HP Smart Tank 6003: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
This review measures the HP Smart Tank 6003 against the full 24-spec sheet we track for printers, comparing it like for like with the 50 other models in our database. It earns a VS Score of 41 out of 100 — the weighted result of every verified specification measured against the class average.
On the spec sheet it is strongest in printing and weakest in scanning & copying. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a much higher output tray capacity — 100 sheets vs 68.95 sheets (avg). Street prices currently start at $ 369.99 for the HP Smart Tank 6003.
Category strengths
Where the HP Smart Tank 6003 beats the average
- Has supertank / refillable ink ?
- Has automatic duplex printing ?
- Has color printing ?
- A much higher output tray capacity ?100 sheets vs 68.95 sheets (avg)
- Has all-in-one ?
- A higher print resolution ?4,800 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg)
- A lighter build ?6.38 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg)
- Has Wi-Fi Direct ?
- Has Apple AirPrint ?
- Has Wi-Fi ?
Where the HP Smart Tank 6003 trails the average
- A lower print speed (black) ?12 ppm vs 17.21 ppm (avg)
- No automatic document feeder ?
- A much lower ADF capacity ?0 sheets vs 34.48 sheets (avg)
- A lower print speed (color) ?7 ppm vs 12.51 ppm (avg)
- A much lower monthly duty cycle ?3,000 pages vs 19,346.15 pages (avg)
- No ethernet ?
- No touchscreen display ?
- A lower input tray capacity ?150 sheets vs 182.02 sheets (avg)
- No duplex scanning ?
- No fax ?
Editor’s note
Refillable ink tanks and automatic two-sided printing rarely appear on the same cheap printer. Canon's nearest MegaTank rival at this money does not manage it, and that combination is the Smart Tank 6003's whole argument.
HP puts roughly two to three years of ink in the box: a 135 ml HP 32XL black bottle plus 70 ml colour bottles, good for something like 6,000 black or 8,000 colour pages before you spend anything on supplies. Against a cartridge all-in-one that costs less up front and then reclaims it within a year, that changes the arithmetic completely — provided you actually print enough to use it.
The omissions are all from HP's own spec table and they are consistent. No automatic document feeder, so every multi-page copy or scan is fed by hand on the flatbed. No fax. No Ethernet. No touchscreen — the panel is a two-line monochrome LCD with buttons. HP also states multitasking is not supported, and the wired port is USB 2.0. Speed is fair rather than quick at 12 and 7 ISO ppm.
The awkward part is HP's own pricing. The spec-identical Smart Tank 6001 has been listing at $199.99, which makes $269.99 for this one look like a charge for the colourway, and the $369.99 MSRP is not a real price anyone should pay.
So it comes down to what you find it for. Under about $230 it is a sensible family printer for people who print a lot of colour and are tired of cartridges. At full list, buy the 6001 and put the difference towards paper.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 50 other printers.
Printing
Laser prints crisp text fast; inkjet handles photos and colour better.
Prints in colour, not just black and white.
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
Colour pages per minute; higher is faster.
A higher dot density produces sharper prints.
Prints both sides of the page without manual flipping.
Refillable ink tanks cut the cost per page dramatically.
The maximum recommended pages per month.
Scanning & copying
Scans and copies as well as prints.
Feeds multi-page documents through the scanner unattended.
How many pages the document feeder holds at once.
Scans both sides of a page automatically.
Sends and receives faxes.
Paper handling
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
The largest paper format supported (e.g. Letter, Legal, A3).
Connectivity
Print wirelessly over the home network.
Connect devices directly without a router.
A wired network port for reliable office use.
A direct USB connection to a computer.
Print from iPhone, iPad and Mac without extra drivers.
Print and manage the printer from a phone app.
Design
An onboard touchscreen makes standalone tasks easier.
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
How the VS Score works — and what it can’t tell you
Every measurable spec is scored against the average of all the printers we track: matching the class average scores 50, clearly beating it climbs towards 100, and each spec counts according to an editorial weight that reflects real-world impact — a battery-capacity gap moves the score far more than a colour-options list. The quality bars on the spec cards above show where this model sits inside the full range for its class, and the overall VS Score rolls every weighted result into one number.
Unknown values are never estimated. A spec this product doesn’t report simply drops out of its scoring — it isn’t penalised with a guess — but a thinner spec sheet does mean a score built on fewer data points, which is why completeness is disclosed under About this data.
Most importantly: a spec-sheet lead is not the same as a better product. Megapixels, gigahertz and benchmark points describe capacity, not experience — image processing, software optimisation, thermals, haptics and ergonomics decide how a device actually feels, and no table captures reliability or long-term support quality. Treat the VS Score as a structured summary of what can be measured, not a substitute for your own priorities.
About this data
- Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically.
- Specifications last verified August 21, 2026.
- Data completeness: 24 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (100%). Anything we could not verify is shown as Unknown — never estimated — and is excluded from the score.
- Prices and availability come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day; a missing price means no partner currently lists the product, not that it is discontinued.
- Want the full picture? Our editorial guidelines explain how we research products, weight the scores and stay independent.
- Spotted an error in a spec? Tell us and we will correct the sheet.
Where to buy
Prices and availability may change. Check the retailer before buying. We may earn a commission on purchases.
Price history
Printers with similar specs to the HP Smart Tank 6003
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The bottom line
The HP Smart Tank 6003 earns a VS Score of 41, trailing most of the 51 printers we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- Families printing several hundred colour pages a month who want refillable tanks and automatic duplex without stepping up to a $450 machine. HP's own sweet spot for it is 400 to 800 pages a month.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone with office needs — no ADF, no fax, no Ethernet — and anyone printing under about 30 pages a month, where ink sitting in tanks and cleaning cycles work against you.
- The trade-off that matters
- Cheap running costs bought with a bare feature set. The tanks and the duplex are genuinely good; the flatbed-only scanning, two-line LCD and USB 2.0 are where the money was saved.
- The main alternative
- HP Smart Tank 6001 — HP's own spec table for it is identical, and it has been selling around $199.99, which makes it the better buy at anything near list.
The VS Score is generated automatically from the weighted specifications above, measured against all other printers in our database. Treat it as a shortlisting guide — not a substitute for your own priorities.
