 Superb printer for the serious photographer |
| Review Date: June 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jerry Saperstein, Evanston, IL USA |
This printer is designed for the photo enthusiast who wants very, very high print quality, but doesn't want to spend top dollar on higher-end models such as the HP 9180. Thus the B8850 serves, in a way, in the same role as the Bentley used to serve for the Rolls-Royce: almost the same, but not quite.
The differences between the two models, HP 9180 and HP 8850 are subtle, but significant and will be mentioned only in passing here, since this is a review of the HP 8850. The main differences are no network connectivity on the 8850, just a USB connection. I think this omission is a mistake. The other two differences are no LCD display on the 8850, which for a hobbiest will probably make no difference and a less sophisticated color calibration routine. Since I think the 8850 calibration routine is magic, I have a difficult time imagining something better. In short, the color calibration routine on the 8850 seems to be good enough (and amazing if you've been around color printing for a while.)
First, make sure you have the room for this printer and perhaps a strong young friend to help you install it. The printer is huge: 27 x 17 x 10 inches and it weighs 38 pounds. The power brick is also huge, so don't expect to leave it dangling in mid-air.
Amazingingly, although the only connection option is USB, HP does not include a USB cable. Also bear in mind that USB cables can only be a relatively short length, about 12 feet, if I recall correctly. Over that and you'll need a special USB repeater exstension cable. I suspect that many of these printers will be set up quite a distance away from their host computer because of the size of the printer.
A big selling point for the B8850, after its superb print quality and broad range of print sizes, is the archival quality of the HP Vivera inks. HP claims that prints (with proper handling) will last for 200 years on appropriate papers. The catch? Replacing the eight Vivera ink cartridges at current prices will set you back about $230. Print capacity, of course, is going to depend on what you print. It's going to be on the expensive side for sure - and you definitely want to use this unit at least a couple of times a month to make sure the replacable printheads don't dry out.
The B8850 is very versatile in terms of its paper handling capability. Maximum thickness is 0.7mm, which rules out a lot of thicker materials. The unit will, however, accept banner paper up to 13 x 44 inches which is kind of nice for those rare and special occasions you want to print a banner, like birthdays, homecomings and so on. In terms of photo paper, it will handle anything from 3 5 inches through 13 x 19 inches.
Before getting into the subject of print quality, it is best if the potential user understands the concepts of color management. The HP B8850 is not designed for people who just want to plug the printer in and print. This is a professional (or very near professional) color printer and demands an understanding of color management in order to get the best possible results.
HP provides its Photosmart Pro plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop. Adobe RGB, sRGB, and ICC profiles are supported. A really neat feature of the B8850 is its internal color calibration capability. Anyone who has tried to calibrate a monitor with a screen meter, printing out calibration sheets, scanning them knows what I mean. It's a hassle - and a very necessary hassle in the quest for quality.
With the B8850, you print the test chart - and the printer reads it automatically with internal sensors! Talk about a "Wow!" factor. This is the first time I've seen this feature and I am definitely impressed. It is said that the equivalent system on bigger-brother B9810 is better, but I suspect only the truly eagle eyed will be able to tell the difference.
Setup is simple. I strongly suggest using the User Guide for at least a checklist. Setup takes about 15 minutes or so. The HP software is pretty good.
One more word of warning before moving into the subject of print quality: garbage in, garbage out. If you start off with unadjusted images, with burnt-out highlights and detailess shadow and incorrect color, that is what you are going to print, using up some really expensive inks. Correct your photos before you print!
Okay, the big test: print quality. The one word answer: superb.
Now I have only lower-end printers to compare with, but what the B8850 turns out is heads-and-shoulders better. I used "ordinary" photo paper for my tests. I suspect prints might look even better on specialty papers. Printing times are acceptable. Maybe 3 minutes or so for a 8 x 10 (sorry, I forget the size designator) and 30 seconds or so for a 4 x 6 print.
Overall, this printer puts the fun back into photo printing. For those of us who used to spend umpteen hours in a darkroom trying to make the "perfect" print, this printer will help you recapture the thrill of that odd quest.
Can the B8850 produce a "perfect" print? As anyone who has been a serious photo hobbiest (or professional) knows, the answer is that it is all in the eye of the beholder. Rest assured that if someone else is critiqueing one of your prints, they will almost always find something wrong with it - that's the nature of envy. But the B8850 will give these jealous folks a lot less latitude to find fault - the prints it turns out are superb, provided you start with a good quality image.
Very nice machine, but expensive to feed with fresh ink. One thing that might be considered, if your print volume justifies it, is large scale ink replenishment systems. I haven't checked into this.
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A good alternative to the HP B9180 for professional print artists
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| Review Date: June 19, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Pen Name, Fairbanks, Alaska |
The Photosmart Pro B8850 is a professional-grade printer from HP designed as a cheaper version of the HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Printer. It produces very high quality prints up to 13" x 19" using pigment ink printing, which results in much higher quality images than traditional ink jet or laser. If you have never heard of pigment ink, you probably do not need this printer. At roughly $6 a print, the B8850 isn't designed for printing mapquest directions, but exhibition prints or those suitable for framing.
The first thing I noticed about this printer is that it is BIG. It weighs around 40 pounds and takes up a large footprint on your desktop, so make sure you have the room for it. Secondly, it is a very complete package. The printer looks great, and it comes with all the ink to get started (8 different inks), plus 25 sheets of HP Photo Paper, and a folder to store your paper in so it doesn't get damaged (at almost $2 a sheet you will be thankful for it). Setup was very easy and took around 45 minutes to setup the printer and calibrate the ink cartridges. Unlike most HP software that I am familiar with for their printers and scanners, the software that comes with this printer is not too bad. It is not as bloated as their other software and most of the applications are fairly useful.
As to the quality of the prints, I couldn't be happier. The inks HP uses are very good quality. They blend well, and after doing some research, I discovered that they are not likely to fade over time. Of course this is useful for digital artists who plan to keep their pictures displayed for years. My wife does most of her photography of wedding engagements, so this is very important to her. HP claims their inks to last around 200 years, so I will update this review in 2208 with those results. As far as the ink usage goes, it seems to be fairly acceptable based on other printers I've used of this type. I mainly print full 13x9 sheets and I'm at roughly 40% ink left on the colors after 25 prints. The calibration tests also used up some of the inks, so take that into consideration. If you are printing letter, you will use considerably less. Ink cartridges run around $25 per cartridge, or a little over $230 for a full set.
HP B8850 vs HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Printer:
B8850 can print up to .7mm thick while the B9180 can print up to 1.5mm
B8850 has no LCD Panel and uses status lights instead. I've seen the LCD on the B9180 and, while useful, there's really nothing on there that I need too badly. It is useful having a text message explain something to me rather than having to look up the status light legend in the manual, but after a few days I had all of the lights memorized so it is really not a big deal.
Sleep mode added. This is one of the real advantages of this model. If you don't use your printer everyday and sometimes go weeks without using it, this prevents the inks from drying out and conserves the print heads.
These three changes are the only real differences I could find. Currently, there is only a $50 difference in price between the two printers. If you need the benefit of printing card stock, I think you should go for the B9180, but in every other application I would say it is not worth it and this printer is a better option.
Edit: - 8/11/08 - Two months later, I still love this printer and have had to replace the inks twice. Although it was very expensive to replace all of the cartridges, we have actually begun selling our prints, which more than make up for the price of the ink. We have started selling our prints in a local restaurant and it is amazing how good these look. Previously, we were using a third party to print our images. If we had actually purchased this printer, I estimate we would have broken even on the price in a few weeks. |
A serious printer for serious work
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| Review Date: May 25, 2008 |
| Reviewer: G. Ware Cornell Jr., Weston FL |
The first thing that you notice about this printer is its shear size. It is not merely big; it is huge. It is actually bigger than and as heavy as my old workhorse Laserjet II. Since the late eighties printers have been lighter and smaller every year. In this sense the 8850 is a throwback to an era of over-engineering. Given that the Laserjet II lasted in my law office for seventeen years, over-engineering is not necessarily a bad thing.
But comparing this printer to any other photo printer is not fair to the other printers. This thing is called a Photosmart Pro for one very good reason. It produces large professional quality prints. This is not a printer for your 4 by 6 inch snapshots on your 3.2 MP point and shoot. It is a printer that takes full advantage of professional and semi-professional DSLR cameras such as the Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Black), or Nikon D3 12.1MP FX Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) or my own Nikon D80 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body only).
It is also a printer for your best work only. There are plenty of other printers which can make decent 8 by 10 inch prints. HP makes many of them. I have a HP Photosmart C7180 All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner, and Copier, an All In One that is pretty good. But pretty good is not always enough. Thes prints are 4800 dpi which is very close to the type of quality big solid ink commercial printers costing much much more deliver.
As to its size (it's like having a Volkswagen in your office)...It needs to be big to handle 13x19 inch prints. Those are the kind of prints you frame and hang on walls or sell at art shows. And understand that you will not get cheap cost per print. The ink cartridges are expensive and there are eight of them, along with four print heads. These are high capacity cartridges put the truth in the printer business is that the printer exists as a vehicle to sell ink.
For serious amateurs this is an affordable but not inexpensive printing solution. |
It's great!
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| Review Date: October 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Janette S. Thomas, Peoria, IL United States |
| I hesitated before purchasing this printer because it's and eight cartridge CMYK and I'm accustomed to the two cartridge RGB printer. But I bought it anyway because I needed some of the features offered by this printer. I am really glad I did. The speed and quality have both surpassed my expectations. The only thing I would change would be access to the paper tray. On this printer you have to remove the receiving tray to acces the paper tray. I much prefer being able to simply tilt the receiving tray up to access the paper tray. |
HP Photosmar Pro B8870
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| Review Date: October 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Beverly Pineau, USA |
| Great professional quality printer. The color prints are beautiful. I have yet to try all of the features, but so far I've been very impressed |
Best buy for " ", Lowest Price + Free shipping. Get Now! |
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