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 Controls/Buttons/Dials (8.00)
The controls on the HP Photosmart C5180 are all grouped together in a row across the top of the front. The edge that they are on is curved so they stand out a little more. The only buttons that aren’t a part of the row are located below the folding LCD display and relate to its function and navigation through the menus. There is a square-shaped navigational control with a central OK button surrounded by a single square-shaped ring with four directional arrows, one on each side.
Below the navigational control is a back button with an intuitive curved arrow on it. To the navigational control’s upper left is the cancel button, which is labeled in red so it stands out more. To the right of the navigational control is a vertical rectangular button, which allows the user to zoom in and out of images and previews on the display screen.
The rest of the printer’s control buttons are laid out in a single row that reaches nearly 10 inches across the top of the front. The buttons are organized by function and separated by printed lines. Below the navigational control and surrounding buttons are four viewing buttons: Preview, Setup, Help, and Rotate. A line separates these from the next four, which relate to photo printing: Photosmart Express, Photo Fix, Reprints, and Print Photos. That last button has a green label, while the others have black labeling. Another line break is followed by scanning buttons to the right: Scan Menu and Start Scan. The latter button is also labeled in green. Yet another line separates the scanning controls from the copy controls: Copy Menu and two copy buttons are located here, with a single label above them: Start Copy. However, the left button is colored black indicating black-and-white copies and the right is colored green for color copies. On the far right edge of this long row of buttons is the circular power button.
 Each button has an icon printed directly on the button and a text label just above it. The multitude of buttons reflects the multifunction nature of the printer. This is preferable for people who would rather use buttons than menu navigation. The buttons are easy to access, properly organized, and intuitively labeled.
Menus (7.00)
Whereas some multifunction units, like the Canon Pixma MP600, have the menu selections embedded within the display, with just a few, simple on-unit buttons to control navigation, the HP C5180 has dedicated buttons for most of the primary menu items.
Most of the buttons, aside from the direct scan and copy buttons, bring up menus. The menu design consists of white type against a blue background, with other colors in the icons—an inoffensive, if somewhat drab, design. The Preview button performs a preview scan of the document or photos on the platen.
Setup options include network settings, Tools menu (which can perform maintenance functions such as aligning and cleaning the print head), displaying the ink gauge, and resetting defaults. Two interesting and unique options, printing school papers and printing report formats, are included in the Setup menu for some reason. I guess because there’s no separate Document or Tools button. The School paper option allows user to print out graph paper, lined notebook paper, graph papers, and task lists.
 
The Help menu provides animated graphics that instruct the user how to perform simple functions, such as loading paper, loading an original on the scanner, and installing ink cartridges. The How Do I… menu connects to the computer to access animated demos of the various functions. This menu also provides a link to the written help menu. Other functions allow the user to find help on the software’s help menu for error messages, troubleshooting, support, and using various features.
The Photosmart Express button brings up a menu that allows users to view and print, share, reprint, and save pictures. The Photo Fix button can be turned on or off to automatically apply HP’s Real Life technologies to the prints, which include red-eye removal and enhancement of sharpness, lighting, and contrast. This is an all or nothing deal. For fine-tuning, the user will have to print via the software or a third-party application.
The Reprints button just scans and copies photos. You can just instantly do it, or change the size options. The Print Photos button brings up the same menu as the Photosmart Express button, so it’s unclear why there are two buttons for the same function. Unlike the Scan buttons, setting different options for the Print button are not possible from the software.
The scan menu button brings up options for scanning and printing, or scanning to memory card or to various programs, including Word, Paint, and Photosmart programs. All in all, the on-unit menus are simple and helpful, what you need for a device like this. The resolution is decent for a small screen.
Size / Footprint (3.88)
The Photosmart C5180 isn’t built for easy transport to vacation destinations. It doesn’t come with a carrying case or bag and doesn’t have built-in handles either. There’s a reason: this multi-function printer is large. It measures 17.6 inches across by 15.2 inches deep by 7.44 inches tall. It weighs nearly 21 pounds, so users won’t want to tote this around often.
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