# HP Officejet Pro 8500 Reviews

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HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer Best Quality

2009-12-18T14:49:00.001-08:00

This 8500 is version is meeting the claims of reliable duplex scanning and faxing.

Driverless printing, FAX and OCR is possible if connecting the device to a WiFi or CAT 3-6 cable and use the devices Embedded Web Server to upload files for printing, scanning and FAX.

HP also included the workgroup network doc management software so anyone can scan at the device console for upload to a workgroup network share.

The included version of the software doesn't support MS Active Directory credentials but a domain member can still be configured to share a directory then create a local account for share / NTFS access.

The LCD touchscreen is a welcome improvement from the klunky menus and necessity of remembering the sequence of uniform and tiny size buttons of prveious OfficeJets.

These menus are a tremendous improvement and our field office tech support issues/volume of unknown menu function tech support requests have declined when comparing the 8500 to the prior 7000 series.

The gloss laminate finish of the panel is really a nice touch and is similar to the iPhone and Blackberry Storm display gloss and tactile elegance.

The printer speed is superb and it even seems anecdotally quieter (we haven't measured the decibels level scientifically) than the 7600 & 7700 HP Officejet Pro L7780 Color All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier (C8192A#ABA) series version we've used (and returned) from the past.

It is even better at tolerating crinkled paper if feeding into the scanner from the ADF tray or as ammo for the printer tray.

So far, it seems HP has incorporated the feedback and criticisms of the 7000 series owners and solved many of the jamming issues from last years line of top line OfficeJets.

My client and I've had some firsthand and horrible experiences with HP's prior top end versions of the 7700 series All in Ones and sadly our issues weren't unique.
We deployed them to our network of field offices which aren't staffed with IT support and reliant on telephone techs or roving / contract services with a 24 hour notice.
Those models would fail at the worst moments and leave our field sales reps without their printed presentations or created enormous frustration when just trying to receive and dispatch faxes.

HP convinced us to try the 8500 series and the improvements are significant enough to help us forget the bad experiences of the past.

Thanks HP, you're producing quality again that is suitable for the remote field office !!!
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WHY DOESN'T HP THROW IN A $4 USB "A" Plug cable with this expensive printer ?
It used to be tradition you had to buy your printer cable and that was in the 80's when compatible parallel cables varied based on what kind of computer you were using.
ALSO, in those old days a Parallel cable had enough enviable copper to feed a homeless person!
USB "A" plug cables are cheap, HP PLEASE INCLUDE IT SO THE USER DOESN'T HAVE TO DIG ONE OUT OF THEIR COLLECTION.
Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer Get it now!

2009-12-18T09:49:00.001-08:00

This printer is so neat! It was so easy to set up (even I could do it, and I'm no techie). We put it in a room that previously did not have a printer and where my computer is not right by it; it's actually across the room so being wireless is awesome. You first need to install the four ink cartridges, the black being larger than the three colored. You also install the duplexer (more on that later) and the paper tray. When you first turn it on you need to set the language. Then it took about 15 minutes to calibrate the printer; all you need to do is wait for the touch screen display to come on and show you it's ready. Setting the printer up wirelessly was a breeze; it found our router and then I needed to put in the secret code. It has an icon to show you the printer is now connected wirelessly (you can also use USB). We have all Windows computers, but it also is supposed to work on a Mac.

The LCD touch screen is so cute; it's 2" x 2 1/2" and is very easy to read. It shows the date and time at the top, and at the bottom icons and words for copy, fax, scan, and photo. When you make a copy you can either click on black or color. After a few minutes of non-use the LCD screen goes black and the power button blinks. To print again the LCD screen comes on again automatically.

The duplexer is so cool; it prints on two sides automatically. When the first sheet comes out of the printer it sits there a few seconds and you get the message on the touch screen that the ink is drying and then it reinserts the paper and prints on the other side. Love that feature, especially since I'm not sitting right by the printer so don't have to get up and reinsert the paper. A little word of warning, when I first printed out a two sized page I did not realize that the printer automatically reinserted the page to do the second page, so while it was sitting there with the ink drying I tried pulling it out; yikes, paper jam! Had a time getting all the pieces of the paper out; had to remove the duplexer on the back to remove some of the paper. So, don't make my mistake; don't touch the paper until it's through printing on both sides!

Since installing the printer last night I installed a greeting card program and printed out cards, got auto insurance quotes online and printed them out, printed out IRS forms, copied forms and scanned a picture that the printer sent to my computer (it will also email it, how cool is that). You can also insert media cards to print out photos, plus it also has a picture bridge if you have a compatible camera. I can't really think of anything HP left out. I am so totally enthralled with this all-in-one printer! I told my husband when we were installing it that at my first job we didn't even have a copy machine (yeah, ok, so that was about 40 years ago; lol). Having it all in one machine and wireless at that is so totally awesome! If you are looking for an all-in-one printer look no further, you have found it!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I was so excited about all this printer can do that I forgot to mention how fast it is! When I set it on draft the paper flies out of the paper tray faster than a speeding bullet (or would if it didn't have a paper tray)! ;-) Also, we have not tried out the fax because we do not have a land line.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer Buy Now

2009-12-17T14:49:00.001-08:00

This printer was shipped to me with no outer brown box to conceal what I was getting; a label was stuck onto the box that it comes in and there were huge pictures of the product with "HP Printer" printed all over it. You could see it on my porch from the next county. Anyone who might have been put off about stealing an ambiguous plain brown box might not have had any problem at all with stealing a brand new high end color printer from my porch, and Fedex did not even bother to knock to let me know something had been left. This may be because I got this from the Vine program, but even having gotten this product gratis I am very perturbed with the lack of discretion of the shipping department.

This is not lightweight, it takes up more space than our multi-function 11x17 printer, the Brother MFC-5890CN, and it's not going to replace it because we need the larger prints for client review plans. However, the print quality is vastly superior-- it has been on every HP printer I've ever worked with or owned. Even line drawings on regular 8 ½ x 11 sheets are super-crisp, and color photos and rendered 3D models look superb on even regular paper. This thing spits out text pages before I can turn around to reach for them, and no setting your egg timer and waiting for those crisp color images, either. I honestly did not expect the speed to match the print quality, but it surpassed anything I ever hoped for and beyond.

Setting up is easy, but there are six different cartridges you have to put in. Four are ink cartridges-- separate colors means less waste, and HP makes it impossible to put the cartridges in the wrong way, or to put cyan in the magenta slot, and so forth. The ink slot is on the front-- easy to get to, easy to replace. The other two are printer heads that slip directly downward through the top of the printer. I am guessing that at some point these printer heads will need to be replaced (never had to deal with these on a previous HP so I don't know) but what's nice about them is that they have retractable handles on them so that they lift in and out easily, from fitted slots that make it impossible to put the wrong printer head into the wrong slot.

Letting it set itself up after turning it on is a bit confusing since it was difficult to tell when it was done. It has to do this internal test stuff before you plug it into/connect it with your PC during the driver installation. I know everyone loves wireless, but the PC we'll be using this with the most does not have wireless capability, and it would be nice if HP would include a 4 or 5 foot USB cable for this purpose instead of making us having to search for an extra or run out and buy one after getting set up to a certain point. It's a little thing that could reduce a lot of initial customer frustration, even for those who have wireless capability and simply choose to use cables, or for those experiencing difficulties with wireless setup.

The LCD touch screen is easy to use without picking up a manual. The only way to improve this would have been to make it tilt forward for using the printer on a higher shelf. It takes just about any kind of media card you can think of if you're not printing from your computer, and gives all kinds of options to receive images, like email or sending directly to an image editing program on your PC. There is a junk fax blocker that comes with it, which is really nice, and an automatic email button. So I can scan and directly email it to someone if I had it directly connected to the network. Turning off the wireless is not complicated, but you do have to read the manual to know how... if you don't this will cause conflicts. Once it's off, it functions fine. Printing on two sides is effortless and automatic, and can I just mention the quality and speed again? No paper jams, so quiet... it even LOOKS good.

Mine is a small business, and if I didn't need 11x17 prints this printer would be at the top of my list as an investment for my needs for so many different things. It would be the only printer I own, and if it's the only printer you ever own, you'll be very happy with it.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer Order Now

2009-12-17T09:49:00.001-08:00

I'm very impressed with this HP Officejet Pro 8500 (A909g) Wireless All-In-One Printer. As to the actual functioning of the machine, well, that word, "impressive," pretty much sums it up. Printing, scanning, or copying (I couldn't test the faxing capability since I don't have a land-line) a full mixed page at Normal resolution takes about 20-25 seconds (additional pages are about 5 seconds each; each page of two-sided printing takes about as long as a "first page" because of drying and for the trips through the duplexer). A page with three 4x6 pictures on it comes out in about 60 seconds. Even at just Normal resolution, output is impressive. A color copy is indistinguishable from the original. Documents, graphics, and photographs are beautiful. The various connectivity options (USB to computer, wired and wireless Ethernet, and Bluetooth (with an adaptor)) are great. And the ability to do most things locally from the printer itself via all its input sources is icing on the cake.

Regarding problems, my biggest one is with "coil whine" (a loud, high-pitched whine that's present whenever the machine is not sleeping). In a noisy office environment, that probably wouldn't be a problem. But, if the machine's in a fairly quite home office, then, depending upon your hearing, it might get to be very irritating (it could also be a sample variance). The only other complaint might be with using a USB thumb drive (or other media card). When I inserted a thumb drive with about 1500 pictures on it, it brought the machine to its knees (almost 4 minutes to be read). An SD card with only a few pictures took just a few seconds, so that's probably an artificial problem. Also, trying to view a 5 MB PDF of a scan from that thumb drive while mounted in the printer took so long that I had to close the process. Bringing the same file up with the thumb drive mounted locally only took seconds.

Now, for some background material. The good impressions started with the physical setup. The printer was very nicely and securely packaged. The Setup "poster" was complete and easy to follow. The only quibble I had with it is that at the point where it said to turn on the printer, it didn't say to enter the language/location on the display screen. But, that's easy enough to figure out since the screen prompts for that information.

In my setup, I used a wired Ethernet connection. So, even without installing any software/drivers, the printer at least showed up on all my computers' Network pages (Vista Ultimate (x86 & x64) and the Windows 7 Beta) and was configurable via its built-in server. At that point, I could perform local actions at the printer itself. But, to do things from the computers, I had to install the drivers.

Under the Windows 7 Beta, I couldn't install the full package of software/drivers either from the CD or downloaded from HP's site. To get the package to run at all, I had to right-click on Setup and set the compatibility mode to Vista and Administrator. But, even then, it failed after 18 minutes ("Step 4 of 4 - Configuring Your Product (96%)"). I uninstalled everything and used the "scrubber" from HP's site to clean everything out and then installed the Basic Print and Scan Driver from that same site (it's just the drivers -- no software). Again, I had to set Setup's compatibility to Vista and Administrator. But, this time, it worked (5 minutes). Since Windows 7 is only a beta, I don't count this against the printer. I'm just noting it here for others.

Under Vista (both x86 and x64), the full set of software/drivers and the basic driver installed just fine in 15 minutes and 5 minutes, respectively. Personally, the basic driver is all I needed: OCR and finer control of scanned documents is the only thing I really needed from the full suite. But, unless the computer is co-located with the printer, it's really not practical (you don't get those capabilities from scans started at the printer itself -- only from those started from a computer).

On an informative note, the printer ships with 4 HP 940 ink cartridges: one each of Black (~$26, 1000 pages), Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (~$20 and 900 pages, each). I can't find a capacity for the two printheads, but replacements would run about $60 (all prices are from HP's site).

Overall, I'm very impressed with the printer and am rating it a Very Good 4 stars out of 5. If mine didn't have that annoying coil whine, I'd easily give it an Excellent 5 stars out of 5.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer Decide Now

2009-12-16T14:49:00.001-08:00

I can't say enough about the HP Officejet Pro 8500. It's everything an all-in-one printer should be! The setup was simple and the printer works great with my Mac Airport Express wireless network. I have three Macs in the house (one desktop and two laptops) and all of them can print to this printer. (I also have a Windows laptop and have no problem printing from it either.) It's such a joy to have a TRUE wireless printer that allows me to print from my laptops no matter where I am in the house. My last printer worked somewhat with my wireless network, but was not a true wireless printer. This meant that I could print simple documents wirelessly, but to print complex documents or photos I had to go upstairs to the office and plug the printer into the USB connection on my router. Now I no longer have to do that!!!

The print quality of this printer is fantastic. The 250-sheet paper capacity is great. The duplex printing feature works like a charm. Being able to scan legal sized documents is incredibly handy. And how cool is the little touch screen??!! I also like the easy accessiblity to the ink cartridges. No more reaching into the bowels of the printer to change the ink. It's right up front and simple to get to.

HP has hit a home run with the Officejet Pro 8500. If you're looking for a true wireless all-in-one printer for your home or office, you can't go wrong with this unit. Highly recommended. And then some!Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer Right now

2009-12-16T09:49:00.001-08:00

In terms of capability and ease of use, I give this a very high rating. It is relatively easy to set up and link to a number of laptop computers (I have three in my house, one XP based, one with Vista, and MacBook with Leopard OS 10.4).

The initial setup of getting the printer out of the box, removing packing materials, inserting ink cartridges, etc. was pretty quick, as was loading software onto individual computers with which the unit communicates wirelessly. The instructions were generally clear, at least to set up basic functions (I didn't really need some things liking having incoming faxes sent into network folders or converted to emails).

For my use, this unit serves as printer (quite fast, makes double sided copies) that generally is set to grayscale but can produce very good color copies (also quickly) too. I use standard sized paper but it can handle legal size too. Copying is good as is scanning (which is most easily done from a computer where you specify the form of the scanned document - e.g., a PDF file or JPG file that can be picked up by software that is included with the unit). The fax capability seems good (I sent off a simple fax and found it receives faxes well) -- I really don't have need for the speed dial and lists of numbers etc, but the unit has this fax capability.

This really seems like an excellent, all-in-one unit. It has a lot of capability, is easy to set up and use, and seems to be well built. One nice thing about it is that you can also check whether you need to replace different ink cartridges though an easy-to-use software link. Maybe other reviews can get at what it is missing or is not done well by this printer, but for me, it seems like an excellent unit for home use or maybe a small business.

I suppose the only concern a buyer could have here is the price of the unit -- At $400 (in March 2009), I would wonder if other printers (perhaps lacking some of the capability) would meed the needs of the users (e.g., does every need a fax capability or ability to print double-sided copies?). This is something to consider, but after a couple of days, I will say this machine really does seem to be a very good addition to my home (replacing a B&W Brother wireless printer I bought here at Amazon).

A strong recommendation.

Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Lowest Price HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-15T14:49:00.001-08:00

I thought I would make what is normally the conclusion the beginning section because not everyone may have the time or the disposition to go through all these paragraphs unless actually interested in making a purchase. I am providing more detail that should support my conclusions AFTER the evaluation section.

Evaluation
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The reviewed unit meets the claim of it being a all-in-one solution. While it is not likely that any individual user would take advantage of all its features on a regular basis, it is reassuring to know that the features are there. The supplied software and the printer's own console interface allow for a tremenduous amount of flexibility and customization. Some of the more advanced features will require an above-average level of computer expertise but, even without a lot of customization, this will be a useful, worthy printing/faxing/copying/scanning appliance.

While the superior quality of output would make this printer a good 'small office' candidate, its speed would probably disqualify it if the small office was doing any significant amount printing. I provided some personal benchmarks so that any prospective small business buyer could decide. As a 'home' printer, this comes as close to perfect as they come. I will be using it as a home printer so please do interpret my rating within that context.

A minor observation regarding 'design'. I found it interesting that some of the functions available on the touch screen are duplicated on physical buttons on the printer's console. This was striking because I actually saw this model for sale at New York's Fifth Ave. Apple store. It immediately occured to me that an Apple designer would have none of those buttons if allowed to redesign the product. This is not criticism, it's only an observation, also prompted by the fact that, for example, when specifying the number of copies to be printed, I could NOT use the physical number pad but had to punch the number on the virtual keypad displayed on the touch screen.

The strong, almost violent shaking the printer brings itself to when not on a perfectly steady surface was a little disturbing to me. I have little doubt that, if improperly placed, the printer would quickly lose its printheads alignment and it might even experience other technical trouble.

Finally, I am happy that the HP Tech support solved my Vista-related problem but it would have been better if a printer that was manufatured only a few days before I received it had an updated CD or, at least, a flyer advising Vista users how to obtain the updated driver.

Considering all of the above, the this printer gets a strong, very positive 4 stars.

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First impressions
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The HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer integrates print, copy, fax, scan document and photo-processing functions. HP supplies the printer itself, 'starter' ink cartridges, print heads and a phone wire. Ethernet or USB cables are not included. Thin manuals are provided for wireless and FAX setup. A quick installation poster is provided as well. The full 300+ manual can be downloaded from the HP site. The CD has drivers for the several supported Operating Systems and a number of additional applications such as OCR (optical character recognition).

Besides the Ethernet and USB ports, other physical IO include 2 telephone jacks in the back and slots for several types of memory cards in the front. The printer can be controlled from a PC or directly through a touch-screen color display and several buttons that generally duplicate options on the menus available through the touch-screen interface. To satisfy energy saving concerns, the printer goes to sleep if not used for a while but it can be reactivated by either touching the screen or one of the buttons or remotely from a networked workstation.

Software
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Drivers are available for the most recent flavors of Windows (Vista, XP, 2000) and for the Mac. It can be configured to either a local printer, connected to a PC via a USB cable or as a network printer, wired (Ethernet) or wireless (802.11g). Another option (not tested by me) would be for one PC to connect the printer via USB and then share it over the network. I experienced problems installing the Vista drivers but HP's tech support addressed it by replacing the CD-supplied drivers with a version available at HP's site.

While installing the drivers, HP will also install a number of applications and services. Of these the HP Solutions Center is the most versatile. It monitors the printer's status, including the ink levels and allows for configuring printing, scanning, faxing and other capabilities such as the forwarding of documents to network folders (tested) or to email (not tested yet). In addition, the home page can be used to control fax and scan operations, to convert a graphic image to text and to launch other applications such as the HP Photosmart Essential. I posted images of the Home and Configuration screens.

I did not fully test the Photosmart Essential application yet but I expect it to meet most basic photo management and printing needs and perhaps more.

If staying with the defaults at drivers installation, HP will install other, generally unneeded or unwelcome applications and services. One of them, the HP Customer Participation Program seems to be taking hundreds of megabytes but not doing anything useful from the end-user's point of view. I found Web discussions indicating that the 'program' was guilty of a memory leak. I removed it. Another unwelcome (to me) addition is the 'Yahoo Toolbar' to my Internet Explorer which I don't use anyway. This was done without asking for my permission. I had to use Vista's Control Panel to remove it after the fact.

Finally, one 'glitch' that occured after my initial installation from the supplied HP disk had a pop-up constantly telling me that the "HP product assistant" had to be installed or updated and asking me to provide a path. Providing the path for the requested file which I found burried 3 levels deep inside the supplied CD, was not helping and the cycle kept repeating endlessly. Some Web research revealed that this was a common problem and there were not many known solutions. I was able to find at the HP site a utility that tried to remove all HP drivers software from my PC but, 4 reboots later and after re-installing the drivers, the popup returned. A call to the HP support was answered and a technician was able to address the problem after taking over my computer, performing the 'cleanup' job that I tried myself and then installing an updated version of the drivers, downloaded from the HP site. The file name for Vista 32-bit is OJP8500vA909_Full_12.exe. I will post an image showing how to get to the drivers from the HP Solution Center. The HP suppport remediation completed after about 2 hours. The HP technician stated that 'only Vista' installations experience this problem. XP or Mac users should be safe.

Print
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Ink-jet printing outputs clean documents even on the 'normal' resolution. Printouts can be either color or black and white, one-sided or two-sided. Print quality can be set to anything form 'general everyday printing' to presentation, photo-quality or to ink-saving 'fast/economical printing'. The supplied paper tray can be loaded with up to 250 sheets up to 'legal' size. One-sided print speed is adequate but duplex printing can be quite slow.

The print operation appears to involved a great deal of physical movement inside the printer. If placed on anything but a very steady platform, the printer tends to swing quite violently from left to right and back. This had me concerned enough to move it from its initial location.

Copy
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The copy function allows for anything from one-sided/one-sided to two-sided/two-sided copies. As in the case of printing, two-sided copies are much slower to produce. The copy quality is good enough to make the copy almost indistinguishable from the original.

Fax
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I did not fully test the FAX capabilities but it's worth menioning that a lot of flexibility is provided, including the ability to direct the faxes to a network folder (which I did test with the scan function) rather than having them printed. It is also possible to block 'junk' faxes by maintaining a list of the offending phone numbers.

Scanner
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As a scanner, one can file the output to any of up to 10 preset network folders or if when the scanning process is initiated from a PC, output can be directed to a designated user's local folder. Scanned documents can be translated to text via the integrated OCR function. My experiment with a printed document produced with Microsoft Word returned 100% accuracy for content but, as expected, the formatting (headers, footers, margins) was not properly handled.

Photo processing
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Photo processing can be controlled either at the console and the interactive touch screen interface does allow for some flexibility. Input is provided by inserting one of the supported memory devices containing pictures (MMC SD, CF, XD, MS/DUO or USB). Some crude cropping and sizing is available as well as color processing - sepia or gray scale prints can be produced and the colors can be manipulated to be darker or lighter. The more flexible solution and the one more likely to be used is via the provided HP Photosmart Essential application. Either through the touch screen interface or via HP Photosmart the printer can be configured to use photo paper from either HP or 'other' manufacturers. Inks more suitable for photo printing are available from HP but the quality of prints that I produced with the supplied ink on Canon Photo Paper Pro was satisfactory.

Document Management
-------------------
I did not test the claimed document management capabilities yet.

Support
-------
I was satisfied with the quality of support provided. After a slow start (20 minutes) where the Help Desk person asked many questions related to my identity, the printer's identity and the nature of the problem, I was forwarded to a technician that was able to actually solve my problem (see above under 'software'). It's hard to tell whether the better than expected support came because I mentioned that I was in the process of reviewing the printer on behalf of a known vendor.

In addition, the HP Web sites provide a lot of material, including updated drivers and the full manual which I still have to print.

Benchmarks
----------
I am including a few personal benchmarks with the hope that they might help someone make the right decision when it comes to purchase a home-printer or a small office printer.

- Printing

Was done on 10 pages of a Microsoft document that had some graphics and some color. The print quality was set to 'General everyday printing'.

10 pages (10 sheets), one sided - 56 seconds.
10 pages (5 sheets), duplex - 2 minutes, 56 seconds.

- Copying

Set to 'color', 'General everyday printing' quality.

1 page, 1 copy, 1-1 side - 24 seconds.
1 page, 5 copies, 1-1 side - 1 minute, 6 seconds.
5 pages, 1 copy, 1-1 side (5 sheets) - 1 minute, 22 seconds.
10 pages, 1 copy, 2-2 sides (5 sheets)- 3 minutes, 55 seconds.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Low Price HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-15T09:49:00.001-08:00

The Bible cautions against serving two masters, a lesson of truth the product designers of HP have tried to avoid with some but not complete success.

First the good news, the printing function is outstanding. Copies in black and white or color are crisp and clear. HP claims that this printer's cost per copy for color copies is less than those of a color laser printer. Absent a cost/benefit study few working lawyers are prepared to do, I cannot confirm this, but it seems possible.

On the copy side, two-sided color copying is a great feature. Again the results are superb, but the scanning/printing time is slow.

The scan quality is very good, but scanning times are totally unacceptable. When you have a fifty page document feeder, the expectation is that the scan will be fairly quick. It is not. It is somewhat less than a page per minute but that means nearly 45 minutes to scan a document into a pdf. Scanning for OCR is faster, and the resulting test is quite accurate, but whether that is a function of the scanner or sophistication of the user's OCR software cannot stated with any certainty by this reviewer.

The Printer has fax functions, but they have not been reviewed since it has not been connected to a telephone line.

It has been tested as a wireless device, however, using the built-in 802.11g communicator. Wireless printing has many practical advantages, not the least of which is the elimination of ugly wiring. One other obvious advantage is that multiple computers can use the device as a network printer.

While it is not a perfect device, it represents great value for the money. It performs near the top of the class on most functions. That makes it a clear best buy in my book.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Save HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-14T14:49:00.001-08:00

I was thrilled to get this printer through the Vine program. I needed a scanner and an inkjet printer and this really fits the bill.

The best thing about this printer is that it is a wireless printer. This means you can put the printer anywhere as long as you have a wireless router. You no longer need to connect the printer to the router or the computer. I was concerned that it would take much longer for documents to print wirelessly but it is as fast as the printer we have connnected to the router.

Setup was easy. The quick start guide had enough detail to do everything needed. You need to install two printer heads (each one for 2 colors) and install 4 toner cartridges (one for each color - the black is twice the size of the other one). When you first turn on the printer it takes about 20 minutes to align the printer heads. This is automatic and requires no user input. The quide suggests that you install the drivers on your computer while this is happening.

Once the drivers are installed you can connect to the printer directly, using wireless, bypassing the router. I didn't want to do this; I didn't want anyone else outside the house using the printer so I connected the printer to the router using the WEP key and network name. You can do this directly on the printer, using the touch screen.

Print quality is great, using generic paper or photo paper. It does a nice job scanning also. HP includes scanning software which does a nice job.

I recommend the printer. I love the wirelessness of it, the speed, and the fact each color has its own toner cartridge. You can replace each when needed, rather than replacing them all just because one is low. Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Discount HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-14T09:49:00.001-08:00

I have owned several HP printers over the years and have been impressed with their ease of setup, quality printing, durability, and economical ink useage. I was very excited to replace my 7200 with this model.

I began the lengthy setup routine. One hour later, the printer was endlessly recycling on and off. 30 min of tech support concluded hardware failure. I returned the printer, and bought a new one, thinking I was unlucky to get a "lemon".

I went through the same lengthy setup and again the printer began recycling. After 80 min of excellent tech support the conclusion was 'hardware failure'.

TWO hardware failures. Hours lost. Needless to say I won't chance HP's quality control on this product again. Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Cheapest HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-13T19:23:00.001-08:00

The "HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer" is a feature rich, powerful inkjet printer. With FAX, Scanning, Copying, and Printing capabilities, all from a USB, LAN (Ethernet), or Wireless connection, this unit does almost everything the small business owner or "power" home user could possibly want.

Some of the very nice features include:
* Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for the FAX, Copy, and Scanning Modes - This duplexing ADF works very well and we did not experience any issues with the feed
* Duplex Printing - Allows two sided printing, works great and is fairly fast!
* Scan to File or Email - Another nice feature, it is great to be able to scan to PDF without using the PC
* Individual Ink Cartridges for Each Color - Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow cartridges can be replaced as needed
* Sharp Touch Screen Front Panel - Provides easy access to configuration and functions

Installation was a relatively easy, but significantly time consuming, process and the Quick Start instructions were accurate and easy to follow. My observations on the installation process:

* Unboxing and removal of protective tape, cardboard, and plastic was fairly straight forward
* Installation of Printheads and Ink Cartridges was very easy
* Self alignment process took a long time (about 20 minutes) and was very noisy
* Wireless network setup (with WEP) was easy to configure from the front panel
* Software and Driver Installation from CD was smooth on my MS Windows XP, Vista, and Vista 64 Bit PCs

Note: Be sure to click on the option that allows you to select which software is going to be installed, otherwise you will get several "extra" items like the "Yahoo" tool bar on your browser.

The printing capabilities are very good for an all-in-one, with the following observations:

* Print Speed - Very fast for an inkjet
* Duplex Printing - Works very well and is reasonably fast, even with the "Ink Drying" delay
* Noisy and Vibrations - This printer does make a good bit of noise and shakes quite a bit when printing
* Quality - Normal prints are very good and the few photos I tried came out perfectly acceptable

The FAX setup was quick and easy, with the installation software walking you through the options.

Scanning - The option to scan to a network folder (as a PDF) is very cool and works well. The OCR (image to text) also performed well and is a useful feature. Importing images into photo editing software was easy and seamless as the scanner was recognized by my programs immediately after installation.

Copying - This unit works well as a stand alone copier and can be set to use the ADF or directly from the scanner surface. Color or Black & White can be selected from the buttons on the all-in-one or from the Front Panel.

Overall, this is a great all-in-one for the price and more than meets my needs for my home office use.

Highly Recommended!Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Cheap HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-13T10:23:00.001-08:00

I just got it for my home office and love the quality, but was disappointed that Amazon was so much more expensive. They were actually $100 more a few days ago but seem to have dropped the price. Regardless, I was still able to save more by going to Costco.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Buying HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-12T19:23:00.001-08:00

This is an excellent home or small office printer with lots of nice touches and options. The print quality is excellent, and it has lots of useful features. It was easy to set up and use immediately but also has lots of configuration options that you can use if you want. I did not test the Fax capabilities.

Set up was easy and straightforward. This involved unpacking (there is a nice packing chart printed on one of the box flaps) and following the nine step Start instructions. This looked too skimpy at first but at each step I discovered that care had been taken so that it was obvious how things should go. A real pleasure. I spent fifteen minutes putting the duplexer, 2 printheads, 4 ink cartridges, and the paper tray together. I spent twenty minutes initializing and configuring the printer from it's console. This included the printer automatically detecting my wireless network and getting an IP address from the router DHCP server. Another fifteen minutes installing software on my desktop computer and I was done.

The printer is quiet but when printing it really shakes my Sauder printer stand left-to-right. This is a little alarming and I might move it somewhere more solid.

The wireless connection strength is excellent, including in a closed room in the basement with my 5 year old 802.11b D-Link wireless router on the second floor. One reason I wanted a wireless printer is so I can easily set it up in different places for short periods of time where there are no desktop computers or network cables. At about 25 pounds, I had no problems doing this. However it takes about two minutes to check the device and clean the printhead every time you turn it on.

Among the many nice features are an embedded web server that allows full access to all the printer configuration and diagnostics from any web browser. You can configure e-mail alerts for many common events such as low ink levels, paper jams, or out of paper. It has the ability to scan directly to a network folder from the console or to e-mail right from the printer console. Some of these require some mildly technical configuration (like your internet provider SMTP server).

Document printing, scanning and copying were all excellent as you would expect from a printer in this class. Duplexing from both the printer and the copier worked well with the printer pausing for a few seconds after the first side is printed to let the ink dry. Color copying seemed adequate but the colors were a little dull compared to the originals. Photo scanning and printing only required a few configuration tweaks and I was very happy.

When I inserted the supplied CD into my Windows XP machine, it offered to install a bewildering array of software. The HP Solution Center is the most useful. It allows faxing and scanning from the computer as well as configuration and status. It also comes with HP Photosmart Essential for organizing and editing photos. I haven't played with this yet.

HP really got a lot of details right with this printer. If you want an excellent wireless All-In-One printer, the HP 8500 will definitely satisfy.
Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Buy HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-12T10:23:00.001-08:00

All in one printer/scanner/fax that looks good and simply doesn't work and doesn't fax and scan.

On paper the spec look very good. Installation from the CD driver went (apparently) without a problem. Tested printer (print test page), fax test (fax test) all is OK.
Then I tried to use the fax and I get : "hposfx08 : Cannot create DIHPAiOFaxManager object". So I un-installed the software and re-installed the software from the CD. It will not work.
Did the same with the HP software downloaded from their website. It will not work.
Did the same with the printer installed on USB port (un-install, re-install from the CD and then un-install, re-install using HP downloaded software). It will not work.
Did the same installed on network port (TCP/IP). It will not work.
Repeat all the above steps using HP software removal tool. It will not work.
Repeat all the above steps using "manual" removal instructions from "tech support". It will not work and it also damaged functions of software that used to work just fine (Adobe Acrobat Pro for example). The "tech" support instructions were pretty vague, sometimes pointed to wrong registry keys and incomplete - it will NOT remove completely the HP software and its traces.
But it is a networked printer right? Maybe other computer will work right? Installed the HP software on computer 2 and computer 3 - network configuration (TCP/IP port). It is supposed to print/scan/fax over the network. But I try to fax from computer 2 you get only 1 (one) chance to fax. After that "printer disconnected" - while printing still works but not the fax. Also the scanner works on computer 1 but not on computer 2. Or sometimes works scanning single-sided documents but will not work if you try to scan double-sided documents. Or scanning will crash using HP software but will work using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
After contacting the tech support for the 8 (eight)-th time I get the answer "this error can have many causes" when I asked specifically what is the cause of all this problems. Did a google search and problems with this error message show as early as 2005 - but no clear solution for it.
In conclusion:
- I would have liked it but I can't make it work.
- the "tech" support have no idea what they are talking about. The error message is a problem of HP software (I have 2 desktops and one laptop with different software on them) generated by hposfx08.exe (it is in root\Program File\HP\Digital Imaging\Bin. What is conflicting with and what the problem is I was not able to find after 9 contacts with tech support. And maybe I have better things to do with my time instead of trying to solve a problem that HP knew about since 2005. Also I am pretty sure that if you contact "tech" support they will insist that you are the only one in the history of the mankind with this kind of problem.

For this amount of money I expect an All-In-One that should work and a tech support that at least should be knowledgeable about their own software.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Purchase HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-11T14:49:00.001-08:00

Being a small business owner, and a web designer as well, I need the ability to scan, copy, print and fax almostly daily. This printer does it all! It is also very easy to set up, very easy to use, and functions as an all-in-one business center for our house and business.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Order HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-11T09:49:00.001-08:00

I am extremely pleased with the HP Officejet 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer. It is a full-featured and very capable ink-jet printer that should fulfill most office printing, faxing, scanning and copying chores with ease. Of particular note is its wireless and duplex capability.

Setup of the printer was fairly straightforward with one exception. I have a home network of mixed computers; desktops, laptops, Apple and PC. HP software installation went off without a hitch on all the computers except the older G4 iMac. This particular computer did not have an Apple Airport Extreme card installed. Instead, it had a USB wireless card. The HP installer software was not able to "see" the printer over the network and therefore was not able to complete the software installation rendering the printer useless with the iMac. By using a USB cable, I was able to complete the software installation on the iMac, but once the USB cable was disconnected, all advanced functions of the printer were not useable since the computer was not "seen" over the network by the HP software on the iMac. A call to HP did not resolve this issue. My solution was to get rid of the USB wireless card and purchase an Apple Airport Extreme card. Once I did that, I was able to run the HP installer again and complete the installation. All is well with the iMac and wireless functions now.

The printer has a touchscreen screen that is very easy to use generally, but the menus can be a bit confusing at first. The various memory card slots that are on the front of the printer make printing photos from memory cards a breeze. The duplex feature is awesome and saves paper. I have not had any problems with paper jams so far and think that duplex is one of the features that really makes this a great office printer. I also own a Brother MFC-490CW, Brother MFC-490CW Color Inkjet Multifunction Printer which is also a wireless all-in-one printer (and is a very good value for the money, but the Brother printer does not have duplex). The HP prints faster than the Brother and is a more substantial printer as concerns build quality.

Another feature of this printer that is simply outstanding is the OCR capabilities. I have, up until now, never had much success with OCR software. The Brother printer also has OCR, but the software is so error prone, it makes it mostly useless and an exercise in futility. The OCR included with the HP, on the other hand, just works. It actually works for me and has been astoundingly accurate for me so far.

I think this is a great printer and would buy it again based on what I've experienced so far. I'm not yet convinced that I'll save up to 50% off printing costs (as per their advertising) compared to laser printing because I have not owned the printer long enough to make that determination. My previous experience with various ink-jets over the years is that they are quite expensive to operate... the consumable costs are quite high. So if there is a cost savings with this printer, I will be extremely pleased.

I have to give this a 5 star rating. It does what it's supposed to do and quite well.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Where To Buy HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-10T14:49:00.001-08:00

I just got this printer -- initial impressions:

1. Very easy to set up -- from box to printing wirelessly, scanning docs to my laptop, faxing, etc. took about 45 minutes.
2. Duplexer works great, but greatly slows down the print speed, as the ink has to dry on one side before the machine takes it into the duplexer to print the second side. Printing a 36 page PDF onto 18 pages took about 10 minutes.
3. You must use 24lb paper in order to keep edges from curling. 20 lb paper tends to curl at the edges. Use paper specifically for inkjets to keep colors from "bleeding".
4. Fax works great, scanning documents to a folder on my computer works great.
5. I print about 80 pages per day. If my volume were greater than that, I might not have considered buying this machine, as it is slower than a color laserjet. However, what sold me on this printer was the wireless feature and that is great. I used to have an Okidata 5150C networked to my router, but had to move the router and could not get the printer to work with a print server. For the cost of this printer, I am very happy. I only took away a star for the slowness of the duplex printing.Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.

Shop For HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer

2009-12-10T09:49:00.001-08:00

In a quest to upgrade an HP Inkjet I looked at some of the HP multi-function machines. In reading the reviews on Amazon it became clear that certain models were not meeting customer expectations. Then I found the the 8500. The reviews were all extremely positive.

I must say my fellow reviewers were correct. This machine is very fast at printing. Multiple pages combined with black and white and color throughout a document don't slow it down. The color and clarity of the the print is on par with a laser jet.

Not having had a copy or scanning capability before I was looking forward to that feature. I'm impressed! You drop a couple of pages in the tray and tell it to scan to your computer or conduct a scan and email, yes you read that right, email it to someone right from the 8500, it does a fantastic job.

I bought the wireless model which can also connected by hard wire connection to your router. For you tech heads, you can even give the 8500 a fixed IP address if you are in a small office environment. Set-up was simple and the HP literature and CD do the job well. One note, the CD set up takes a fair amount of time. They apparently load a lot of software on your computers. I have two computers accessing this printer with no problems or conflicts.

The only draw back I see with this machine is that it is noisy. The prior reviewers have pointed that out. But that's a minor shortcoming given the functionality, speed and quality of the printing.

Also, Amazon uses a third party as its supplier and shipper of this product. They could not have been more helpful. They emailed the shipping and delivery information and even followed-up after deliever to see if I needed any help.

WELL DONE HP! Get more detail about HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-In-One Printer.