HP OfficeJet 3830

amazon HP OfficeJet 3830 reviews

The HP OfficeJet 3830 is a low-end, low-cost printer that’s very affordable to run but offers impressive features, functionality, and savings – especially when you sign up for HP’s Instant Ink subscription plans.

A close cousin to 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 a formidable competitor. By entry level, we are a printer that does not support duplex printing, and Ethernet networking, among other notable features. The OfficeJet 3830, however, has a few things going for it that are not only inexpensive to buy but also cost less to use – as long as you choose HP’s Instant Ink subscription plan.

If you choose that, then you have an AIO inkjet printer that prints well and is a good alternative to the expensive printers currently available. If your printer needs are for low-volume printing and copying in a small home office or student dormitory, the HP OfficeJet 3830 is worth your long-term consideration.

Design

For the small office, the OfficeJet 3830 is by all accounts the best business AIO printer that doesn’t cost much. Measuring 8.5 x 17.7 x 14.3 inches (HWD) and weighing 12.4 pounds, it’s roughly the same size and girth as most budget business printers. In comparison, the Canon TR8520 is quite a bit smaller, but almost 5 pounds heavier than the OfficeJet 3830.

If in your choice you must have a small and light printer but don’t like a portable printer designed for travel, the smallest AIO that 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 small size and portability, you’ll have to forego the automatic document feeder (ADF) and go for the low print speed.

As for paper handling, the OfficeJet 3830 has a single rear 60-sheet paper tray, with 25-sheet paper output, a very small paper capacity when stacked compared to some competitors. For example, the Canon TR8520 is capable of handling up to 200 sheets from two input sources, 100 sheets each. On the other hand, the Brother MFC-J985DW is capable of handling 100 sheets, while the Epson ET-4750’s single paper drawer holds up to 250 sheets.

With a 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), not automatic duplexing (which I didn’t expect at this price, though), the OfficeJet 3830 has a feature rarely seen in printers low level. However, with a print engine that doesn’t support automatic duplexing, that means you can’t print two-sided pages without having to manually flip them to print on the other side. It’s not surprising, though, as out of all the machines mentioned here, none of the AIOs have an automatic document feeder that prints two-sided.

In addition, the printer has a 2.2-inch monochrome touch screen that covers the entire control panel. The dashboard is easy to use, very responsive, and well suited for a monthly task of up to 1,000 pages and recommended 250 pages per month.

Connection

Surprisingly, this is the only business-oriented from HP I’ve reviewed that doesn’t have an Ethernet port. That doesn’t mean an Ethernet port is required, especially for AIOs designed to support fewer than five users. Today, almost every device you come across from a laptop, desktop computer, smartphone, or even tablet supports Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi Direct, which is the protocol adopted by HP OfficeJet 3830 support.

The OfficeJet 3830 also has a USB port for connecting to a PC, along with Apple’s AirPrint and HP ePrint. It also has a few HP mobile apps and other workflow profiles, all of which are accessible when you connect to the AIO wirelessly. The USB connection doesn’t connect the printer to the Internet, so it doesn’t support mobile apps.

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HP OfficeJet 3830 All-in-One Wireless Printer, HP Instant Ink, Works with Alexa (K7V40A): Buy it now

Print speed

HP bills the OfficeJet 3830 at 8.5 ppm (ppm) for your monochrome paper and 6pp for your color page. During testing it was possible to exceed the manufacturer’s value, with a 13-page Microsoft word document giving a result of 9.8ppm, exceeding its rating by more than 1ppm. For a budget entry-level AIO, this is pretty impressive, albeit 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 prints, OfficeJet spins around a rating of 6ppm and 2.7ppm even higher in a combination of a 13-page Word document, and several colorful PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. You may be wondering why the value is below the 6ppm rating, the reasoning behind that is that prints are a combination of color business documents that are more complex and have a much higher ink coverage rate than copies used by the manufacturers.

Print speeds are average for 4 x 6-inch color snapshots, where OfficeJet managed an average of 51 seconds, which is quite a bit slower than the other AIOs used for the comparison here, but good for Small office operations. Even with the low purchase price, the print and copy quality is pleasant, and so is the printer’s image quality.

Printing ink

With excellent results, however, there is one thing worth noting. If you happen to be running a lot of complex prints on the OfficeJet 3830 without signing up for HP’s Instant Toner offering, it could be a very expensive AIO to use in the long run. The average is 9 cents for monochrome pages and 21 cents for color pages, and this is when you’ve bought the more expensive XL-size cartridge.

When you use Instant Ink, the printer monitors its ink usage and fulfills toner cartridge replacement orders on demand, allowing you to print up to 300 pages or photos per month for as little as possible is 3.5 cents per page. Where this printer becomes a real bargain is when it comes to printing photos, as large as 8 x 10 inches for about 3.5 cents per photo, a value that even competing AIOs can’t beat.

Conclusion

There are many competitors here when it comes to entry-level AIOs. The trick is to find one with the right combination of features at the right price. If the print quality is your primary requirement, most of the AIOs I’ve mentioned in this review will serve you well, but the HP OfficeJet 3830 delivers exquisite photos and documents. As designed, it’s capable of printing up to 250 pages per month, and the HP Instant Ink service makes it a powerful AIO printer.

All of this makes for a great configuration on the HP OfficeJet 3830, making it an affordable choice for small and home offices as well as for student residences with printing and copying needs. However, the Brother HL-L3290CDW is still the Editors’ Choice for low-cost printers.