and ensuring a strong Wi-Fi signal, the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer truly began to shine. Its dual-band Wi-Fi with self-reset capability proved robust, delivering a worry-free connection that we found stable and reliable for consistent printing. The HP Smart App, despite its initial setup quirks, transformed into a powerful tool. We could effortlessly print documents, scan files, and even initiate copies directly from our smartphones and tablets. This mobile readiness is a game-changer for casual home users, allowing us to manage print jobs from anywhere in the house without needing to be tethered to a PC. It’s a testament to the idea that, while first impressions matter, persistent effort during setup can unlock a genuinely convenient user experience. For those ready to invest a little patience initially, the long-term wireless convenience offered by the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer is undeniably a strong selling point.

Print Quality & Speed – Balancing Expectation with Reality

When evaluating the print quality of the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer, it’s crucial to set expectations according to its positioning as a budget-friendly home and small business all-in-one. For everyday documents, school assignments, and text-heavy reports, we found the quality to be perfectly acceptable. Text was crisp, legible, and clear, even at smaller font sizes, thanks to its impressive maximum print resolution of 4800-6000 dpi. Black and white documents printed efficiently at speeds up to 20 pages per minute, and colour documents at 16 ppm, which is more than adequate for intermittent home use, ensuring that quick print jobs don’t feel like a drag. The initial page print time of 6 seconds or less also meant we weren’t left waiting around for simple one-page outputs.

However, our assessment, confirmed by multiple user experiences, revealed that the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer isn’t designed for professional-grade photo printing. While it handles basic colour graphics and occasional photos on standard paper passably, we observed that when attempting prints on glossy photo paper, colour registration could be poor, and tones didn’t always precisely match the original image. Large areas of black, in particular, sometimes lacked the depth and richness we’d expect from a dedicated photo printer. One user articulated this perfectly, noting, “Print quality is OK but not great. It’s fine for day to day use, printing basic documents etc., but not great for photos.” We wholeheartedly agree. For anyone needing vibrant, accurate photo reproductions, this printer might fall short. But for its intended purpose – reliable, general document printing with occasional colour – it performs admirably, providing good value for its capabilities without venturing into the realm of high-end graphical output.

HP+ & Instant Ink – Convenience vs. Control

The HP+ Smart System and its accompanying Instant Ink subscription are arguably the most distinctive features of the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer, offering both significant advantages and certain caveats that users must carefully consider. Our experience, and the overwhelming sentiment from user reviews, confirms that for those who embrace the system, the convenience is unparalleled. The inclusion of 6 months of Instant Ink upon activation, along with an extra year of HP Warranty, makes for a compelling initial offer. We genuinely appreciated the peace of mind that comes with never running out of ink; the printer intelligently monitors levels and orders replacements directly to your door before you even realize you’re low. This proactive approach to ink management eliminates those frustrating last-minute dashes to the store. As one enthusiastic user put it, “HP+ is the best thing for printing no need to buy ink they will send it… It’s basically free ink when u have Hp+ and they send it before u run out.”

However, this convenience comes with strict conditions that warrant careful attention. The HP+ system requires an HP account, a constant internet connection, and the exclusive use of Original HP Ink cartridges for the life of the printer. This “cartridge restriction” means that non-HP chips will be blocked through periodic firmware updates. We found this aspect to be a significant point of contention for some users, who viewed it as an “anti-consumer gripe” or an infringement on their autonomy. One user highlighted the requirement for the printer to be “on, permanently connected to a WiFi system so HP can communicate with the printer to monitor ink level,” warning that failure to do so could “invalidate the free ink offer.” This perpetual connectivity might concern those mindful of energy consumption or who have intermittent internet access. While the Instant Ink service is undoubtedly cost-effective for many, particularly those with consistent printing patterns, the embedded restrictions mean a degree of vendor lock-in that potential buyers must weigh against the promised convenience. It’s a trade-off that defines much of the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer’s appeal and its limitations. If this subscription model aligns with your printing habits, the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer truly shines as a hassle-free printing solution. You can find more details on this model and its features by reviewing the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer here.

Scanning & Copying – Essential Functionality for the Home Office

Beyond its primary printing capabilities, the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer’s all-in-one functionality truly enhances its value proposition for home users and small businesses. We extensively tested its scanning and copying features, which proved to be perfectly adequate for everyday tasks. The flatbed scanner, with a resolution of 600 x 600 dpi, handles documents, photos, and even small objects with respectable clarity. For digitizing receipts, scanning homework assignments, or creating digital backups of important papers, we found its performance reliable and the output sharp enough for clear readability. The process is intuitive, especially when managed through the HP Smart App, which allows for direct scanning to a phone or tablet, a feature that many users, including ourselves, found incredibly convenient.

Copying documents was equally straightforward. The HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer can produce up to 100 copies per run, and its maximum copy resolution of 4800 dpi ensures that duplicated documents retain much of the original’s quality. While it lacks automatic duplex copying, requiring manual re-feeding for double-sided documents – a minor difference noted by a user upgrading from a more advanced model – this manual step is a small concession for a printer in this price bracket. For the occasional need to duplicate a document or make a quick copy of a form, the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer performs its duties without fuss. It embodies the essence of an all-in-one: providing essential functions competently, simplifying tasks that would otherwise require separate, bulkier devices. Whether it’s scanning a child’s artwork or copying an invoice, the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer ensures these essential functions are readily available and easily executed.

What Other Users Are Saying

The general sentiment surrounding the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer is largely positive, particularly among users who appreciate its compact size, wireless capabilities, and the convenience offered by the Instant Ink program. Many praise its ease of use once set up, making it a great fit for casual home printing needs. One user enthusiastically noted, “The HP+ DeskJet 2720e is a superb printer. The setup process was so easy and seamless and the mobile printing using the HP Smart app is really excellent.” Another appreciated its utility for essential household tasks, stating, “Its really convenient for occasional use, very easy to use. Just need to download an app to connect with phone.” The Instant Ink subscription is frequently highlighted as a significant benefit, with users loving the peace of mind it brings, ensuring they “never run out of ink.”

However, a recurring theme among the more critical reviews points to initial setup difficulties and persistent connectivity issues for some. While many managed to overcome setup challenges with patience or HP support, a few found it deeply frustrating. One user described a “buggy” setup experience and lamented the lack of explanations beyond diagrams. More concerning are reports of long-term Wi-Fi instability and issues with the HP+ system. A disappointed user commented, “Continuously disconnects, horrendous quality. Then get told I need to buy more pages even though I only used my 10 pages a month from reprinting the test pages trying to fix it.” There are also some who feel restricted by the HP+ requirement for constant internet connection and the exclusive use of original HP ink, viewing it as an “anti-consumer” practice. While print quality is generally deemed “fine” for documents, it’s consistently reported as “not great for photos,” which aligns with our own findings.

Comparing the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer to Its Top 3 Alternatives

1. HP OfficeJet Pro 8122e All-in-One Printer

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8122e All-in-One Printer steps up as a more professional-oriented sibling within the HP family. While the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer is geared towards basic home and small business use, the OfficeJet Pro 8122e offers enhanced features like an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), which is invaluable for scanning or copying multi-page documents quickly – a feature notably absent from the DeskJet 2720e. It’s likely to offer higher print speeds and a more robust duty cycle, making it suitable for users with slightly higher volume demands or more complex office tasks. The 8122e also comes with an impressive “up to 3 years Warranty” and a promotional 5 months of Instant Ink, suggesting a greater commitment to long-term reliability and support. If your needs extend beyond occasional printing and scanning, particularly if you deal with multi-page documents regularly, the OfficeJet Pro 8122e would be a more capable and efficient investment, albeit at a higher price point.

2. HP DeskJet 2710e All-In-One Colour Printer

The HP DeskJet 2710e All-In-One Colour Printer is almost identical to the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer, sharing the same core functionality of print, copy, and scan, along with the HP+ and Instant Ink offer. The primary differences between these models are often minor cosmetic variations or specific bundled offers from retailers. For all intents and purposes, the user experience, print quality, and overall performance will be extremely similar. Both are designed for the same target audience: home users or small businesses with basic, intermittent printing needs. If you’re weighing between the 2720e and the 2710e, your decision will likely come down to the current pricing, specific retail bundles (e.g., length of Instant Ink trial), or even just the aesthetic preference for the finish. Functionally, we found them to be practically interchangeable, making either a solid choice if the 2720e’s features align with your requirements.

3. Brother DCP-J1200W Wireless Colour Inkjet Printer

The Brother DCP-J1200W Wireless Colour Inkjet Printer presents a compelling alternative for those looking beyond the HP ecosystem. Brother printers are often lauded for their robust build quality and sometimes more traditional ink cartridge models, which might appeal to users wary of HP’s Instant Ink subscription and proprietary ink restrictions. While both offer 3-in-1 print/copy/scan functionality and wireless connectivity, the Brother model often features a different approach to ink management, potentially with larger or more individual ink tanks, which can be more cost-effective for users with unpredictable printing patterns who prefer to buy ink as needed rather than subscribe. Performance-wise, Brother printers typically hold their own in terms of print quality for documents. If you’re seeking a reliable home office printer with similar all-in-one capabilities but prefer a different brand philosophy regarding ink or wish to avoid the HP+ ecosystem, the Brother DCP-J1200W is a strong contender worth considering.

Final Verdict: Is the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer the Right Choice for You?

After extensive evaluation, we can confidently conclude that the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer is a strong contender for anyone seeking a versatile and budget-conscious all-in-one solution for their home or small office. Its compact, clean design, combined with robust wireless capabilities and mobile printing via the HP Smart App, offers a level of convenience that truly streamlines everyday tasks. For printing documents, scanning household records, and making occasional copies, it performs admirably, delivering crisp text and acceptable colour graphics. The HP+ system, coupled with the Instant Ink subscription, presents a compelling value proposition, ensuring you rarely run out of ink and potentially saving on long-term costs – a major strength for those who appreciate hassle-free ink management.

However, it’s not without its quirks. The initial setup can be a source of minor frustration for some, and the demanding requirements of HP+ (constant internet, original HP ink only) might not suit everyone, particularly those concerned about vendor lock-in or energy consumption. Furthermore, while it excels at documents, its photo printing capabilities are moderate at best. We recommend the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer heartily for students, busy families, and remote workers who primarily print documents and rely on its all-in-one functionality for occasional scanning and copying. It’s a pragmatic choice for those prioritizing convenience and cost-efficiency over professional-grade photo output or absolute control over ink sourcing. If you’ve decided the HP DeskJet 2720e All-in-One Colour Printer is the right fit, you can check its current price and purchase it here.