HP OfficeJet 3830 Review
HP OfficeJet 3830 Review | Learn More | Check Price
- Main functions of this HP color inkjet photo printer
- Copy, scan, fax, printing, AirPrint, touchscreen
- Instant Ink ready so you’ll never run out of ink
- HP Smart app allows you to easily set up your printer
- Scan from your smartphone, order toner, and print
- From the cloud—such as iCloud, Dropbox & Google Drive
- Ink delivered to your home: Get first 2 months free
- When enroll in HP Instant Ink during printer set up
- Print laser-quality documents and lab-quality photos
- from your smartphone or tablet, Optional quiet mode
- Helps keep noise to a minimum, Designed to fit life
- Save your space with compact all-in-1 designed to fit
- Paper sizes supported: Letter; legal; 4 x 6 inch
- And Also 5 x 7 inch; 8 x 10 inch; No 10 envelopes
- 1-year limited hardware warranty; 24×7 Web support
HP OfficeJet 3830 All-in-One Wireless Printer, HP Instant Ink, Works with Alexa (K7V40A)
A close-up of the HP OfficeJet 4650, the HP OfficeJet 3830 has all the features that would make any entry-level all-in-one (AIO), a capable machine, but it has formidable competitors. From the entry level, we have a printer that does not support double-sided printing, Ethernet networking, other notable features. Although the HP Officejet 3830 has a few things going for it, not only is it cheaper to buy, but it also costs less to use—as long as you opt for HP’s Instant Ink subscription program.
If you choose it, you have an AIO inkjet that prints well and is a good alternative to the more expensive inkjets out there. If your printer needs are for small amounts of printing and copying in a small or home-office or student dorm, the HP Officejet 3830 is worth a long look.
Technical Details
| Printing Technology | Inkjet |
|---|---|
| Special Feature | Touchscreen, ENERGY STAR Certified, Network-Ready, HP Instant Ink Eligible, Auto Document Feeder, Cloud Print Enabled, Optional HP High-Yield Cartridges |
| Brand | HP |
| Connectivity Technology | Wi-Fi, USB |
| Model Name | K7V40A#B1H |
| Compatible Devices | Smartphones, PC, Laptops |
| Recommended Uses For Product | Office, Home |
| Sheet Size | 3 x 5 to 8.5 x 14, Letter, Legal, Envelope |
| Color | Black |
| Printer Output | Color |
Design
For the small office, the HP Officejet 3830 is the most business-oriented AIO printer by all standards that don’t cost much. At 8.5 by 17.7 by 14.3 inches (HWD) and weighing 12.4 pounds, it’s roughly the same size and girth as most budget business-oriented inkjets. In comparison, the Canon TR8520 is perceptibly smaller, however, it weighs about 5 pounds more than the HP Officejet 3830.
If in your choice, you must have a smaller and lighter printer but don’t like a mobile printer designed for travel, the smallest AIO I know of right now is the HP DeskJet 3755 AIO Printer (5.6 x 15.9 x 5.1 inches and 5.1 pounds). For the sake of smaller size and portability, you’ll have to skip the automatic document feeder (ADF) and make do with little print speed.
For paper handling, the HP Officejet 3830 has a single rear 60-sheet paper tray with a 25-sheet paper output, which is a very small paper capacity when stacked against many competitors. For example, the Canon TR8520 has the ability to handle up to 200 sheets from two 100-sheet input sources each. The Brother MFC-J985DW, on the other hand, has a 100 sheet handling capacity, while the Epson ET-4750’s single paper drawer holds up to 250 sheets.
With a 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) that isn’t auto-duplexing (something I didn’t expect at this price), the HP Officejet 3830 gets a feature that’s rarely found among entry-level printers. is seen. However, with a print engine that doesn’t support auto-duplexing, this means you can’t print two-sided pages without manually flipping them over to print the other side. Not surprising though, as none of the AIOs on all the machines mentioned here have auto-duplexing document feeders.
Additionally, the printer has a 2.2-inch monochrome touchscreen, which wraps the entire control panel. The panel is easy to use, very responsive, and is suitable for a maximum monthly duty of 1,000 pages, and a recommended 250 pages per month.
Connectivity
Surprisingly, this is HP’s only business-oriented one I’ve reviewed without an Ethernet port. That’s not to say that there has to be an Ethernet port, especially for AIOs designed to support fewer than five users. Nowadays, almost any device you come across, from laptops, desktops, smartphones, or tablets, supports Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi Direct, the protocols supported by the HP Officejet 3830.
The HP Officejet 3830 also has a USB port for connecting to a single PC with Apple’s AirPrint and HP ePrint. It’s also got some HP mobile apps, as well as other workflow profiles, all accessible when you’re connected to the AIO wirelessly. The USB connection does not connect the printer to the Internet, as it does not support mobile apps.
Performance
HP bills the Officejet 3830 at 8.5 pages per minute (ppm) for monochrome paper and 6ppm for your color pages. It’s possible to exceed manufacturer values in testing, with the 13-page Microsoft Word document yielding 9.8ppm, with its rating exceeding 1ppm. For a budget entry-level AIO, that’s pretty impressive, though about 3ppm slower than the Canon TR8520, 5.6ppm slower than the Epson ET4750, and 5.5ppm faster than the HP Deskjet 3755.
For color print, the OfficeJet clocks in around a 6ppm rating, and a further 2.7ppm in a combination of 13-page Word documents, color PDFs, Excel, and a couple of PowerPoint documents. You might be wondering why the price is below the 6ppm rating, the reasoning behind this is that prints are a mix of color business documents that are more complex and have a much higher ink coverage percentage than the copies used by manufacturers.
Print speeds of HP Officejet 3830 are average for color 4-by-6-inch snapshots, with the OfficeJet managing an average of 51 seconds, which is significantly slower than other AIOs use for comparison here, but for a smaller office operation Ok. Even with the low purchase price, print and copy quality are pleasant, and the printer’s photo output quality is also good.
HP Instant Ink
However, there is a caveat with excellent output. If you run a lot of complex prints on the HP Officejet 3830 without subscribing to HP’s Instant Ink Delivery program, it could prove to be too expensive an AIO to use in the long run. That’s an average of 9 cents for monochrome pages and 21 cents for color pages, and that’s if you’ve bought the more expensive XL-sized cartridges.
When you use Instant Ink, the printer monitors its own ink usage and orders replacement cartridges as needed, allowing you to print 300 pages per month or photos for as little as 3.5 cents per page. Where this printer becomes a real deal is when printing photos as large as 8-by-10 inches at about 3.5 cents per photo, a value even competing AIOs can’t beat.
Our Rating | Excellent
The HP Officejet 3830 is a low-cost, entry-level printer that has a very reasonable running cost, but offers impressive features, functionality, and savings—especially when you sign up for HP’s Instant Ink subscription program.
Pros
- Very inexpensive
- Light and compact design
- Low running costs with an Instant Ink subscription
- Good quality photos and documents
- Touch-screen interface.
Cons
- Without Instant Ink subscription, running costs are exorbitant
- No auto-duplexing
- Lacks flash memory and Ethernet
Conclusion
There are obviously several contenders here when it comes to entry-level AIOs. The trick is to seek out one with the correct feature combined for the correct price. If the print quality is your primary would like, most of the AIOs I discussed during this review can serve you well, however, the HP OfficeJet 3830 churns out wonderful photos and documents. As designed, it’s the capability to print up to 250 pages per month and therefore the HP Instant Ink service makes it a sturdy, low-volume AIO printer.
All of those bring a good profile on the HP Officejet 3830, creating it a smart alternative for small and home-based offices similar to student residences with minimal print and copy needs. Still, the Brother HL-L3290CDW remains our Editors’ selection for budget Printers.
