The driver download process is an HP initiation ritual—annoying but survivable. The printer itself? 5 stars. The download experience? 3 stars. Average: 4 stars. Bring patience and an ad blocker.
The (the .inf file for IT wizards) is buried like treasure. Most mortals will land on the HP Smart app—a sleek, modern, actually-useful piece of software that auto-detects the 790, installs the driver silently, and then asks you to create an HP account (optional, but they make it feel mandatory). This is where the drama peaks: you just want to print, not sign a digital treaty. hp smart tank 790 printer driver download
Here’s an interesting, slightly tongue-in-cheek review of the process of downloading the HP Smart Tank 790 printer driver—rather than just the driver itself. The 790’s Driver Download: A 5,000-Page Emotional Journey The driver download process is an HP initiation
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5 – works great, but HP makes you earn it) The download experience
Here’s the thing—HP doesn’t want you to just download a driver. They want you to join something . You type “HP Smart Tank 790 printer driver download” into Google, click the official link, and suddenly you’re on a page with three buttons: “Download,” “Download HP Smart,” and “Download Full Software Bundle.” Choose wrong, and you’ll accidentally install a trial for sticky notes or a coupon clipper.
Once past that, the driver install is flawless. The 790 appears on your network like a loyal servant. Scanning via HP Smart is buttery. But why, HP, must you hide the simple driver behind a maze of “full feature” downloads and “basic driver” links that are actually the same file renamed?
Pro tip: Search directly for “HP Smart Tank 790 basic driver” + your OS. Or use Windows Update—it sometimes finds it faster than HP’s own site.
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