Printer Reviews
HP Officejet Pro 8500
If you’re looking for a decent printer than can do a wide variety of tasks with impressive quality, this just might be the solution you’re after. It prints, scans, faxes and copies with a quality usually only seen in larger, more expensive printers.
Granted, many won’t need all that this machine has to offer. But it’s nice to know you have them at your disposal, just in case.
Included in the package you’ll find a printer, ink cartridges, print heads and a phone wire. You’ll need to provide your own Ethernet and USB cables. There are also manuals and a quick installation sheet.
The software that’s included and the interface on the console let you be as flexible as you like, with many ways of customizing the entire setup. People who have more experience in computers than others can take advantage of some of the more advanced features. I’ve found, however, that even without much customization this machine performs beautifully.
The Pro 8500 measures about 19.5 inches wide, 19 inches deep, and about 13 inches tall. It seems a little big at first, until you consider the average size of a comparable laser printer, which would be much more.
The color LCD touch screen sits in the middle of the center console. Here you’ll find common menu items like Copy, Scan, Fax, Photo Preferences, as well as an ink level gauge.
On the good side, the quality of the printing itself is unparalleled. Black and white copies are superior in quality to almost anything else I’ve seen.
Because the quality output of this machine is so high, it would make a decent addition to a small office. However, if the office did a significant amount of printing, I don’t think it could keep up, due to its lack of speed. Still, as a home printer, this printer works wonders.
It does, however, shake violently if it’s not perfectly level and steady. When this happens, it can emit a very shrill, high-pitch noise.
As for copying, I love copying on two sides. But, while the quality is terrific, the scanning and printing itself is slow. I found that it takes a little more than a minute per page. At this, I’m disappointed.
I’ve seen it advertised for as low as $200, and as high as almost twice that. All in all, it’s not perfect. You could definitely spend more money and have higher quality, but for under $500, you’d be challenged to find something this good.