Customer Reviews

HP Photosmart 8750 Large-Format Professional Photo Printer (Q5747A#ABA)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

(revised 1/8/07)
I've been using this as a commercial printer now for 6 months doing prototype and production work on HP and MOAB papers in multiple sizes.

This printer tends to recognize only HP paper as photo paper and everything else as plain paper with the auto image sensor so you will have to use manual paper selection. This isn't difficult and if you care about your images is what you really should do anyway. There are also a limited number of paper sizes that it recognizes so you will have an extra step to override paper size selection telling the printer that it is OK to print on the "wrong size paper."

This is built better than the smaller hp printers, feels solid, does not have that ready to break feel common to so many hp printers. It prints with authority, not fast but solidly. Images are very accurate, and I have never seen any banding provided print heads are kept clean. However, the cogs that pull the paper through do leave a faint impression on the paper spaced about 3 inches apart. This is not in the ink. This is more pronounced on the back side of the paper. If you do two sided printing, it WILL be noticeable on paper that has an image already printed on it (ie. The back side if the back is a solid graphic image)

To really get full use of this printer you'll have to put your images on a CF memory card or other memory device. These days HP puts very little memory in their printers and claims you can print at 1200 dpi input resolution. That's BS. You can only really do that if you add memory by putting the image on a memory card and slipping that into the printers memory slot. That said, when you do, you can print hi res uncompressed tiff images that are over a gigabyte (the size of an uncompressed tiff image, 13x19 inches at 1200 dpi)! And they are beautiful. If you try that through the usb port, expect many drivers to turn them into 300dpi images - SURPRISE! If the driver doesn't do this, expect the image to hang or never print. You can print through printer drivers but testing we did shows the only real way to get you image through is to put it on a CF card and put it in the printer. You eliminate a whole bunch of needless translation software that way. Try it both ways - see for yourself.

The user interface blows. It is just plain bad. But if you supply one image on a CF memory card at a time, or look at the card ahead of time through your PC you'll do just fine. It didn't take long to figure out the interface. It's simple, just not friendly.

This machine creates quite a bit of motion when printing so you definitely don't want it on the same surface as your computer when you print. It is very quiet though. It also finally ships with the normal size ink cartridges. Be aware that ink carts now have region codes and expiration dates (if you are buying them on-line or through eBay) Though this is billed as a 9 ink printer, when the blue or grey cart runs out, the color (95 or 97) car takes over in emulation mode and it runs as a 6 or 3 ink printer. This is a great feature though when running in this mode it SUCKS INK LIKE MAD.

This printer doesn't do the stupid image size manipulation that other hp photo printers do. Other hp photo printers constantly resize your images, this printer doesn't do this to the same extent unless you tell it to print borderless. This seems to be based in hp consumer mentality. Their cameras don't do 4x6 images so their printers "fix" this in all images regardless of size by first enlarging, then cropping. The 8750 engineers didn't seem so obsessed with this thought. Tiff images are the more stable format size wise. For some reason they are resized less than jpg images.

Image enhancement is excellant. The difference between a 600dpi and a 1200dpi image is usually difficult to tell. Image quality is consistant through and through. Printed results often are shown to comments such as "Oh My God" or simply "Wow."

The rear paper feed is problematic. Other reviewers have had good results, I have not. It may just be this unit or the physical setup. When it has worked, the little cog prints on the paper have been reduced, not eliminated. TO be clear though, the cog print issue is VERY faint. You will probably only notice this if you are printing 11x14 or 13x19 images at hi resolution for resale to very picky buyers. Even then you need the right light to notice them.

Dye based printers are getting a bad name these days but check out the reviews and prices on other 13x19 printers. They talk about having to print all the time to avoid constant head cleanings - bad news. On for some of them, you'll have to pay several hundred dollars more than you do for the 8750 as is the case with the new canon. This printer runs well, does the job, doesn't hang or waste paper, prints huge images at high detail, prints on any paper, and is inexpensive. I like getting new heads when I buy ink, It's a good idea, then and now. It is still dye though, so - don't put your photos unprotected in the sun or in your car with all the windows up. In other words, treat them like you treat anything of value and they will last.

My only con beside the user interface is the out put paper platform extension. Just like every printer in the world, it is plastic and could easily get broken off if someone bumps into it. Also I think the input size guide may break some day. Neither will be a tragedy, but why put these cheap parts on an otherwise stellar machine? Also I've noticed that it sometimes kicks a small stack of paper back out of the input stack after printing a few sheets resulting in an "out of paper" indication.

The 8750 comes with a usb and a network port. The net port works well. If you use a wireless setup with a router it is wonderful. You can put your cameras memory card in the printer. Transfer your images through your wireless connect to your PC. The when you want to print, send them back to the memory card all over the wireless connection. To do this, just plug the printer into your wireless router and install the hp software on your pc or laptop. The software does a good job of locating the printer. The downside is that "the software" means the hp image transfer software so you'll have to get used to yet another folder naming convention.

Some of the conventions recommended here might seem a bit picky but they will produce the best images on this and many other printers.

One fnial note - if you are selling prints, spray on some fixative such as winsor and newton fixative. This will seal the image to the paper so that moisture on your hands or from the air won't ruin it. It will also allow people to handle the print without ruining it. With dye based inks this is especially important. It will also keep you out of the embarrasing situation of someone who put your print in a sunny place returning in 6 months with a faded image.

I would buy it again and have no regrets. This is the first hp inkjet printer I can say this about.

I upgraded to this printer from the Epson Stylus Photo 2000p, which was an excellent printer. I have now had the opportunity to print many dozens of large format high quality prints with the HP 8750.

My first print out of the machine won overall top honors in a photo competition, and I have had many other prizewinning prints from the HP 8750 in the 6 months I have owned it.

I have had superb results from this printer right out of the box. The color gradations and photo detail are as close to flawless and I have seen from any inkjet. Speed is excellent for normal size text or text plus graphic printing, and good for large format highest quality photo printing. 11 by 17 inch prints take about 4 minutes, which way better than the 20-30 minutes the Epson 2000p took.

Color calibration is not absolutely necessary, since right out of the box my colors were excellent at default settings. To fully realize the enormous potential of this printer, it is necessary to calibrate your monitor.

"Borderless" and "borderless auto-fit" print settings produce unpredicatable results, sometimes leaving the images cut off at the edges or printing a bit off -center. When you are printing large images, I recommend you print a cheap proof on plain paper first to avoid wasting ink, paper, time, and money. The HP 8750 allows this with the "fast proof" print setting that will crank out a proof in seconds flat.

I found the the printer uses a lot of #102 (photo grey) ink cartridges at 30 bucks a pop. All of the ink carts are expensive and undersized for a large format printer, which is a shame and a source of significant expense to the user. Naturally, best results are expected with Premium photo papers from HP, which are also "trez cher" at about $1.50 a page for the 11 by 17's.

If you get this printer, get ready to exchange your gold coins for gold-medal-winning prints!

For professional level results you must use the correct ICC profile for your desired output and workspace. To be fair you should do this with any printer you buy.

You should calibrate your monitor, preferably with a good CRT/LCD calibration tool with software. I recommend that you standardize on a color profile to match all the components in your system (Printer, Inkjet Paper, Monitor, Software (I use Photoshop CS2)and desired results.

I have standardized on AdobeRGB 1998 for my workspace and a matching calibrated monitor profile. If you standardize, the results are simply outstanding for color work.

For black & white photo printing I use the Photoshop AdobeRGB 1998 output and the Printer default: high quality black & white printing.

The black & white printing is the best I have seen from an inkjet or pigment printer.

Do you have to go to these lengths to get outstanding results? Probably not. You do if you want to compete with the best from conventional darkroom photography and the best from digital photography. This goes for just about any inkjet/dye printer.

I am finally packing up my photo enlargers and wet darkroom equipment (except for medium format film processing since I scan medium format film into my PC).

Any cons? Yes, the ink is too expensive for the little bit HP puts in the cartridges and this is really a consumer ripoff.

The fact that they build the nozzle into the cartridge is well thought out and provides consistent results. the three-ink cartridge is OK because of the nozzle (but again, too little ink). Would I buy this printer knowing what I know now? Absolutely, for the great prints. I might change my mind after I look back at the cost of ink over a period of time.

I recently purchased my 8750 and have since printed a variety photos with it. I wanted it to print large photos for use as house decor - why buy art when you can print your own photos at 13x19 inch and get some nice looking wood frames from Target?

The printer has amazing ability. It will print all the way up to 13x19 inch, and that is one huge chunk of paper! The quality is amazing, it is the best photo printer I have seen (much better than the smaller photo only printers).

Other than wanting large format, what really sold me was Consumer Reports gave it extremely high ratings, and mentioned in their review that "it had better black and white photo printing than most", for which I really wanted the printer for. Also, the 3 cartridges with 3 inks each - and also the blue photo cartridge can be changed with a more nuetral photo cartridge for better sepia prints, etc.

The paper gets pricey if you are serious about stocking up on the different sized photo papers. The 13x19 stuff is around $55 for 25 sheets, and I just bought some 11x17 premium photo paper for $30 (25 sheets). 11x17 multipurpose inkjet paper was much cheaper at only $10 for 500 sheets.

Overall it is excellent. The price is steep, but in my opinion worth it if you will use the large format. If you are planning on buying a large format printer, there are cheaper options, but if you want to do photos that will actually look photo-finisher quality, this product is highly recommended.

Also, it is big. Really big. Make sure you have room to set it on!

I LOVED this printer!! The print quality is truly phenomenal! I had a few issues with paper sizes, too many pieces being fed through, the rear feed slot, same as other reviewers, but looked beyond those because the prints were so wonderful. And yes, I am speaking in past tense of my wonderful printer, because it is DEAD at the ripe old age of 13 months! Exactly ONE MONTH after the 1-yr warranty, my printer is "unfixable". And HP won't do anything for me... after speaking to 8 people on the phone (only one of which I understood fully) and 3 supervisors, they just said that I'm SOL... So, yes, very nice printer, if it lasts.

I have a love/hate relationship with this printer.

First, the good features:
1) Superb color. Hard to beat.
2) I've never experienced a clogged print head (Epson is notorious for this). HP print heads are replaced when you replace the ink cartridge; on Epsons, you are just replacing the ink.
2) Networked. You can print to it from every computer on the network.
3) Handles plain paper documents very well.
4) Prints up to 11"x19"!
5) Photo prints are excellent (when the paper is straight - see bad features).

Now, the bad features:
6) Handles small (4"x6"). It often pulls the paper in crooked. I've had batches of prints where every other one was bad. You know how expensive the photo print paper is. Even installing the small paper is funky; you have to shove it way into the machine -- not intuitive.
7) It accepts memory cards and, theoretically, you can print directly from the cards. The reality is that the physical interface is so clunky, you should expect to do everything from your computer.
8) Software drivers are bloated and intrusive -- [...].

This printer is easy to set up and use and produces striking results with Photoshop, but it drinks ink by the gallons. I am able to get less than 20 11x17 prints from a set of cartridges that cost about $100. I think there is an option to use less ink and of course you can set the quality lower than "best" but for the work I do it isn't worth the risk. Apparently HP has come out with a pigment based printer that uses less ink.

I am an amateur photograper at best (new to digital cameras). My photo composition is a little bit better than a snap and shoot type person. I have a desire to get better. I have two types of digital software for processing digital pictures but lacked a good printer. I purchased the Photosmart 8750 from Amazon and when I got it, I hooked it up and loaded the software onto my computer without any hassles and prepared for my very first photo. I was bowled over with the professional looking print that came out. I have since learned some new color management techniques on this printer and that same photograph now looks like a contest winner. Don't even think twice about this printer. It is fantastic. This amateur now looks like a PRO.

The 8750 was easy to set up, the software loaded easily and the first test page was perfect. The color management works very well. The printer produces fine detail, wonderful colors, and the best black and white inkjet prints I have ever seen, especialy on fine art papers. The printer is slower than some of its compeiters and uses more ink, but the color saturation is higher. It dose have one glitch, every time I turn on my computer it prints 3 pages, each with one line showing the USB ports.

I've been an Epson printer girl up until now. I began with the 1270, which was a terrific printer, lasted forever, did a great job, etc. It finally died of old age and I purchased the 1280. It was temperamental, sucked up ink big time, and just was not as good as the 1270. It died an early death, barely a year old. I was tired of the ink problems with the Epsons, so I did a great deal of research on larger-format printers, and finally decided on the HP 8750. I was influenced by the fact that the little HP PSC 750 I have owned for more than 6 years is just a terrific, sturdy, quality printer (and scanner and copier). I've been working with the 8750 since end of December, and so far I'm very impressed with it. The quality is excellent, operation is pretty straight-forward, it doesn't end up with dried ink supply like the Epson's are prone to do. The 8750 produces beautiful 11X14 prints - I'm just delighted with it. So far, I'm very, very pleased with this HP product, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to print larger-format color and/or b&w prints.