We’ve all been there. You’re up against a deadline, needing to print a crucial report, a school project, or a set of concert tickets. You hit “Print,” and your heart sinks as that dreaded notification pops up: “Ink levels are low.” It’s a moment of pure frustration, followed by a trip to the store and the shock of seeing just how much a few tiny plastic cartridges cost. For years, this has been the accepted reality of home printing—a cycle of expensive, inconvenient, and wasteful replacements. I remember one particularly stressful month where my family’s printing needs seemed to quadruple, and I spent more on ink than I did on the printer itself. It felt like a trap. This endless cycle is not just a drain on your wallet; it’s a drain on your time and patience, turning a simple task into a recurring chore.
- BEST FOR BUSY FAMILIES – Print a variety of colour documents in high volumes
- KEY FEATURES – Print, copy and scan, plus automatic 2-sided printing, 35-page automatic document feeder, borderless prints, mobile and wireless printing. Print up to 15 ppm black and 9 ppm colour.
What to Consider Before Buying an Ink Tank Printer
An ink tank printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for anyone who has felt the sting of perpetually buying expensive ink cartridges. It represents a fundamental shift in home and small office printing, moving from a disposable cartridge model to a refillable tank system. The primary benefit is a drastically lower cost-per-page. By buying ink in larger, more economical bottles, you can print thousands of pages for the price of a few traditional cartridge sets. This is a game-changer for productivity, creativity, and budgeting, removing the psychological barrier of “saving ink” and allowing you to print freely without constantly calculating the cost.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing high-volume printing demands. This includes busy families with multiple school-aged children, home office professionals who print reports and documents daily, or small business owners creating marketing materials. If you find yourself buying new ink cartridges every other month, you are the prime candidate for a tank printer. Conversely, it might not be suitable for those who print very infrequently—perhaps only a few pages per month. With any inkjet printer, infrequent use can risk the ink drying in the printheads, requiring maintenance cycles that use up ink. For extremely low-volume users, a cheaper cartridge-based printer or even a laser printer for monochrome documents might be a more practical, albeit less cost-effective per page, solution.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: Ink tank printers are often slightly larger than their cartridge counterparts to accommodate the internal tanks. The HP Smart Tank 7305 measures 14.3D x 16.8W x 9.5H centimetres, which is a moderate footprint for a home office desk. Before buying, measure your intended space to ensure it fits comfortably, leaving enough room for opening the scanner lid and accessing the paper trays.
- Capacity/Performance: Look beyond the initial purchase price to the machine’s capabilities. Key metrics include print speed (pages per minute, or ppm), the paper tray capacity, and the capacity of the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). The HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink offers a respectable 15 ppm for black and 9 ppm for colour, a 100-sheet paper tray, and a 35-page ADF, making it well-suited for substantial home office tasks.
- Materials & Durability: The build quality can vary significantly. While some models boast a robust, heavy-duty construction, many consumer-grade printers, including this one, utilize lighter plastics to keep costs down. It’s worth noting that the HP 7305 is constructed with more than 25% recycled plastic by weight, which is an environmental plus. However, be prepared for a device that feels functional rather than premium.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: The main appeal of a tank printer is the refill process. Look for models with spill-free, keyed bottles that make refilling foolproof. Beyond that, consider the user interface. Is it app-driven or does it have a comprehensive onboard screen? Long-term care involves periodic printhead cleaning (usually automated) to ensure consistent quality.
Keeping these factors in mind, the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink stands out in several areas, particularly its balance of performance and long-term value. You can explore its detailed specifications and features here.
While the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink 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:
- Wide range of features
- More for you in it! original HP 2-pack ink cartridges
- CANON INK: Value Pack includes black & colour inks & 50 sheets of Glossy Photo Paper - genuine Canon Ink provides consistent quality prints 100% of the time
Unboxing and First Impressions of the HP Smart Tank 7305
Lifting the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink from its box, the first thing we noticed was its modern, two-tone grey aesthetic. It looks professional and is designed to blend into a home office environment without being an eyesore. At 7.7kg, it has a bit of heft but is still manageable for one person to set up. Some user feedback mentioned a “rattly” or “cheap” feel, and while we wouldn’t call it flimsy, the plastic construction certainly feels less substantial than older, tank-like HP OfficeJets we’ve tested in the past. This seems to be a deliberate trade-off to pack in the advanced tank technology at an accessible price point.
The real excitement, however, lay with the included ink bottles. Seeing the hefty 135ml black bottle (plus a bonus one) and the three 70ml colour bottles sitting next to the printer is a powerful visual. It’s the physical manifestation of the printer’s core promise: years of printing without worry. The front of the printer features clear windows into the ink tanks, a fantastic design choice that lets you see your ink levels at a glance, removing all guesswork. The top houses a 35-sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), and the front has a simple LCD display with smart-guided buttons that illuminate to guide you. It’s a clean, functional design that prioritizes usability over flashy, unnecessary features.
What We Like
- Massive amount of ink included (up to 3 years’ worth)
- Extremely low cost-per-page, saving hundreds in the long run
- Clean, spill-free ink refill system
- Excellent print quality for documents and graphics
- Features a 35-page ADF and automatic 2-sided printing
Drawbacks
- Setup process is entirely app-dependent and can be frustrating
- ADF does not support automatic two-sided (duplex) scanning
- Build quality feels less robust than competitors
A Deep Dive into the HP Smart Tank 7305’s Performance
A printer’s value is determined by how it performs day in and day out. We put the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink through a series of rigorous tests, covering everything from the initial setup to high-volume document printing and scanning, to see if its real-world performance lives up to its on-paper promises.
The Setup Saga: Navigating the HP Smart App
The user reviews on the setup process for this printer are deeply divided, and after going through it ourselves, we understand why. Some users reported it was “as simple as could be,” while others described a “frustrating,” “laborious” two-hour ordeal. Our experience fell somewhere in the middle, leaning towards frustrating. HP has done away with comprehensive printed manuals and CD-ROMs, pushing users entirely towards the HP Smart app for setup. The included booklet is sparse, essentially just telling you to download the app on your phone or computer.
The physical part of the setup is brilliantly simple. Opening the lid reveals the ink tank access. The ink bottles feature a keyed, no-squeeze, spill-free nozzle that makes filling the tanks a foolproof and mess-free process. You simply uncap a bottle, invert it onto the corresponding tank’s port, and let it drain. It’s clean, quick, and immensely satisfying. Installing the two printheads (one for black, one for tri-colour) is equally straightforward; they click into place easily. The hardware design here is top-notch. The frustration begins with the software. The app must detect the printer, connect it to your Wi-Fi network, and then guide you through alignment and registration. If this process goes smoothly, it’s relatively quick. However, if your Wi-Fi has a hiccup or the app fails to find the printer, you’re left with very little guidance on how to troubleshoot. We had to restart the process once before it successfully connected. For those who are not tech-savvy, this mandatory app-based approach can be a significant hurdle and a poor first impression.
The Heart of the Matter: The Ink Tank and Cost-Per-Page Revolution
This is where the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink truly shines and justifies its entire existence. The promise of up to three years of ink is not a marketing gimmick; it’s a paradigm shift for home printing. The printer arrives with enough ink for a staggering 12,000 black pages and 8,000 colour pages. To put that in perspective, a standard XL ink cartridge might yield around 400-500 pages. You would need to buy over 20 black cartridges and a similar number of colour cartridges to match the output included in the box. At that rate, the savings run into the hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds over the life of the printer.
In our testing, we printed hundreds of pages of mixed text and graphics, and the ink levels in the transparent viewing windows barely budged. This eliminates “print anxiety”—the hesitation to print in colour or to print non-essential documents because of the cost. You can print school assignments, recipes, reports, and even full-colour flyers without a second thought. This freedom is the single most compelling reason to invest in this printer. As one user aptly put it, the consumables are “much more economical than normal cartridges,” and that is an understatement. If you have significant printing needs, the economic argument for the HP Smart Tank 7305 is almost impossible to beat.
Print, Scan, Copy: A Jack of All Trades, Master of Some
A printer’s core function is to produce high-quality output, and here, the HP 7305 delivers. Text documents are sharp, crisp, and easily legible, rivaling the quality of entry-level laser printers. We found the print speed of 15 ppm for black to be accurate and more than sufficient for home office tasks. Colour printing on plain paper is also impressive; graphics in reports and presentations are vibrant and saturated without oversaturating the paper. While it’s not a dedicated photo printer, it produces perfectly acceptable photos on glossy paper for casual use.
The automatic duplex (two-sided) printing works as advertised, helping to save paper. However, we must note that several user reviews mentioned frequent paper jams specifically during the duplexing process, where the printer struggles to pull the paper back in for the second side. While we did not experience persistent jams in our testing with standard 80gsm paper, it suggests the paper feed mechanism may be sensitive to paper type or slight misalignments.
Scanning and copying functionalities are greatly enhanced by the 35-page ADF. For digitizing multi-page reports or making copies of documents, it’s an invaluable time-saver. Scan quality is excellent for documents. However, we must confirm a significant limitation pointed out by users: the ADF is single-sided only. It cannot automatically scan both sides of a page (duplex scanning). To scan a two-sided document, you must scan one side via the ADF, then take the stack, flip it over, and scan the other side, or scan each side manually on the flatbed glass. For a printer aimed at productivity, this is a notable omission and a key differentiator from more expensive office-focused models.
What Other Users Are Saying
The general consensus from users reflects our own findings: it’s a printer of fantastic value but with some frustrating quirks. The sentiment is highly polarized, especially around the setup. One satisfied user highlighted the simplicity, stating, “Having read the reviews, I was concerned that setup would be difficult but the hardest part of the setup process was remembering my wifi code! Filling the ink tanks…were as simple as could be.” They were “delighted” with their purchase, contingent on the ink lasting as long as promised.
On the other side of the spectrum, another user’s experience was the complete opposite: “Far from being an easy setup, this was frustrating. The supplied booklet was close to useless… after two frustrating hours, I finally managed to get this printer to work.” This highlights the hit-or-miss nature of the app-based installation.
More concerning are the reports on reliability and specific features. Several users experienced critical failures, with one noting, “After two weeks it stopped working… Less than one week later the replacement decided to not connect to anything.” Another user from Spain pinpointed the duplexing issue we mentioned, stating that if you need to print double-sided documents, “se atasca” (it jams), describing a “defect in the paper feed.” These comments provide a balanced view, confirming that while the printer offers incredible long-term value, potential buyers should be aware of possible hurdles with setup and mechanical reliability.
How Does the HP Smart Tank 7305 Compare to Alternatives?
The HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink operates in a competitive market. Here’s how it stacks up against three notable alternatives.
1. HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 All-in-One Wireless Printer
The OfficeJet Pro 9010 represents the traditional, cartridge-based approach to office printing. Its main advantages are speed and a more robust feature set for a demanding office environment. It typically offers faster print speeds and, crucially, includes a duplex-scanning ADF, allowing you to scan both sides of a page in a single pass—a feature the Smart Tank 7305 lacks. However, its business model revolves around HP’s Instant Ink subscription or standard cartridge purchases. While convenient, this means your running costs will be consistently higher over the long term compared to the Smart Tank’s refillable system. This is an excellent choice for a small office that values speed and advanced scanning features over the absolute lowest cost-per-page.
2. Epson Expression Premium XP-6100 Wireless Inkjet Printer
The Epson XP-6100 targets a different user entirely. It’s a more compact, stylish printer designed for families and creative users who prioritize photo quality. It uses a five-colour Claria Premium ink cartridge system, which produces superior photo prints compared to the four-colour system of the HP 7305. However, it falls short on productivity features: it lacks an ADF entirely, has smaller paper trays, and its cartridge-based system means significantly higher running costs for document printing. The XP-6100 is the better choice if your primary need is printing high-quality family photos, but for high-volume document work, the Smart Tank is far more practical and economical.
3. Epson EcoTank ET-2861 Ink Tank Printer
The Epson EcoTank ET-2861 is the most direct competitor to the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink. Like the HP, it is an ink tank printer that comes with a massive supply of ink in the box, promising ultra-low running costs. The core technology and value proposition are identical. The key differences lie in the specific features. Most Epson models in this particular ET-28xx range lack an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). This gives the HP 7305 a significant advantage for anyone who needs to scan or copy multi-page documents regularly. The HP also boasts slightly faster official print speeds for black text. The choice between these two will likely come down to whether the convenience of an ADF is worth any potential price difference.
Final Verdict: Is the HP Smart Tank 7305 the Right Printer for You?
After extensive testing and analysis, our verdict on the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink is clear: it is a phenomenal value proposition for the right user. If your primary frustration with printing is the relentless cost of ink cartridges, this machine is the antidote. The sheer amount of ink included in the box provides an unparalleled sense of freedom and delivers an incredibly low cost-per-page that will save you a small fortune over its lifespan. The print quality for documents is excellent, and the inclusion of an ADF and automatic duplex printing makes it a capable workhorse for any home office or busy family.
However, this value comes with compromises. The build quality feels functional but not premium, the mandatory app-based setup can be a source of significant frustration, and the lack of two-sided scanning via the ADF is a glaring omission for a productivity-focused device. It’s a specialist tool designed to solve one problem—high running costs—and it does so brilliantly. If you can overlook its software quirks and don’t require duplex scanning, you will be rewarded with years of worry-free, economical printing.
If you’ve decided the HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer 3 Years Ink is the right fit for your printing needs, you can check its current price and purchase it here.
Last update on 2025-10-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API