HP does it again- - - - (whether in a good way or bad, only time will tell)

After much research, we chose the Officejet Pro 8600 Plus model as replacement for our existing OJ Pro L7590 printers. So far we're very satisfied with their performance, but a few things did come as a surprise;

1) Part of why chosen was to get away from some of the past issues we've had with separate cartridge and printhead systems- there was no 'specific' mention ever found but the supply listings for 8600 models do not list any printheads, only cartridges, nor were printheads mentioned in any reviews on the web, but one quick look at a cartridge when installing tells you that the printhead is separate, and apparrently is now a fixed component of the carriage, so hopefully this will not turn out to be a troublesome feature. This does also raise question about the higher ink cartridge cost when the most sensitive and complex component, the printhead, is not integrated with the cartridge itself.

2) Then there's the paper tray, more aptly "drawer" in this case. While being more enclosed may be a benefit to less dust intrusion, we've quickly found it could really have benefitted by at least having a small, clear, 'viewing window' where you could see the paper level without need to pull out the drawer, and equally is a bit inconvenient for those times you need to print just a page or two using different stock. It has not so far proven to make any improvement to the paper-pick roller sometimes slipping and getting a false 'out of paper' error; in fact often having had to remove/shuffle stock/replace the drawer multiple times so far. The 250 sheet capacity, too, has been troublesome, being far more reliable in paper feed if only filled to about 150 pg. max.

3) Another prime reason we chose the 8600 "Plus" version was the much larger touchscreen, 4.3" where the base 8600 model's screen is a mere 2.6"; we found this to be very well worth the increased model cost.

Setup goes very smoothly, though I was surprised to find no mention or warning to first removing any prior installed OJ Pro software (which has been an HP issue for a long time), and did find that it still can be. We 'tested' installing one without removing the previous first, and the disc does not automatically do this or search and warn if one is found, so be sure you uninstall any pre-existing OJ Pro machines first to be safe.

I can't comment on the wireless operation, as it's been our experience that wireless setup is tentative at best in our offices, subject to interference from other equipment we use, and even when working well comes with a major lag to prints actually starting, so we stick to hard-wired printer connection.

The 'print from anywhere' e-printing feature does look like it may be very useful to us as an alternative to fax for our international clients who often don't have access to or problems with successful overseas fax transmission.

Otherwise the OJ Pro 8600 series looks to be solidly built, well designed, a bit quieter, and will hopefully live up to the high marks it has earned in market reviews.

Lastly, a minor "shame on you, HP" for their having failed to edit their copy/pasted remark of "...accelerate productivity with apps on the large touchscreen..." in description of all three model versions when the base 8600 lacks such; this can lead to some buyer confusion, so read those descriptions carefully!

Great printer and best value seller for the money

I have purchased a lot of printers over the years but this one really does it all. It easily installs on our LAN at home, it does B/W or Color printing on demand from any device.
It Scans easily with multiple options of color and resolutions to control the finished product size.The enclosed OCR works nicely and it great for the price, "Free with purchase".
It is accessible by both Windows and MACs on our network and it great for wireless access by the iPads and Mini's.
It easily does double sided printing or copying, and the document feeder picks up multiple types of paper without jamming or sticking.

It was well packed and easy to put together, I have not seen any downsides for our use for almost 30 days.

Overall, i'm very happy with it!

Love the printer! Very nice and modern features! I have no issues with it as I always buy HP printers. Easy to put together. Excellent quality. I've actually spilled some water on the paper that was printed...not intentionally however, and the print didn't run. it dried up and it was good to go! it's not like before, where the print would run. So that is an improvement with THIS INK. The color is really good. I've used the fax over and over...that's good AND I don't have a regular telephone, I have a Net Talk and it's ok. I've scanned with it and it's REALLY GOOD. I've pretty much used ALL the functions with no problems. I can't think of anything bad or negative to say. it's done a couple of updates and it didn't take FOREVER.

I would recommend this to anybody seeking a GOOD printer. I don't buy other printers ANYMORE. I've tried Epson, Kodak and Canon...and everytime I bought one of those, I've returned them for one reason OR another and wound up buying a HP. so now I don't waste my time anymore. I just buy HP like i said.

good printer but has its ups and downs

The Print quality is great, speed is the best yet.
Cost of ink is way to high, and you have to watch when you scan, it will JAM. also do not fill the paper tray all the way
it will give you a false paper jam warning.
but when all works it wors great

This is the real deal in one packags.

The All in one Printer does everything i need & want in a printer, fax, Scanner. No problems so far. cant complain. Great machine.