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HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Printer Review

Tested using Methodology v1.2
Review updated Apr 19, 2024 at 11:34 am
HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Picture
8.3
Family
8.2
Small/Home Office
8.6
Student
8.2
Black & White
7.8
Photo
6.6
Color Quality
9.0
Document Quality
7.9
Scanner
7.3
Speed

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is an all-in-one inkjet printer that can print large 11" x 17" sheets. It uses HP 952 cartridges for black and color ink and is also compatible with HP 952 XL high-yield cartridges for black and color ink and 956 XL ultra high-yield cartridges for black ink. It has a large flatbed scanner that lets you scan tabloid-size documents, as well as an ADF scanner that accepts up to Legal-size paper. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet, and USB for printing and external storage. It supports mobile printing with Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, and you can also print directly from the HP Smart App.

Our Verdict

8.3 Family

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is very good for family use. It has good photo printing quality, giving you detailed and vivid images. There's also a flatbed scanner for saving all your delicate family photos and a sheetfed scanner for processing the occasional paperwork. It has an amazingly low cost-per-print, and each cartridge yields many pages, so you won't need to replace the cartridges very often. This printer is large and heavy, so it is designed with offices in mind more than families.

Pros
  • 11" x 17" Tabloid-sized flatbed scanner.
  • Low cost-per-print and good page yield for cartridges.
  • Prints vibrant looking photos.
Cons
  • Very heavy and bulky.
8.2 Small/Home Office

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is great for small or home office use. This printer yields many pages before its ink cartridges need to be replaced, and there are also higher-yield cartridges available if you print a lot. It prints black text documents at a passable speed, and while its color printing speed is slower, you can still print longer documents in a reasonable timeframe. There's also an automatic document feeder that supports automatic single-pass duplex scanning up to Legal-size paper.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • 11" x 17" Tabloid-sized flatbed scanner.
  • Low cost-per-print and good page yield for cartridges.
  • Supports duplex scanning.
Cons
  • A little slow to print black text documents.
8.6 Student

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is excellent for student use. It has an amazingly cheap cost-per-print for both black and color documents, and each cartridge has a good yield, so you won't need to buy ink cartridges very often. It also prints at a decent speed overall, but it takes a little while to warm up. You can wirelessly hook up this printer to your router via Wi-Fi, and it has a USB port to quickly print files from external storage drives like USB flash drives.

Pros
  • 11" x 17" Tabloid-sized flatbed scanner.
  • Low cost-per-print and good page yield for cartridges.
  • Supports Wi-Fi Direct and direct printing from external storage.
Cons
  • A little slow to print black text documents.
  • Very heavy and bulky.
8.2 Black & White

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is very good for black-and-white printing. This well-built printer makes printing black-text documents very affordable, as its ink cartridge can yield many pages before needing to be replaced. It prints black text documents at a passable speed. If you want to stretch the amount of time between replacing your ink cartridges or you find yourself printing a lot, two sizes of high-yield cartridges are available.

Pros
  • Low cost-per-print and good page yield for cartridges.
  • Compatible with higher-yield cartridges.
Cons
  • A little slow to print black text documents.
7.8 Photo

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is good for photo printing. It produces good-quality photos that look vibrant and is great at printing small details in objects. While its color accuracy is decent, it has a narrow color gamut, meaning it struggles to print very saturated light and dark colors. As a result, photos lose some details that would normally appear from contrasting colors and color transitions. Its cost-per-print is quite low, though, which is great if you're trying to save some money.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • Low cost-per-print and good page yield for cartridges.
  • Prints vibrant looking photos.
Cons
  • No 2" x 3" photo printing.
  • Very heavy and bulky.
6.6 Color Quality
9.0 Document Quality
8.9 Recurring Costs
  • 8.3 Family
  • 8.2 Small/Home Office
  • 8.6 Student
  • 8.2 Black & White
  • 7.8 Photo

Performance Usages

  • 6.6 Color Quality
  • 9.0 Document Quality
  • 7.9 Scanner
  • 7.3 Speed
  • 8.9 Recurring Costs
  1. Updated Apr 19, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity.
  2. Updated Sep 08, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  3. Updated Aug 25, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  4. Updated Apr 21, 2022: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
  5. Updated Mar 28, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  6. Updated Aug 18, 2021: Retested duplex scanning and printing to confirm results. Updated Scanner and Printing Speed boxes.
  7. Updated Jun 30, 2020: Review published.
  8. Updated Jun 26, 2020: Early access published.
  9. Updated Jun 18, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
  10. Updated Jun 18, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  11. Updated Jun 15, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 in black and white. It isn't available in any other color schemes or variants. You can see our unit's label here.

Compared To Other Printers

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is a great all-in-one inkjet printer. Compared to other printers in this lineup, like the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025 and the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025, it has a wider flatbed scanner to support tabloid-sized documents and better photo printing quality. It can yield a high number of pages at an affordable cost-per-print. However, while it has a very good print time, it isn't as fast as other office-geared models like the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e.

If you're interested in this printer, you can check out our recommendations for the best all-in-one printers, the best inkjet printers, and the best office printers.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840 are both wide-format printers. The HP is a better choice if scanning quickly is a priority for you. Its ADF can duplex scan double-sided documents in a single pass, which is faster than Epson's ADF, which requires two passes. However, the Epson has much better color accuracy and a physical keypad next to its display screen, making it easier to fax if needed.

Brother MFC-J6945DW

The Brother MFC-J6945DW and the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 can both print 11" x 17" tabloid-format sheets. The Brother is better for small or home offices due to its significantly higher page yields, much lower cost-per-print, and larger display with a full physical keypad. Also, unlike the HP, the Brother's ADF can duplex-scan tabloid-format sheets at a much higher resolution of 1200 DPI. On the other hand, the HP prints better-looking photos, but it prints color documents slower and holds 100 fewer total sheets in its input trays.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is better than the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e for most uses. They have nearly identical features, with the only exceptions being that the 7740 supports wide format paper up to 11" x 17" and sports a larger flatbed scanner of the same size. It also produces higher-quality documents and photos. However, the 9135e has faster printing speeds and extendable scanner lid hinges, which help close the scanner lid over thicker items like textbooks.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3730

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is a better printer than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3730. Although both printers have excellent build and design qualities, the HP has a lower cost-per-print thanks to its higher page yield. The HP also has a better scanner thanks mainly to it allowing duplex scanning. However, the Epson does include a better mobile app that supports webpages and Microsoft Office files, unlike the HP.

HP PageWide Pro 577dw

The HP PageWide Pro 577dw and the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 are both ideal for small or home offices. If you tend to print large numbers of documents often, the 577dw is a better choice since it has a much higher page yield, has two extra-high yield cartridge sizes, and a much lower cost-per-print. It also prints much faster. However, if you print photos in color more often, the 7740 produces nicer-looking photos and prints with much better color accuracy. Also, the 7740 can print and scan 11" x17" sheets, which the 577dw can't.

HP LaserJet MFP M234sdwe

The HP LaserJet MFP M234sdwe and the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 are both small office printers, but the 7740 is an inkjet, and the M234sdwe is a laser. The 7740 has a large flatbed scanner that's wide enough to scan tabloid size and an automatic document feeder with a duplex scanning feature. Also, it prints significantly faster, supports printing off a USB thumb drive, and can also print in color, which is great if you need to print color documents or photos. On the other hand, the M234sdwe yields significantly more black pages, but it lacks the ADF and duplex scanning that the 7740 has.

Epson WorkForce WF-7720

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is a better printer than the Epson WorkForce WF-7720. The HP can yield more pages from its black and color cartridges, it has a quicker print speed, and its cost-per-print is more affordable overall. However, the Epson feels better built, it has a better display screen, and its companion app can print off more kinds of files.

Canon PIXMA G6020

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is much better than the Canon PIXMA G6020. The HP has an automatic document feeder with duplex scanning capability, it prints faster, and it has better color accuracy. However, if you often print in bulk, the Canon is a better choice due to its significantly higher page yield, which leads to a lower cost-per-print.

Epson Expression Premium XP-6100

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is significantly better than the Epson Expression Premium XP-6100. The HP has a much better build quality, it yields a lot more black and color pages, and it has a full-feature scanner. The HP also prints faster, it prints higher quality photos, and it's a lot more cost-effective over time.

Epson Expression Premium XP-7100

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 is much better overall than the Epson Expression Premium XP-7100. The biggest difference is that the HP can print on large, tabloid-format sheets, and its flatbed scanner can digitize media up to 11" x 17". Additionally, the HP has much better page yields, its cost-per-print is far cheaper, and its two input trays can hold a total of 500 sheets compared to the Epson's 100. The Epson doesn't have built-in fax, while the HP does.

Brother MFC-J995DW

The Brother MFC-J995DW is a slightly better printer overall than the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740. The Brother has much higher-yielding cartridges, a more affordable cost-per-print, and better photo printing quality. However, the HP can print on large, tabloid-format sheets, its flatbed can scan media up to 11" x 17", and its ADF supports single-pass duplex scanning. Also, it supports printing via Mopria Print Service, making it easy to print on Android devices.

Brother MFC-L3770CDW Laser

The Brother MFC-L3770CDW Laser is a better printer for office use than the HP OfficeJet 7740 Pro. The Brother yields many more pages before its toner cartridges need replacing and it prints significantly faster. However, like most laser printers, it prints photos that look far worse than most inkjets. On the other hand, the HP's standout features include its support for printing on large, tabloid-format paper, its large flatbed scanner that can accommodate sheets up to 11" x 17" size, and its ADF that can duplex scan in one pass. Additionally, its cost-per-print is lower.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 and the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e are both all-in-one color inkjet printers meant for small or home offices, but the 7740 has a larger flatbed scanner and can print on wide, tabloid-format paper. Also, the 7740 produces higher-quality documents, and its ADF can duplex scan in one pass, whereas the 9015e needs two passes. However, the 9015e has much faster print speeds as well as a slightly better color page yield and cost-per-print.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 and the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e are both great all-in-one color inkjet printers designed for small or home offices. However, the 7740 can print large, tabloid-format sheets and its flatbed can scan media up to 11" x 17". On the other hand, the 9025e's cost-per-print is slightly cheaper, and it prints much faster. Also, it comes with six months of free ink through HP's Instant Ink subscription if you sign up for HP+.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
8.5
Design
Build Quality
Type All in One

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740's build quality is great. Its body generally feels solid. You can easily remove paper jams from the rear compartment or the automatic document feeder. There's even a light in the cartridge panel for better visibility if you're working in a dark room. The power cable is detachable, making it easy to replace if it gets damaged. However, if you're printing a lot of pages, the printer tends to shake a lot, which can cause the table it's on to rattle. Also, the printer needs to be on if you want to access the ink cartridges, and its scanner hinges don't extend to support larger items like books or magazines.

Design
Dimensions
Height 15.0" (38.0 cm)
Width 23.0" (58.3 cm)
Depth 18.5" (46.9 cm)
Height When In Use
15.0" (38.0 cm)
Width When In Use
23.0" (58.3 cm)
Depth When In Use
28.5" (72.4 cm)
Weight
42.5 lbs (19.3 kg)
7.0
Design
Expected Maintenance
Ink Related Maintenance
Expected
Drum Unit
No Drum Unit

The HP OfficeJet 7740 has typical maintenance tasks you can expect from an inkjet. The printer yields many pages, so you don't need to replace its cartridges frequently. It's easy to access them, but the printer needs to be on to do so. The printer has two paper trays with a total capacity of 500 sheets, so you don't need to spend time fiddling with paper refills often. However, the output tray only holds 75 sheets, so you'll need to get your print jobs instead of leaving them there when they're done. In the case of paper jams, all the sheet rollers are easily accessible through a panel in the back, and you can completely remove the input trays in case paper gets jammed in the back near the input. The printer's display shows detailed videos explaining how to perform all of these maintenance tasks.

This printer features built-in maintenance tasks like printhead cleaning and printhead alignment tasks to help restore it to its original state when you encounter clogging or deteriorating printing quality. However, if the printer sits for a while without printing, the printheads can clog. Depending on the state of the printheads, the maintenance tasks may not be able to restore them to their original state. If this happens, you will either need to get a replacement printhead, which is only available from HP Support and authorized service providers, or buy a new printer.

You can access the user manual here.

7.5
Design
Display Screen
Display Screen Yes
Display Screen Size
2.6" (6.7 cm)
Touchscreen Yes

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 has a good display. It features a responsive touchscreen that provides audible touch feedback when you press it. Four touch buttons surround the screen, and you can vertically tilt the display panel for better visibility. It's small, though, making it a bit more challenging for anyone with big fingers.

8.0
Design
Cartridge
Technology Inkjet
SuperTank
No
Photo Cartridge
No
Color Yes
Number Of Color Cartridges
3
Black Cartridge Model
HP 952 Black
Tested Black Page Yield
60 prints
Estimated Black Page Yield
1,140 prints
Color Cartridge Model
HP 952 C/M/Y
Tested Color Page Yield
29 prints
Estimated Color Page Yield
664 prints
Third Party Cartridge
Purchased One Did Not Work
Ink Type
Pigment
High Yield Cartridge
Yes

The HP 7740's cartridges yield lots of pages before you need to replace them. If you tend to print a lot, it's compatible with high-yield HP 952 XL cartridges for color and black ink. You can also get the HP 956 XL cartridge, though it's only available for black ink.

9.3
Design
Scanner Features
Scanner
ADF + Flatbed
ADF Capacity
35 pages
Scan Speed
9 PPM
Duplex Scanning
Automatic (Single-Pass)
Max Flatbed Scan Size
11" x 17"
Max ADF Scan Size
8.5" x 14"
Flatbed Hinge Adjustability
0.00" (0 mm)
Fax
Yes
Copy
Yes
OCR Included
Software

The HP Pro 7740 has outstanding scanning features. Its ADF scanner can automatically duplex scan, which is great for multipage double-sided documents, and its flatbed scanner is large enough to scan Tabloid-size documents (11 x 17 in. or 279.4mm x 431.8mm). While the manufacturer specs say you can only scan double-sided documents up to 8.27" x 11.69", it can automatically scan double-sided Legal-sized pages. This option doesn't appear in the HP Smart app, however, as you can see here.

6.5
Design
Scan Quality
Max Scan Resolution
1,200 DPI
Max Scan Color Depth
24Bit

The HP 7740's scan quality is decent. Colors appear muted, and text looks somewhat jagged. This printer has a default scan resolution of 300 DPI when scanning via the ADF. This is more than enough for documents for work or school; however, if you want to capture very fine details, it's best to use the flatbed, which can go up to 1200 DPI.

Design
In The Box

  • User Guide
  • Power cord
  • HP 952 ink cartridges:
    • 1x Black
    • 1x Magenta
    • 1x Cyan
    • 1x Yellow

Design
Battery
Advertised Battery Life
N/A
Tested Charging Time
N/A
Document
9.0
Document
Black & White Documents
Color Ink Needed For Black & White
Yes

Black & white documents look great. Both black and white text is clear, and there's good contrast between light and dark elements. Black and white fine lines look sharp and detailed; however, larger blocks of gray look grainy and can be distracting on the page.

9.0
Document
Color Documents

Color documents look excellent. Text appears clear, and fine lines are crisp. There's minimal banding in gray or color blocks, and colors look fine; however, larger blocks look grainy and dotted.

8.9
Document
Cost-Per-Print
Black Cartridge Price
35.99 US$
Color Cartridge Price
72.99 US$
Black-Only Printing Cost
0.032 US$/print
Color Printing Cost
0.110 US$/print
Photo Printing Cost
0.285 US$/print
Ink Subscription
No

This printer has a very low cost-per-print. Unlike other HP OfficeJet Pro printers, this model isn't compatible with the HP Instant Ink subscription service.

7.3
Document
Printing Speed
Black Only Text Document
12 PPM
Color Document
8 PPM
Photo Printing Time
52.0 s
Single Page Out Time (Black Only)
15.5 s
Duplex Printing
Automatic
Input Tray Capacity
500 pages

This printer takes a while to start printing after sitting idle, and it's a bit slow to print black text documents. It can automatically print double-sided sheets up to legal size, but, unfortunately, it can't duplex-print Tabloid size. If you need a model that supports duplex printing for Tabloid paper and prints black-only text documents much faster, consider the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310.

Document
Document Printing Sizes
Letter (8.5" x 11") Yes
Legal (8.5" x 14") Yes
Tabloid (11" x 17") Yes
A6 (105mm x 148mm) Yes
A5 (148mm x 210mm) Yes
A4 (210mm x 297mm) Yes
Max Paper Weight
300 g/m²

There are two adjustable front input trays on this printer. Tray 1 (top) supports paper from 3" x 5" to 11.7" x 17" size sheets, while Tray 2 (bottom) supports 8.5" x 11" to 11.7" x 17" size sheets.

Photo
6.0
Photo
Color Gamut

This printer has a mediocre color gamut. This printer struggles to produce light tints of blues, greens, and yellows. Similarly, it struggles to create contrasting shades across each hue. This results in a loss of detail in photos; for example, if you look at the bird photo, the parrot's red feathers appear almost fur-like, as this printer cannot produce fine differences in color very well. Color transitions look relatively smooth, aside from the yellows where banding is present.

7.1
Photo
Color Accuracy
Average Color dE
5.90

This printer has decent color accuracy. While most colors look good, it struggles to reproduce anything close to blue, and skin tones appear too warm. Nevertheless, photos are still pleasing to look at, and this printer is fine for casual photo prints. Still, it's better to look elsewhere if you're a professional seeking pinpoint color accuracy.

8.5
Photo
Small Details
Max Print Resolution (DPI)
4800 x 1200

This printer is great at producing small details. Fine lines appear clear and have lots of detail. Although the way this printer uses halftones (dot-effect) makes distant objects look blurry, it still provides enough detail to differentiate objects in the background and foreground.

9.5
Photo
Photo Printing Sizes
Glossy Paper (4" x 6") Yes
Glossy Paper (5" x 7") Yes
Glossy Paper (8" x 10") Yes
Glossy Paper (8.5" x 11") Yes
Glossy Paper (13" x 19") No
Borderless Printing
Yes
Mobile App And Connectivity
9.0
Mobile App And Connectivity
Connectivity
Ethernet
Yes
USB Input To Computer
Yes
Wireless
Yes
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi via Router
Yes
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
External Storage Support
Yes
Apple AirPrint
Yes
Mopria Print Service
Yes

The printer features a USB input at the front right, enabling direct printing from a USB flash drive.

10
Mobile App And Connectivity
Mobile App
Mobile App Yes
App Name HP Smart
iOS Yes
Android Yes
Photo (JPEG, PNG)
Android and iOS
PDF
Android and iOS
Microsoft Office Files
iOS Only
Text Files (TXT)
iOS Only
Webpages (HTML)
iOS Only

Microsoft Office, TXT, and HTML formats are only printable on the iOS HP Smart App. Android users must use the apps they use to view these formats to print.

Mobile App And Connectivity
OS Compatibility
Windows Fully
macOS Fully
Chrome OS Fully

This printer supports all major desktop operating systems. You need to manually install drivers to print and scan on Windows, and you can also use the HP Smart App to use all the printer's features. The HP Smart App on Chrome OS offers the same capabilities as the mobile app.