Sharp AJ-1805

Sharp has taken its AJ-1800 inkjet printer and given it a cosmetic makeover to transform it into the AJ-1805.

Where the AJ-1800 was spectacularly bland with lots of flat surfaces, the AJ-1805 is easy on the eye and rather attractively styled. Three indicator lights for power, low ink and paper jam surround the enormous on/off button, which is unusual rather than offensive.

Connecting a printer to your PC can sometimes be awkward. The AJ-1805 has both USB and parallel connections which is good, especially as more and more printers are offering USB only.

As is common, the printer is supplied without a connection cable so make sure you buy one at the time of purchase.

Cost consideration

Sharp has included a set-up sheet for getting the AJ-1805 unpacked and fitting the four ink cartridges. If your printing uses one colour more than the others, you can replace the separate ink cartridge on its own to reduce waste and cost.

The second manual contains quite detailed instructions for software installation. Only a short section of the book will apply to your particular PC so don't be alarmed by its size.Most home PC users want to print letters, envelopes, photos and the occasional presentation, and the Sharp does all of this quite well. Text is noticeably crisper and clearer when printed at the 'high quality' setting, but it all happens a bit too slowly for our liking. The normal setting is a better compromise between speed and quality.

Photo finish

Photos are a stiffer test of printers - particularly budget ones. Load some glossy photo paper, set the printer to high quality and you're ready for action.

A full-size A4 picture prints in a similar time to a text document and looks very acceptable. We've seen better photo prints from more expensive printers, but these are good enough and the balance between speed and quality is good too.

The inclusion of MGI Photo Suite III SE to touch up your images is very welcome.

All things considered, the AJ-1805 is a decent performer that is unlikely to disappoint.

Contact
Sharp: 0800 138 8879 www.sharp.co.uk

ALSO CONSIDER

Lexmark Z33
A budget inkjet offering fantastic speed and laser-sharp text
£79 ****

www.computeractive.co.uk

See also:

Nikon CoolPIX 995

A much-improved digital camera with a 4x optical zoom.  01 Mar 2002

Lexmark X83

The latest and highest-spec multifunction device from Lexmark.  27 Sep 2001

Hewlett Packard OfficeJetV40

The OfficeJet V40 can print, fax, copy and scan.  13 Sep 2001

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