HP A10 Printing Mailbox for Presto Service Reviews

• Keep your loved ones in the email loop!

  
  By A2AEBPK4JQHJS5 on 2006-12-05
  My elderly mom has memory problems and can't check her email by herself, or at least she couldn't until we got her the HP Printing Mailbox. Now ALL she has to do is retrieve the printed email. It really couldn't be easier. Our family and friends send Mom pictures, interesting articles, puzzles, and family emails. Presto provides an additional selection of newsletters. Attach a gif, jpg, or bmp to your email and it will print it out. Add a command to the subject line and your picture will be inserted in a calendar or any of the other selections of holiday, special event, and other colorful formats.
  
  Think of this Mailbox as a printer with a modem in it. The only cost to you is purchasing the HP Printing Mailbox, and paying the $[...] monthly fee for the Presto service (or $[...] for a year). After that your only expenses are plain white paper and an occasional inkjet cartridge.
  
  [...] The website is well done and user-friendly. You choose the email address and set us a "white list" of email addresses that are allowed to send email to the Presto account. That eliminates spam and phishing emails. There isn't any way to reply to emails using the Printing Mailbox, but the Presto folks print out the senders phone number on the emails. You aren't charged for the Presto service until the Printing Mailbox calls in for the first time.
  
  Setup of the actual mailbox was easy too. Instructions are clearly written. Plug in the phone line and power cord, install the inkjet cartridge, put some paper in, wait a few minutes and you start receiving emails.
  
  The Presto website tells me if the printer runs out of paper, and it tells me how much ink it has left. The only thing I would change if I could is to have a paper tray that holds 500 sheets of paper instead of just 50.
  
  The HP Printing Mailbox is one of the best uses of technology I've ever seen. If you have an elderly parent you'd like to email, or perhaps someone who is living alone and may be lonely, this is a great way to brighten their world and to make them feel like they're participating in current technology.
  
  

• This was perfect for a relative in a nursing home

  
  By A1ER5AYS3FQ9O3 on 2007-12-19
  When considering this product, focus on who will be using it, how often and why. It is perfect for many grandparents. We gave one to a grandparent and one to an aunt. Both quickly became addicted!
  
  In our case, our relatives:
  1. Did not have space for a laptop or regular computer. Besides, space or not, they weren't interested in browsing the net. They just wanted to be "in the loop" and be connected to friends and family across the country.
  
  2.Suddenly, they were receiving jokes, emails and photos. They were delighted. We could find something on the internet and send it to them, after a bit of editing and tinkering with it, if desired.
  
  3, Due to memory issues (with our relatives, not the Presto), anything more complicated would have been trouble.
  
  4. If MOST of your time is spent answering emails, why would you need anything more? If you like to share photos, this could do that as well.
  
  BUT DO CONSIDER THESE FACTS:
  
  1. There is a monthly charge - if you pay that long enough, you'll have spent enough to buy a computer (but it'll take awhile to reach that point).
  
  2. This is no substitute for a computer. It is a good way to get information, photos and letters to people quickly. I think of it as a mini mailbox, instant delivery.
  
  

• A gift of love.....

  
  By A1ENWJ1A6EBCK1 on 2007-02-21
  Rosa, our Grandmother, is an 83 year old that does not even want to see a computer, much less touch one. The TV remote is pretty much her limit.
  
  Since half of us live on the East Coast away from her, we purchased the HP Printing Mailbox for her. At first, there was suspicion that this was "one of them new fangled computer things" that she wanted no part of.
  
  That feeling lasted about one day. She called us after her first batch of printed Email and told us how thrilled she was to get all that "Email." Every time we talk to her on the phone she tells us how much she appreciates her new "Email" link to the family. She even uses the term "Email" now in her conversations.
  
  Things we like:
  
  1. Low price for printer and service vs value provided
  2. Very simple for Rosa to use. Just loads paper and occasional cartridge
  3. Link to G'Kids who don't know how to write an old fashioned letter
  4. Ability so share pictures with her
  5. Daily automatic calls to pick up Email while Rosa sleeps
  6. Pure Email, no spam. Only people I designate can send Emails to her
  7. Gives Rosa something positive to look forward to when she awakens
  8. Hearing over and over how much she loves her "Email Machine."
  
  Things we don't like:
  
  1. Frankly, I can't find anything. The HP Printing Mailbox has functioned flawlessly. Sure, the pictures are not photo paper quality, but, she has pictures to look at and at 83 that is good enough. It also keeps the supply cost very low.
  
  Suggestions:
  
  With all the new found messages and pictures, Rosa needed a way to organize them rather than a pile of paper. So we gave her a 4 inch binder and an electric three hole punch so that she could easily keep everything in chronological order and organized.
  
  Highly recommend this product and the Presto Service. Rather than giving your G'ma that has everything another knick knack to further clutter her home, give her this gift of love. Good for G'Pas too, of course.
  
  In my opinion, the best gift you can give an oldster that is often lonely and feels out of the loop with technology that has left her behind.
  
  Oh, I almost forgot - how will she answer the Emails? The old fashioned way when she talks to you on the phone. She always comments on the Emails when we call her. The important thing is she be in the loop, not so much that she respond to Emails. All of us have too much Email already anyway.
  
  Jim Alfaro
  
  
  
  

• What they don't tell you before you buy...

  
  By AB1EVFY9QR61X on 2008-06-03
  Recently purchased this item for my elderly parents. With kids and grandkids scattered everywhere, I really thought this was an answer to a prayer. They don't have a computer, we all do, and we email each other frequently.
  My parents have Comcast phone service. It's digital apparently. Since the moment my father plugged the machine into the phone jack we have had nothing but problems. He called Presto for help. They provided none, saying that the account manager (that's me) had to call. I call them, explained that the service is not working unless my dad unplugs the phone and plugs the Presto directly to the jack. The machine then dutifully prints out messages and we think we are on our way to happy family emails. WRONG!
  None of the phones in the house will work if the Presto is plugged in. We call Presto and were told to purchase a digital to analog converter for telephones. HUH?? When pressed for more information, Presto simply told me to go to Best Buy or Radio Shack.
  If someone told me before I bought this blasted machine that I was going to have to purchase additional products to support something that sounded so easy I would not have bought this item. Presto's customer service is lackluster at best. My opinion? Unless your parents are electronics savvy, Steer Clear!!
  
  

• Grandma says "It rocks"!

  
  By A2DYW9Y2D8E43L on 2007-01-23
  A great idea well implemented! Now my Grandmother is 'connected to the net', everyone in the family sends her email and she loves it! I goofed by signing her up for several of the Presto newsletters (recipes, word games etc.) right off the bat. She wasn't interested in them (not to say others won't be) and they ate up 1/4 cartridge of ink in about a day. Otherwise I can't sing enough praise for this thing. Everyone in the family loves it. HIGHLY recommend!
  
  
  
• Dialing out to access Presto Service
  By A257E28HZ6PA8B on 2007-03-26
  May 2007 Update - 5 Stars *****: PRESTO fixed our dial-out problem. We worked with them directly and they sent us an HP Printing Mailbox customized for our situation. Now HP Printing Mailbox works just fine. Recommend checking with Presto if your connectivity needs are different from the standard offering.
  
  March 2007 Connectivity Concern: We are unable to use the PRESTO Service due to the phone network setup at our assisted living community. We must dial a '7' to get an outside line. At the present time, March 2007, the HP Printing Mailbox is capable of dialing an '8' or a '9' to access an outside line. Had to return printer.
  
  
  
  
• Wonderful!
  By A2DFAGA3DYQVVQ on 2007-01-04
  My 77 yr. old mother refuses to use a computer, but she loves her HP Printing Mailbox that I gave her for Christmas. Even though we talk by phone several times a week, she enjoys receiving messages and pictures almost daily from me and my siblings. I set up her Presto account online, and she installed the machine at home all by herself. She said that loading the cartridge and the paper was simple. Maybe by next Christmas I can get her to move up to a computer.
  
  
• Definitely worth the money!
  By A3VA0JU93I4153 on 2007-03-19
  We tried everything to bring my parents into the 21st century. We bought them a computer and set it up where they only had to click on the e-mail icon. But, eventually the computer needed to be restarted or would shut down itself and they were afraid to touch anything on it. They were very intimidated by it.
  
  This is the perfect solution. They LOVE it. It works amazingly well. There are no buttons to push. You can monitor the paper and ink level on the web. We can change the ink cartridge for them but they can handle refilling the paper. There is no spam and they love to hear the gentle chime letting them know they have mail. The photos print surprisingly nicely, but we invested in high quality paper for them. The printer does not take photo paper.
  
  There are only two downsides that I've found so far. One is that the email's cannot be reprinted, although to be honest, they haven't yet had the need for that so I guess it's a non-issue at this point.
  
  The other is that when it tries to dial out and someone is on the phone you can hear the button tones during your conversation and then an error message comes through via email for the connection to be checked. I haven't looked into this issue so there may be a way to fix this. If so, I will come back and update this review and change it to 5 stars. It really is an awesome product and HP has definitely found a niche.
  
  
• Be Warned: Will Not Work With Digital Phone Line
  By A2S9EY2GQEQ705 on 2008-06-22
  My grandparents and I were thrilled with the prospect of their receiving email messages and pictures without a computer. The thrill was short lived when the HP printer quit working, after transmitting one message. We had techs from the cable company and electronics store come take a look, and it was discovered that the HP Presto Printer will not work with common digital cable phone lines. When I called Presto they confirmed that the machine will not, in fact, work with a digital phone line. This REALLY should be stated in the product's description. Disappointing.
  
  
• My mother LOVES it!
  By A17J4SP2MPXPBD on 2007-01-19
  This is the best present I have ever given my mother. She is 84, has never touched a computer and has no interest in learning and had heard of email but really didn't know what it was. She says that getting her Presto mail is like someone coming to her house for a visit. The pictures we send are clear and the newsletters and crosswork/jumble puzzles available from presto means she gets mail even when we kids and grandchildren haven't sent her anything. When she wanst to respond to everyone on her list, she mails (via US Post Office) a letter to me and I scan and post it for her to everyone on her list. She's the ideal customer.
  
  
• Excellent for one, but not for another
  By A1LTXUDRWXEAPA on 2007-02-25
  We bought this product for my grandmother who lives in an assisted living facility. It works perfectly. It worked so well, I recommended it to my friend whose dad lives in an assisted living, also. It ended up having to be returned because the one thing that Presto did not advertise is that it does not function with a number that needs a 9 first to dial out. No matter what we tried, the tech support people could not make it work. It is a shame because it really works so well for my own grandmother.
  
  
• It's a one way fax machine
  By A3D66TV8R4J1OK on 2008-05-23
  You could accomplish the same thing (basically) by buying a color fax machine. And, your relatives could reply if they wanted to. Or by sending regular mail. I agree that it is an easy system, but the monthly fee adds up and I do not believe you are getting $100 in value each year using Presto's compiler and timed delivery.
  
  
• Presto/HP Printing Mailbox -
  By A3HYFRYP149GXH on 2007-02-15
  This is an excellent niche product. We bought it for my folks who are in assisted living to communicate with them, send them photos, remind them about appointments, when we'd be there, etc. Each time we go there I find a pile of messages from us and other family members. The monitoring of ink and paper is very good and the quality of print of the photos is quite good. Only other requirement I'd like to see them add is the capability to know when your note was printed to assure me it has been delivered, or a queue to show the administrator what volume and sources of notes have arrived over the recent period of time. Now if we could just get them to remember what they've read...
  
  
• HP Presto Printer
  By A25DLGPSKH15P7 on 2008-01-12
  I would give this printer 4 stars if you buy it from somewhere else besides Amazon. The printer was an old model, did not sit flat on the table, it wobbled, and did not work. it needed a firmware update immediately, and still did not work. Presto replaced it for us because it was under warranty, but that took 2 weeks to arrive, and we went through hours of troubleshooting calls with Presto, something my parents did not need. I would not buy this printer from Amazon again, because you don't know how long it has been sitting on the shelf, the speed of the modem, processor, or version of software installed. For this product buy direct from Presto, if you want it to work out of the box. The item went to my aged parents, who needed it to work out of the box as advertised. The product itself is great and I would recommend the service to anyone who wants an elderly person to have access to email and photos. You cannot reply to email, but they get great photos (not photo quality, but 600x600 dpi and look good on plain paper). Again, the Presto printer itself is good, I was disappointed that we got an older model that did not work. It was new, in the box, so it had been sitting on a shelf somewhere. :-)
  
  
• A great way to communicate with elderly parents
  By A1X7BRVFEBTTGE on 2007-01-19
  My siblings and I purchased the printer and Presto service for our elderly parents this past Christmas. This is a great way for out-of-town family and friends to send email and photos to folks without the desire or ability to "fool around with computers". The setup was easy and my parents love receiving email and some of the Presto services like the daily crossword puzzle and Dave Barry column. The reasons that I did not give it 5 stars: 1) You can't schedule email delivery at night. Since this ties up the phone line, it would be nice to be able to receive incoming mail in the wee hours of the night. 2) Photos are very saturated and dull on plain paper; and 3) The Presto services are a bit limited. The "recipe/cooking" service is based on Wolfgang Puck--a little too "fancy" for my 80 year old mother's taste. She had me cancel that within a few days. I see that they are adding news and other services, so this may improve. Overall, a great buy.
  
  
• Glorified Fax Machine
  By AY9O5OWIBZ03D on 2008-06-15
  We bought this product for my grandmother to use. She has a computer, but no internet or email, because we live too far away to fix the computer should she not update her anti-virus correctly and get a virus (or just end up with one out of lack of computer knowledge). She wanted it so badly that even knowing it was a glorified fax machine, we bought it for her.
  
  We moved her old fax machine out of the way to make room for it (she knows how to use a 2-way fax). It then took us close to two hours to set it up because lights kept blinking and we had to call customer service and wait for them to call us back. Ironically, when you call the "help" number, they tell you that you can troubleshoot on their web site.
  
  Now it's set up, but this thing is a huge rip off. Not only do you buy the machine, but you pay $100/yr to have a one-way fax machine and you can't even use regular paper-you have to use their "special" paper, even though it's 8 1/2 x 11" paper. The printer will not work if you try to use regular paper.
  
  Basically: I would recommend a fax for seniors that understand how to work one. My grandmother has a fax and a computer but wanted "email." Given the costs of the $100/yr and the special paper, they should be able to scan something in and send it back at the very least.
  
  
• Love it!
  By A30O90EDJRX6CS on 2007-04-10
  My 95 year old mom is deaf. We could not communicate on the phone at all any more. This machine has changed her life....and ours! She now knows what's happening in the family and her outlook on life is renewed!
  
  The machine works great. I'm the acct manager and she receives mail 4 times a day. The presto staff is wonderful-very responsive. All the things you need to do and change as acct manager are easily accessible. Highly recommend this product. The only drawback is that the ink goes quickly, buy a spare.
  
  
• Pretty great item!
  By A1WXMSEBBTXB2D on 2008-05-09
  This item is great! I bought it for my parents who have no desire to learn how to use a computer and get on the internet. They receive a handful of the newsletters available plus email from their friends list. It's really easy to use, but for non-technological people (as my parents are), you might need to teach and re-teach. My parents know how to replace the paper, but the ink seems to be too much of a task for them.
  
  The only reason I didn't give this item a 5 star rating is that it goes through ink like crazy! The printer only comes with one ink compartment, so it uses the color ink cartridge for both black and color printing--which makes the cartridge last only about a month. Of course, my mom wants a lot of the newsletters and that takes up most of the ink, so if you don't subscribe to their free newsletters then it would most definitely last much, much longer. (But the newsletters are great for days that they don't get regular email.)
  
  
• Do not buy....huge rip off
  By A387DH2V4IA6DH on 2008-06-11
  I bought this product and it is the such a big ripoff.
  
  $99 per year for email? $22 for ink cartridges? Good thing grandma has Mediacare and Social security....too bad taxpayers pay for them.
  
  HP should be ashamed for marketing this to elderly people....it is such a rip off.
  
  Ink jet printers are the biggest rip off in the IT industry....$22 for 10ml of liquid. That works out to $8000 per gallon. If HP had an ounce of ethics, they would release a laser printer version of this service (laser printers are usually much more cost-effective compared to ink jet printers).
  
  
• Can't forward messages easily
  By A2GES9OLMH7CFB on 2008-06-16
  UPDATE TO PREVIOUS REVIEW - After I gave a negative review (1 star - see below) to this product, I was contacted by the company. Apparently, Presto's customer service department gave me incorrect information. I still have a problem forwarding photographs, but it looks like the problem can be resolved with assistance from their technical support team. I can't change the rating, but I'm impressed with their responsiveness. They just need to improve the quality of their customer service team.
  
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  I bought this product for my elderly mother - I speak to her on the phone every day, but she likes to be in the loop with messages, pictures, etc & she loves to get mail, so I thought this would be great. It is good that it only allows messages from designated senders, BUT it has one VERY BIG problem - if a designated sender forwards a message that was originally received from someone NOT "on the list", it rejects the email. I assumed that if a designated sender forwarded the message, it would be viewed as coming from that person. BUT NO! It also looks at every email address in the body of the message and if any of them aren't on her list - it rejects the message. So everything we forward to her would have to be edited before sending. That needs to be corrected. Also, it goes through the printer ink very quickly. But the overriding problem is that you can't easily forward message.
  
  
• HP Printing Mailbox
  By A3IPJ0PA7Q94ND on 2007-02-06
  This was a perfect solution for my elderly parents who refused to get connected to the internet, but were being left out of the email chain the rest of the family enjoyed. The Presto service works just as advertised and does a great job of reformatting the emails for printing. I would like to have seen HP make the printer capable of printing from a computer instead of exclusively from the dial up connection. Presto could offer more choices for the stationary and some customization available for the fonts, especially the subject line text. The printer could be less expensive as well. I had concerns prior to purchasing about buying a device that was that expensive and dedicated to one function and one service. Overall, I am very happy and my parents are excited about the results they are seeing everyday.
  
  
• What A Great Product for Senior Citizens!!!
  By A2YOT8VQ4LUCKO on 2007-03-19
  My mother is 93, has dementia and can't hear at all. She's in a Senior Citizen Assisted Living Facility. I work 2 jobs and can't get over to see her as much as i'd like. I got this for her birthday and now i can send her emails to remind her of doctor appointments, lunch appointments, to change her clothes or just to say "hi". She now can hear from the grandchildren and nieces and nephews that can't call her on the phone because she can't hear them. She, of course, can't respond back since this is a "one way" thing, but she wouldn't remember to respond back anyway. This is easy to set up, easy to maintain and i think it's a wonderful idea.
  
  
• Presto is perfect
  By AEYW0B3IDMJUR on 2007-07-16
  Not only do my in-laws enjoy getting photographs, emails and a couple of the Presto sponsored newsletters - which range from Wall Street Journal health info and Andy Rooney to crossword puzzles - but the HP customer service folks are terrific. Plus they told me they've fixed the dial-9-to-get-an-outside line problem. Whether it's 9, 8 or another number, Presto can accommodate it. What a gem for a niche market.
  
  
• Great for Family Photos
  By A17HMM1M7T9PJ1 on 2008-06-08
  I bought this for my widowed mother. When my father was alive he was the technical one and he received and sent photos via email. Since he's been gone my mother found that she misses the quickness of receiving pictures of the latest events in any one of her 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren lives, some of which are spread out as far as Japan. This fit the bill, but it took some doing to get the whole family to understand the limitations of this device.
  
  At first some would just send quick one to two line emails which used up a lot of paper. Now they understand that we bought this so that they could use the Presto website to create very nice "photo-greeting cards" that contain both a picture and a paragraph or two. Mom loves getting them and thanks me often for this gift. I ended up putting matte photo paper in the machine so that she would get nicer quality prints. It's very good for what it does, however I do think that the Presto service is somewhat over-priced (about a hundred dollars a year if you pay for it upfront, more if you pay monthly) but I am willing to pay for it as long as my mother is happy with the results.
  
  
• Wonderful for non-technical elders
  By AOGZDACSID3CG on 2007-02-16
  My brother and I bought the HP Printing Mailbox as a gift for my Mom's 90th birthday. She felt she was too old to learn to use a computer for e-mail. Now we can send her notes, pictures, greetings, etc by e-mail from our computers and, at the times I assigned, her mail downloads through her phone line with nothing for her to do on her end. Her "magic machine" has attracted considerable interest from other residents in her assisted living facility. I can manage the e-mail addresses that have access and check the ink level from my computer at home. She has learned how to load more paper and now has up-to-date pictures of most of her great-grandchildren, even my daughter's latest sonogram. When it snowed in Tucson my brother sent pictures immediately. Really neat way to stay in touch and let our Mom know how much we appreciate her and love her.
  
  
• power cord outdated
  By A3OQIOTOHNVAMI on 2007-04-16
  everything worked fine until i stepped on the prongs of the power cord-the two prongs that you plug in to the wall-and ruined it.This cord comes in two parts, an adapter with a three prong holes, and the short cord with my ruined prongs. So i ordered a new cord (for only 11 dollars),but they just sent me the adapter part that i don't need.So i called HP and they told me that they don't have that part,don't sell it. They gave me a phone number which I called--and that guy keeps giving me the run-around-and didn't call back.The adapter that takes a 2-pronged cord is easy to get-but my adapter end connects to 3-pronged which ,with a 2 foot wire and my bent progs plugs into the wall.
  
  
• Love It!!
  By A2FLDVH69V7UUJ on 2008-05-20
  I got this for my 102 year old grandmother and she loves it! I set it up in about 10 min and then went home and got on the Presto.com website and set the rest up in about 10 minutes! Just about the easiest thing to do. She only gets e-mail from whom she wants and NO junk mail. I am the acct manager and am able to see if she needs ink and paper from the website and adding and deleteing e-mail addresses is a snap. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Presto email a big hit!
  By A3C624STU02CCA on 2007-03-08
  I purchased the HP Printing Mailbox for my 83 yr. old mother. We have the service set to check her mailbox and print the contents twice a day. She lives alone and "lives" to see what has been sent to her by the "authorized" senders (family, and friends). She says she feels like there are family and friends "in the house with her". The mailbox is simple in its ease of maintenance. Paper and ink cartridge are easy to change. A great system for families to be able to email their elders that have no computers!
  
  
• E-Box
  By A1RSZKOQK3A4R on 2007-08-01
  Service is steep, but my 85 year old mother feels closer to her far-flung family with her HP online mailbox. Handles attachments automatically, is easy to maintain, and the stylized fonts help to make it fun for seniors.
  
  
• Great concept
  By on 2008-05-13
  I will just add my testimonial to the ease of set up and getting started. Folks, our 80+ year old technology challenged (that's why she's getting the Presto) mother unpacked it, hooked up all the wires, inserted the ink cartridge and paper, and was ready to go before I completed the online set up. And don't discount the feature, especially for those considering this for an elderly relative, that it only receives and prints email from authorized correspondents - No Junk Email, Spam, Etc. Gee, could use that feature for myself.
  
  

• HP 20200-0 HP Color Inkjet Printer Paper, 8-1/2 x 11, 24-lb., White, 500 Sheets/ream
• Final Draft 7 Professional Scriptwriting Win/Mac
• HP Inkjet Print Cartridge (C9363WN) (C9363WN)
• HP 95 Tri-Color Inkjet Print Cartridge with Vivera Inks (C8766WN#140)
• HP 97 Tri-Color Inkjet Print Cartridge with Vivera Inks (C9363WN#140)

• HP 97 Tri-Color Inkjet Print Cartridge with Vivera Inks (C9363WN#140)
• HP No. 97 Tri-Color Ink Cartridge (C9363WN)
• HP 20200-0 HP Color Inkjet Printer Paper, 8-1/2 x 11, 24-lb., White, 500 Sheets/ream
• Hewlett-Packard Twinpack Tri colorInk Cartridge (C9349FN#140)
• HP 95 Tri-Color Inkjet Print Cartridge with Vivera Inks (C8766WN#140)