Huge beast of an inkjet!
Pros:
Fast printing, multi-function, great for businesses, cheaper than laser
Cons:
Wireless can be tricky, bulky HP software
The Bottom Line:
The biggest issue with this printer is the same as for most wireless printers. Get past that, and it is an excellent business printer. Or simply buy the non-wireless version!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
HP's line of Officejet Pros blur the lines between a professional business printer and consumer grade. If you think you want a color laser, consider this first!
First, what it does well:
It prints FAST. Occasionally it will go through a printing setup which takes about a minute, but typical print speeds in normal is a few seconds.
Faxes, scans, duplex: There are several all-in-one printers that also fax, so this isn't too unusual. the automatic duplex for printing is great! It also will scan both sides, great for copying two-sided reports onto two sides (or 2 to 1, 1 to 2).
Wireless: Wireless printers are becoming more of a norm. Unfortunately, the nature of setting of a wireless printer is not quite as simple as 1-2-3. Honestly, you're best bet is to have someone with know-how to set up your home network to avoid potential hours of dealing with it (not just this printer, all wireless devices can be tricky).
Fewer Cartridge Replacements: The L7000 series (and there are a few) use four cartridges; black, yellow, cyan, and magenta. This does a few things for you. First, it allows for faster printing. Second, it is less expensive as they are ink wells (doesn't have a print head on them). Third, you can replace one color, rather than tri-color.
Cheaper to operate: These cartridges come in two capacities, the XL version of black is rated to print 2,450 pages! The cost for such a cartridge is slightly under $40.00, less than two cents per page. My color laser is $80 per toner at 2,500 pages.
Problem Areas:
Wireless Issues:As with every wireless printer that I have used, there are times a computer can't find it, and occasionally I have to "Add a Printer". Frustrating, I know. A static IP may help, or it really only takes two minutes to add a printer, search and find it, and then delete the old one. All the software drivers are current. To avoid these issues, rely on an expert for the wireless router (no doubt you have other issues with your computers).
HP Software:UGH. To truly get the full use out of the printer, you NEED the drivers and software. But do NOT have it check automatically for updates, and do NOT have it start with your computer. You can print anytime with ease, and fax as well directly from your computer, without having the software running. The software is SLOW, and if it starts with your computer, it will result in several minutes of delay (even running on my 2.2 GHz Dell XPS).
Document Feeder: I've had issues with the document feeder. It will sometimes skew the page and create a paper jam. Make sure it is seated in the top correctly, and the guides are snug on your paper size. That having been said, it is a GREAT feature to put in 20 pages and let it copy or scan away!
Loud and big: It is loud, and it is big. It does make more noise than my $400 Brother color laser, and the moving print heads can shake things up. Set it to print 50 pages at draft mode, and the paper will FLY out!
Not for photos:This is after all a business machine, but it doesn't do well with photos. It's odd it has the media slots, as you won't be very happy with the quality. The ink is different than HP's photo printers, cheaper though! Color text and graphics are very nice. Overall text is good quality.
Other things:
If you are considering a color laser printer, consider the L7000 series. Right out of the box, it is less than a color laser without any other features. Fax, copy, scan, document feeder, duplexing, wireless.....a laser with all those features would be four times as much.
The overall quality on the color inkjet won't be quite up to par as a decent color laser. Also it won't churn out 200 pages at a time at the same rate. But for your typical printing, 1-50 pages at a time, it is as fast or faster, considering the warm up time of a laser.
The cost of operating this is much less than a color laser. I can get 2,000 pages from an $80 toner cartridge, but the same for $40 with this. Also, there is no drum kit or anything else to replace.
It's a machine, and it does a lot for the money. You can't compare to a $1,000 office machine, but when compared to a printer half its cost, there are MANY benefits!
