🖋️ HP Smart Tank 5101 Review: The All-in-One for High-Volume, Low-Cost Home Printing
The HP Smart Tank 5101 Wireless All-in-One is HP's strong contender in the supertank printer market, specifically targeting home users and small home offices with high-volume printing needs. Moving away from traditional, expensive cartridges, this machine adopts a refillable ink tank system, offering a compelling proposition: massive savings on running costs and up to two years of ink included in the box.
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| HP Smart Tank 5101 Review: The All-in-One for High-Volume, Low-Cost Home Printing |
But is the initial promise of cost-efficiency enough to make it a worthwhile investment? Our deep dive reviews its features, performance, and overall value.
Key Features at a Glance
| Feature | Specification / Detail | Benefit for the User |
| Ink System | Refillable Ink Tanks (Supertank) | Extremely low cost per page; no need for frequent, expensive cartridge replacements. |
| Included Ink | Up to 2 Years' Supply (approx. 6,000 black, 8,000 color pages) | Significant upfront value and immediate peace of mind. |
| Functions | Print, Copy, Scan | True All-in-One versatility for a home office. |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hi-Speed USB 2.0, Bluetooth LE | Easy wireless printing from computers, smartphones, and tablets. Features "self-healing Wi-Fi" for reliability. |
| Mobile App | HP Smart App | Simple setup, remote printing/scanning, and AI-enabled features like removing unwanted web page content. |
| Print Speed (ISO) | Up to 12 ppm (Black), 5 ppm (Color) | Sufficient speed for everyday home/small office documents. |
The Game-Changer: Ink and Running Costs
The star of the show is undoubtedly the refillable ink tank system. Traditional cartridge printers are notorious for their high running costs, but the Smart Tank 5101 flips the script entirely.
Massive Upfront Value
The printer includes enough Original HP Ink to print thousands of pages—advertised as up to a two-year supply for an average user (approximately 6,000 black and 8,000 color pages). This feature alone justifies the slightly higher initial purchase price compared to entry-level cartridge printers.
Mess-Free Refills
HP has engineered the refill bottles to be spill-free and keyed to only fit the correct tank color. This makes the refilling process incredibly simple, clean, and intuitive. Simply plug the bottle into the corresponding tank, and the ink drains automatically—no squeezing required.
Performance: Speed and Quality
For an inkjet printer in its class, the Smart Tank 5101 delivers a solid, if not blistering, performance.
Print Speed
With ISO speeds of up to 12 pages per minute (ppm) for black and 5 ppm for color, the 5101 is well-suited for a household or a small business with moderate to high-volume printing. It is not designed to compete with high-end laser printers, but for school reports, family photos, and general documents, the speed is perfectly acceptable.
Output Quality
Text: Text documents print with good, dark black density. Most standard business-use fonts remain crisp and highly readable down to small point sizes.
Graphics and Photos: Color graphics on plain paper are reasonably saturated. Photo quality on dedicated photo paper is considered drug-store level, suitable for framing or sharing, though some professional reviewers noted subtle over-saturation in some colors. The printer supports borderless printing up to $8.5 \times 11$ inches, a great feature for photos and flyers.
Ease of Use and Connectivity
HP has heavily invested in making this printer user-friendly, largely thanks to the HP Smart App and self-healing Wi-Fi.
Setup and App Integration
Setup is widely reported as a breeze, guided step-by-step through the HP Smart App. The app functions as the central command center, allowing users to print, scan, and copy directly from a smartphone or tablet. The included AI-enabled features are a notable addition, claiming to perfectly format web pages and emails by removing unnecessary headers and ads, which helps save ink and paper.
Wireless Reliability
The inclusion of self-healing Wi-Fi is a huge plus, addressing a common frustration with wireless printers. This feature automatically detects and attempts to resolve connectivity issues, making the wireless printing experience more reliable for the whole family.
Areas for Improvement
While the Smart Tank 5101 excels in running costs, it makes a few concessions in features common in higher-end All-in-Ones:
Manual Duplexing: The printer does not support automatic two-sided printing (auto-duplexing). Users must manually flip the paper stack to print on the second side, which can be cumbersome for long documents.
No Automatic Document Feeder (ADF): The flatbed scanner is limited to letter-size documents and requires the user to manually place each page, making scanning or copying multi-page documents a time-consuming task.
Limited Paper Capacity: The single 100-sheet input tray and 30-sheet output tray are small for a printer designed for "high-volume" use. Frequent reloading will be necessary if you print hundreds of pages consecutively.
🎯 Verdict: Is the HP Smart Tank 5101 Worth It?
The HP Smart Tank 5101 is an outstanding choice for families and home office users who print a large number of pages annually and prioritize low long-term running costs over advanced features like auto-duplexing or an ADF.
Its simple, spill-free refill system and the incredible value of the included two-year ink supply make the initial investment an economic no-brainer compared to the endless cycle of expensive cartridge replacement.
While power users demanding lightning speed and advanced paper handling may want to look at models with an ADF, the 5101 offers a fantastic combination of low cost, dependable wireless connectivity, and good everyday print quality. It truly delivers on its core promise: worry-free, high-volume printing at a fraction of the cost.