There’s a familiar dread that every home office worker, student, or busy parent knows all too well. It’s the moment you hit “Print” on a critical document—a term paper, a concert ticket, a last-minute report—only to be met with a blinking light and an error message: “Low Ink.” For years, this cycle has been a frustrating and surprisingly expensive part of modern life. The frantic trip to the store, the dizzying array of tiny, overpriced plastic cartridges, and the feeling that you just replaced them last month. It’s a recurring problem that costs not just money, but precious time and energy. This is precisely the pain point that the new generation of cartridge-free ink tank printers aims to solve, promising a world of high-volume, low-cost printing without the constant hassle. The HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer is a prominent contender in this arena, offering a compelling solution to end cartridge tyranny for good.
- BEST FOR BUSY FAMILIES “ Print a variety of color 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 color.
What to Consider Before Buying an All-in-One Inkjet Printer
An Inkjet Printer is more than just a device that puts words on paper; it’s a key solution for productivity and creativity in a home or small office. It serves as a central hub for turning digital ideas into tangible realities, from school projects and family photos to business invoices and marketing materials. The primary benefit of a modern all-in-one model is its versatility—it combines printing, scanning, and copying into a single, space-saving footprint. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple devices, streamlines workflow, and offers a cost-effective way to manage all your document needs. For anyone tired of paying a premium for ink cartridges, the move to a tank-based system represents a fundamental shift in the economics of printing, promising thousands of pages from a single, affordable refill.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing high-volume printing demands. This includes busy families juggling schoolwork, home-based entrepreneurs printing invoices and flyers, or anyone who simply wants to print freely without worrying about the cost per page. If you find yourself frequently buying ink or limiting your printing to save money, an ink tank printer is designed for you. Conversely, it might not be the best fit for those who print very rarely—perhaps only a few pages a month. In such cases, the higher initial investment may not pay off, and a more basic, cheaper cartridge printer could suffice. For users demanding professional-grade, wide-format photo prints, a specialized photo printer might be a better, though more expensive, alternative.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: All-in-one printers can be deceptively large, especially models with features like an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). Measure your intended desk or shelf space carefully, accounting for the printer’s full footprint, including the paper trays when extended. The HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer measures 14.3 x 16.8 x 9.5 inches, a relatively compact size for its feature set, but still a significant presence in a small office.
- Capacity/Performance: Look beyond just the print speed. Key performance metrics include the paper tray capacity (the 7301 holds a generous 250 sheets), the ADF capacity (35 sheets), and, most importantly for a tank printer, the ink yield. The HP 7301 boasts an impressive initial yield of up to 6,000 black pages or 8,000 color pages, making its performance-to-cost ratio a central selling point. Also, consider features like automatic duplex (2-sided) printing, which saves paper and time.
- Materials & Durability: Most consumer-grade printers are constructed primarily of plastic to keep costs down. While functional, the build quality can vary. Pay attention to high-contact areas like hinges on the scanner lid and the paper tray. Some users have noted that the plastic components on the HP 7301 can feel fragile, a common trade-off for printers in this price range.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: A printer should simplify your life, not complicate it. Consider the setup process, the intuitiveness of the control panel and companion app (like the HP Smart App), and the ease of refilling the ink tanks. Long-term maintenance for tank printers involves keeping an eye on ink levels and occasionally running cleaning cycles. However, the most critical aspect is connectivity; a printer with unstable Wi-Fi can be a constant source of frustration, regardless of its other features.
Making the right choice involves balancing these factors against your specific needs and budget. A feature-rich machine is only valuable if it’s reliable and easy to operate day-to-day.
While the HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One 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:
- Print, Copy, Scan: The PIXMA TS3720 is a true colour printer scanner copier all in one that is compact, versatile and easy-to-use with a 60 sheet rear tray that reduces the need to refill paper as...
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The DeskJet 2855e is perfect for homes printing to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes. Print speeds up to 5.5 ppm colour, 7.5 ppm black.
First Impressions: Unboxing the HP Smart Tank 7301
Pulling the HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer from its box, our first impression was of a well-designed, if decidedly plastic, machine. Weighing in at just under 17 pounds, it feels substantial enough for a desk but is still manageable for one person to set up. The two-tone grey and white design is modern and should blend into most home office environments without issue. Included in the box are the printer itself, a power cord, setup instructions, and the main event: four bottles of Original HP Ink. Seeing these large bottles—a stark contrast to the diminutive cartridges we’re used to—immediately reinforces the printer’s core value proposition.
The setup process is guided primarily by the HP Smart App, which you download to your phone or computer. The physical part of the setup involves filling the ink tanks. This was a surprisingly clean and simple process. HP’s spill-free bottle design allows you to simply upend the bottle onto the corresponding tank nozzle; the ink flows in without squeezing and automatically stops when full. Next came the installation of the two printheads (one for black, one for tri-color), which snap into a carriage. This is where we encountered our first potential hiccup, a moment echoed by several user experiences where the printhead carriage can be finicky or even seem jammed. With a bit of careful pressure, ours seated correctly, but it’s a clear point of friction in an otherwise smooth initial setup. Once powered on, the printer began its priming and alignment process, and we turned our full attention to the software side of things, an area where our testing would reveal both impressive capabilities and notable frustrations. You can see its full feature set and user reviews to get a better sense of this balance.
What We Like
- Incredible ink value with up to 2 years of ink included in the box
- Automatic 2-sided (duplex) printing saves paper and effort
- A 35-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for multi-page scanning and copying
- Excellent text and vibrant color graphic print quality
- Generous 250-sheet paper tray capacity
What We Didn’t Like
- Wireless connectivity can be highly unstable and frustrating
- Initial setup process can be complex and prone to errors
- Build quality concerns, particularly with plastic components and hinges
- Over-reliance on the sometimes-buggy HP Smart App for full functionality
A Deep Dive into the HP Smart Tank 7301’s Performance
A printer’s worth is proven not on the spec sheet, but in day-to-day use. We put the HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer through its paces, evaluating everything from its setup and connectivity to its core promise of high-quality, low-cost printing. Our testing revealed a machine of dualities: capable and feature-rich in some areas, yet frustratingly flawed in others. It’s a workhorse with some definite quirks.
The Setup and Connectivity Conundrum
The setup experience for the HP 7301 is a perfect microcosm of owning the device itself: it can either be remarkably simple or an exercise in profound frustration. The guided process through the HP Smart App is, in theory, seamless. It walks you through unboxing, ink-filling, and connecting to your Wi-Fi network. For us, the initial connection worked. However, this is where the rosy picture starts to fade, aligning with a significant volume of user feedback. The printer’s self-healing Wi-Fi, designed to automatically resolve connection issues, proved to be more of a marketing term than a practical feature. We experienced multiple instances where our laptops and phones would show the printer as “offline,” even while the printer’s own display insisted it was connected to the network. As one user aptly put it, the connection is a “nightmare,” requiring you to “reset the wireless settings and get it done from 0.”
This recurring connectivity problem is the printer’s most significant weakness. We found ourselves power-cycling the printer and our router, and reinstalling the HP Smart App more than once. The frustration is compounded because so many functions are routed through the app. For users who can’t achieve a stable connection, the printer becomes a near-useless box. After considerable troubleshooting, we followed the advice of another user and connected the printer directly to our router via an Ethernet cable. This solved the problem instantly and completely. Our strong recommendation is this: if you can place the printer near your router, use the wired Ethernet connection. It turns an unreliable device into a dependable one. If you must rely on Wi-Fi, be prepared for potential troubleshooting. It’s a shame that a printer built for modern wireless convenience performs best when tethered by a wire.
The Smart Tank Promise: Ink Longevity and Print Quality
This is where the HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer truly shines and delivers on its core promise. The value proposition is simply outstanding. The claim of “up to two years of ink” isn’t hyperbole. With a rated yield of up to 6,000 black pages and 8,000 color pages from the included bottles, the cost-per-page plummets to a fraction of a cent. This completely changes your printing mindset. You no longer have to second-guess printing a large color document or a set of photos for a school project. Our findings are powerfully confirmed by one user who reported, “I purchased the HP Smart Tank 7301 on October 10, 2023… Today is June 30, 2025. That’s right! 21 months and the tanks still have ink from that first fill.” This kind of longevity is revolutionary for anyone coming from the cartridge world.
The print quality itself is also very impressive for a home office machine. Text documents are sharp and crisp, with deep blacks that rival a laser printer for everyday readability. Color documents, like charts and presentations, are vibrant and saturated. We were particularly pleased with its ability to produce borderless photos on glossy paper, which came out looking detailed and rich. However, paper handling can be inconsistent. One user noted issues with 5×7 photo paper, where the feeder would jam or pick up the paper late, ruining the print. While we didn’t replicate that exact issue, we did find the copying function could occasionally feed paper at a slight angle through the ADF, resulting in crooked copies. A more concerning, though less common, issue we saw reported was random ink bleeding, with one user seeing “blue dots even if your design is only black,” suggesting potential printhead or software glitches. Overall, for standard A4 documents, the quality is excellent, but specialized media can be hit-or-miss.
Productivity in Practice: Scanning, Copying, and Duplexing
Beyond just printing, the HP 7301 is designed to be an all-in-one productivity hub, and its feature set is robust for its class. The 35-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) is a standout feature, allowing for easy multi-page scanning and copying without having to manually place each sheet. In our tests, it worked well for clean, standard office paper, efficiently digitizing a 20-page document in a couple of minutes. However, as some users have noted, the ADF can be prone to jamming, especially with thinner or slightly wrinkled paper. It demands pristine source documents to function reliably.
The automatic 2-sided (duplex) printing is another huge win. It’s a feature often missing from entry-level printers, and its inclusion here is a significant time and paper saver. It worked flawlessly in our testing, printing multi-page reports without any user intervention. The scanner itself, using the flatbed, produces sharp, color-accurate scans up to 1200 DPI, which is more than sufficient for document archiving and photo digitization. The main operational challenge, again, ties back to the software. Almost all advanced scanning and copying functions are best controlled through the HP Smart App. While the app offers powerful features like mobile scanning and printing from cloud services, its occasional bugginess and reliance on a stable internet connection mean that when the app or the connection fails, so does your ability to easily use the printer’s advanced features. This dependency is a double-edged sword that defines the user experience of this machine.
Build Quality and Long-Term Reliability Concerns
While the initial unboxing impression is positive, extended use reveals some compromises in the physical construction of the HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer. The body is made of a lightweight plastic that feels adequate but not premium. Several users have pointed out specific weak points, and we have to agree. One user reported that the “plastic hinges on the top cover break with little resistance,” a scenario that’s easy to imagine given how thin they are. Another pointed out a poorly fitting power cord that required tape to stay in place. We also found the paper tray and its cover to be a bit flimsy and required a firm push to seat properly, a sentiment echoed by a user who said you need to “wiggle the tray and push hard to make it seat properly.”
More alarming are the reports of significant hardware failures. Several users have detailed issues with premature printhead failure, sometimes within months of purchase. With replacement printheads being costly, this can quickly negate the long-term savings on ink. We also found reports of recurring mechanical jams, with one user describing an “E3 error” where the printhead carriage was physically stuck. While our review unit did not experience these catastrophic failures during our testing period, the volume of such reports online is a major red flag for long-term reliability. It suggests a potential quality control lottery where some units perform flawlessly for years, while others are plagued with issues. This is a significant risk to consider before making a purchase, despite the printer’s many appealing features.
What Other Users Are Saying
Our analysis aligns closely with the broad spectrum of user experiences available online. The sentiment is sharply divided, typically centering on the same key points. On the overwhelmingly positive side is the ink economy. Users consistently rave about the value, like the aforementioned owner who got 21 months from the starter ink. Another user loved the mobile printing capabilities, stating, “I love the app… I can print from anywhere,” describing a scenario where they scanned a document for their girlfriend to sign from 60 miles away. These users often had a smooth setup process and a stable internet connection, allowing them to enjoy the printer’s full potential.
On the other hand, the negative feedback is just as passionate and consistent. The single most cited complaint is the wireless connectivity. We saw numerous reports calling it “a nightmare” and stating it “always disconnects from the Internet for no reason at all.” The second major area of concern is hardware failure and build quality. One office user called it the “worst printer our office ever used” after both printheads failed within a year. Another detailed a “printhead failure” that recurred just three months after purchase. These experiences paint a picture of a product with a brilliant core concept—the ink tank system—that is unfortunately let down by inconsistent execution in its connectivity software and mechanical reliability.
How Does the HP Smart Tank 7301 Compare to the Competition?
The ink tank printer market is highly competitive, with Epson’s EcoTank line being the primary rival. The HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer carves out a niche with its specific feature set, but it’s crucial to see how it stacks up against key alternatives.
1. Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless All-in-One Printer
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 4,500 pages black/7,500 colour (3)
The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is best viewed as a more basic, budget-friendly entry into the world of cartridge-free printing. Its primary advantage is often a lower upfront cost compared to the HP 7301. Like the HP, it offers excellent ink longevity and print quality for everyday tasks. However, to achieve its lower price point, it makes significant feature sacrifices. The ET-2800 lacks both an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and automatic duplex printing. This means multi-page scanning is a manual, one-page-at-a-time process, and 2-sided printing requires you to manually flip and re-feed the paper. For users who only need basic printing and occasional single-page scanning, the ET-2800 is a fantastic, economical choice. Those who need the productivity features of an ADF and duplexing should stick with the HP 7301.
2. Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Wireless All-in-One Printer
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 7,500 pages black/6,000 color (3)
The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 is the most direct competitor to the HP Smart Tank 7301. It offers a very similar feature set, including print, scan, copy functionality, an ADF (30-sheet capacity), and automatic duplex printing. Both printers have large 250-sheet paper trays and excellent ink yields. Where they differ often comes down to brand ecosystem and subtle performance specs. Epson’s PrecisionCore Heat-Free technology is touted for its reliability, and many users who have experienced issues with HP’s software or hardware may find the Epson to be a more stable alternative. The choice between the HP 7301 and the Epson ET-3850 will likely come down to current pricing, brand preference, and which interface a user finds more intuitive. The ET-3850 is an excellent alternative for anyone in the home office market who wants the same features as the HP but is wary of its reported reliability issues.
3. Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wireless Wide-Format Printer
- Epson printing system is designed to be used exclusively with Epson Genuine Cartridges. Use of non-genuine ink could cause damage not covered under the printer's ltd. wnty.
- Professional ultra HD photo quality get brilliant border less prints upto 13 inches X 19 inches
This printer is in a completely different category and serves a different user. The Epson XP-15000 is not an all-in-one office machine; it is a dedicated, wide-format photo printer for hobbyists and professionals. It does not use large ink tanks but rather a six-color Claria Photo HD ink cartridge system (including Red and Gray inks) designed for superior color gamut and gallery-quality prints. It can print borderless photos up to 13×19 inches, a capability far beyond the HP 7301. It also lacks a built-in scanner or copier. This is not an alternative for someone seeking an all-in-one for document printing. Instead, it’s the right choice for a photographer or graphic designer who prioritizes absolute print quality and color accuracy above all else, and is willing to pay the higher per-page cost associated with its specialized ink cartridges.
The Final Verdict: Is the HP Smart Tank 7301 Worth It?
The HP Smart Tank 7301 Wireless All-in-One Printer is a machine of brilliant ideas and frustrating compromises. Its core value proposition—the massive amount of ink included in the box and the resulting ultra-low cost per page—is an undeniable game-changer for anyone who prints frequently. When it works, it’s a fantastic productivity tool, delivering crisp text, vibrant colors, and convenient features like an ADF and automatic duplexing. It successfully frees you from the tyranny of expensive ink cartridges.
However, this stellar value is seriously undermined by significant and widely reported flaws. The unstable wireless connectivity is a major hurdle that can bring productivity to a screeching halt, and the best solution—using a wired Ethernet connection—defeats the purpose of a “wireless” printer. Furthermore, the concerns about the flimsy build quality and, more critically, the reports of premature hardware failures like the printheads, cast a long shadow over its long-term reliability. We can recommend this printer, but with strong caveats. It’s best suited for a patient user with high-volume printing needs who can connect it via Ethernet and is willing to potentially troubleshoot issues. If you value stability above all, a competitor like the Epson ET-3850 may be a safer bet. For those willing to take the risk for the massive ink savings, you can check the latest price and availability to see if it’s the right fit for your home office.
Last update on 2025-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API