Customer Reviews

HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Fotodrucker A3+ 6.0 Foto / Minute 4800 dpi USB 2.0

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

Buy the B8850 and save about $125! What does the B9180 have that the B8850 doesn't?

1. And LCD status display
2. Built in Ethernet port
3. A metal paper tray
4. Can't print on quite as think paper

If you can live without those things (and I can) then save yourself the extra money and get the B8850. It is essentially the same printer...perhaps even a little better as it has benefited from whatever refinements and upgrades came after the B9180 (like the sleep mode).

I have both and they are great printers. The B9180 is at work and I have the B8850 in my home office. It is probably the best hi-end home photo printer I have ever owned, and I've owned some very nice Epsons as well. Quality is on par with them or better, but what I like best is the reliability. I have yet to have a clogged head or similar printing issue. It produced excellent photo reproductions right out of the box and I have yet to be disappointed. Build quality is phenomenal, almost as good as the tank-like B9180. Printing is quiet and fast. The detail and quality are on part with the outsourced photo printing companies. The inks and papers (you can use quite a variety from plain to fine art) are expensive, but no more so than with other printers and I have found the Vivera inks last longer before running out. I am using printing under Mac OS X 10.5.3 and have had no problems. I concur with the other pros laid out by the other reviewers.

So, what are the caveats?

The paper jams occasionally, or does not spool into the paper feed until it is reset. That is nothing serious though. On some papers, the prints can look a little flat and the colors fade when viewed at an extreme angle. Again, nothing too serious -- most people won't notice. The software interface is a little clunky, but once you get used to it, it has some very nice options and is easy to use. It sometimes intrudes with error messages but not enough to overly bother me.

Otherwise, it is an excellent, reliable machine. Super for the photographer or graphic designer that wants to output archival quality prints at home.

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.

I had read the reviews and thought about the HP B8850 for a long time. A friend was getting incredible results from a lesser HP printer. So I bit the bullet even knowing it was a noisy and expensive printer to use. I wanted to upgrade from my trusty Epson 1270 that was just starting to give me fits after 6 years and also get the pigment inks.

What a mistake, I spent the first day trying to get a decent print, they all turned out magenta. Sure enough the yellow was plugged up and trying 4 or 5 intensive cleaning cycles did not help.

The tech guy (in India) said I didn't take the plastic off the cartridges. They are self-sealing and came out of sealed bags. I said if I didn't take it off then all of the colors would not print. He had to go to the "lab" several times for help. He simply was not familiar with this printer even though he was polite.

I spent 3 hours on the phone with the HP tech and then he sent me to the warranty dispatcher that was going to send me a new print head. I said that would not fix it as the yellow ink had thickened to a mustard like consistency. I wanted all new ink (8 tanks) and heads (4 heads)! as I also had used allot of ink and paper. He escalated this to a "Case Manager" who did call back but I had already returned the nightmare printer.

This printer has tubes that go from the ink to the head so it was clogged there too. What a poor design for consumers but good for them as it uses allot ink to fill the tubes and by now I had used 25% of my ink including the yellow that did not print, where did it go?

When I took the printer back the next morning, I exchanged it for very quite and beautifully printing Canon Pixma Pro 9000 II. Yes it has dye inks but its design is very nice and the ink tanks sits directly on the single removable print head. I still have full ink after several 13x19's and a dozen 8 1/2 x 11's. The Canon also came with some nice software for free.

Maybe my bad experience is rare but even if the HP B8850 had printed nicely, the way to load the paper, its loud clunks and clicking sounds would have been reason to return it. I also purchased HP's premium plus paper to only find out in the manual it was not supported by this printer! No where on the printer box or paper package did it state this.

I'm a software developer who develops software for printers and while the hardware itself is certainly capable, HP's drivers are horrendous! I'll try to summarize in categories:

(1) Print quality - print quality is pretty good but this is a pigment printer and gloss differential (sometimes called bronzing) is a problem. This printer simply cannot print true glossy prints like the Epson R1900. That said, you can get very good semi-gloss prints. I've found that Canon Premium Photo Paper Semi Gloss works very well. The color gamut is also a bit more narrow than other printers that have different primary inks like red, green, or blue: the B8850 only has yellow, magenta, cyan, and then light cyan and light magenta. That's a bit "old school" these days and you can tell in the prints: they just aren't quite as vibrant as some of the competition.

(2) Paper handling - paper handling is a bit different from other inkjet models. The main tray pulls out the front and you load the paper in the tray upside down and put the tray back in. For this reason, you'll need plenty of desk space in FRONT of the printer, not just side to side. The specialty media tray is nice, but I find that the driver has a bug that always complains that the tray is in the closed position even after you've just opened it and loaded paper, forcing you to click "continue" before every print. Not a big deal since you can only load one sheet at a time anyway, but there are other issues as well. Sometimes the paper isn't "detected" properly and it complains that there is no media in the tray (when you've just loaded it). All this makes it a bit of a pain to load specialty (large) sheets. If you are someone who prints test prints like one 4x6 on an 8.5 x 11 page, then reload and print another 4x6 test print on the same page, be aware that there is a light sensor in the printer that can be fooled by this: if you print anything at the left/top edge of the paper, the printer will insist that no paper is loaded. Just another kink to work through when working with this printer. It's just not as easy to use as other models. The work around is to print your test prints from right to left on the page, leaving the top/left blank as long as you can.

(3) Color - There are some serious bugs in the print driver related to color. The B8850 simply cannot run in "application managed color" mode on 4x6 paper with "HP Advanced Photo Paper" selected: you'll get a mustard yellow print. This is a known bug that has been around since 2008, so I have to assume HP has no intention of fixing it. It's really surprising they can sell printers given the number of major bugs that exist in their drivers. On the positive side, there are usually workarounds. The workaround for the color management bug is to select "fiber gloss" or "other" paper since the paper type seems to elicit the bug. Of course, you'll then need to create your own ICC profiles to be sure you are getting correct color.

(4) Other bugs - There are other bugs in the driver as well. If you go to the "Advanced" section and change "Advanced Printing Features" from "Enabled" to "Disabled" (something you should be able to do), you'll get no print at all. The printer will start, load the page, and just sit. Some other less problematic bugs also exist such as the rulers being totally inaccurate when using the "preview before printing" option: often the rulers will show something like a 26 x 38 print size when the print is actually 13 x 19, and so on. Be on the lookout for strange stumbling blocks like this that can take some time to step around. The driver is a real pain to negotiate due to the number of bugs present.

Bottom line: this is a good pigment printer that will create long lasting prints. If you can stomach all the driver bugs and workarounds, it can be a good addition to your digital photography arsenal. Just be warned, it may take a few days and a lot of prints to get this thing working properly in a real color managed workflow. Also be warned that if you want true glossy prints with that "wet" look, better get something like an Epson R1900 that has a gloss optimizer ink.

Mike

First, I must say that I wasn't really prepared for the enormous size of this printer. I know it can do 13X19 sheets, but even with the 13 inch opening, it still has about 8 inches to the left and 6 inches to the right of additional printer that needs to find a place to live. When I went to pick the box up from UPS I had a hard time even fitting it in the back seat of my car, so just make sure you have enough room to actually fit this giant.

The setup was pretty easy and there was actually a guided setup that came on the install CD, so there were even little demos of each step.

I was a little skeptical about the water resistance of the ink, so as soon as one of the test sheets finished printing I took it to the sink and hosed it down and then wiped it off with a paper towel. To my amazement it didn't run or smudge at all, it did scrape a little from the force of the harsh towel against the glossy surface, but I would expect that from any photo. So I thought that being water resistant would help with the handling of the finish prints, however, when I printed a few and took them to work for people to look at I started to notice little smudges and missing ink with fingerprints, so they don't hold up the best against a lot of handling.

As for the actual print quality, I was very impressed overall. I printed an 8X10 of a photo that I had already printed from a professional lab and the colors were slightly different, but the biggest thing I noticed was how sharp the one from the printer was compared to the one from the lab. I could see far more detail in the print from the printer. So as long as you are going to frame the print and not handle it too much, I see no reason not to use this printer, unless the prints end up fading, but I will have to wait a few years to report back on that aspect (they are rated for 100-200 years, so that should be pretty good in my mind.)

One slight problem I did find has to do with the Photoshop plug-in that came with the printer software. When you resize or crop an original and then use the plug-in to print, it really degrades the photo. I was using a 10 mega pixel camera and just cropped the photo a little and ended up with tons of jaggy little pixels that made the photo look like a camera phone image. However, when I took that same saved file and printed it without using the plug-in it looks wonderful, so something about cropping and the plug-in is not quite right, so be careful if you are using that, and please let me know if you have found a solution.

Then the last thing, which is sort of a big one, is the continued cost of photo paper and ink. There are 8 ink cartages in this printer, each costing about $30, so if you have to replace them all it would be around $240! Hopefully some colors will last quite awhile and you will only need to replace the really popular ones, but still between that and paying between $1-$2 per sheet of paper for the larger prints or .25 cents for the 4X6's, you are not really saving any money by doing your own. So if you are looking for instant results and don't want to have to go somewhere or wait for your prints to show up in the mail, this is a nice alterative, but don't get it to save money, because that's not really going to happen. I figured that each 4X6 I print costs around .50 cents just for the ink and paper, so unless you are used to paying more than that for each 4X6 this may actually be a little more costly, but then again you can do as many as you want and have instant feedback and you don't have to leave your house, so you are paying for the convenience. The prices get a little more competitive as the print size increases; I break even with a 5X7 and start actually saving money with 8X10 and larger pieces.

All-in-all, this is a very nice printer that produces great prints at the expenses of large desktop size and fairly high continued cost for materials. So, if you want to print high-quality photos from home and don't mind the size or relatively high price for the smaller sizes, this might be the printer for you. If you don't care if you have your prints immediately or don't print very many large prints, then there might be better choices that would save you a ton of space and some money.

This large format (borderless up to 13*19 inch prints) inkjet printer uses HPs Vivera pigment inks and produces gorgeous prints that should outlast you! The printer is very large (about 27 inches wide) and weighs in at nearly 40 pounds - make sure you have room for it before you order. It is the lower-grade version of the 9180 and lacks a few of that printer's features (check the specs to see if the differences are ones you can live with).

Output is outstanding and while this is not the speediest printer in the park, it is no slouch. For the kind of printing it is built for (large format pro/serious amateur) the speed is fine.

I have had the printer set up for a few days and have printed on Canon glossy (4 * 6), Inkpress Luster (5*7) and HP Pro Satin (13*19). All outputs were gorgeous, no "wheel" marks on the prints, and fine color saturation and fidelity, excellent sharpness and contrast captured as well. I used Photoshop CS3 to prep the images prior to printing. Did I say I was impressed with the output? Yes! But you should be at this price /feature point

I love this printer, but there are a few things that could be better:

1) Ink cost. This printer uses 8 cartridges as about $30 a pop. Do the math. This is not cheap to operate, though remember, this is quality ink we're talking about here, and to HPs credit their cartridges do contain more ink than Canon or Epson so should last twice as long.

2) Build quality. Lots of plastic (I know they all are), but it feels cheap and flimsy (I know printers are regarded as disposable!).

3) The software feels a little kludgy at times and seems to not be as well-integrated with Photoshop as it could be. For example, the preview makes it look like there will be white strips when printing borderless, but in fact there are not. There are also, perhaps I missed it, no options for how the image gets cropped in borderless mode. Printer software also alerts you to a lot of things (print heads are being serviced, for example, which happens EVERY time you turn it on).

4) I have found paper feeding to be tricky and have wasted a few sheets via misfeeds. Red River Papers, for example, does not speak highly of HP's feed mechanisms and some of their papers are not recommended for HP printers. I find this very interesting.

So all in all, a wonderful printer. I have never used a pro-large format printer before - so have no basis for comparison, but this one is staying put - for now...

I have had this printer for over 7 months now and only 1 out 5 pictures are accurate in regards to color. I bought Element 7.0 just to make sure that I would get the best quality picture and have had unending problems. I have called the help desk to find out 'how do I know if the plug-in is working?' They can not help. I either reach India or Canada (Canada is definitely better). The only info they have is what I already know. I have followed all the instructions to make sure my color management is at peak performance. No Luck. I only use HP paper recommended. After uninstalling and reintsalling both photoshop and printer software I am no better off. The first picture printed came out great! Then the printing seemed to revert back to the original sorry state. I have spent [...] in ink to get maybe 3 decent pictures. . The best photos you can hope for needs to be printed using Printer manages color. They aren't great and definitely not worth the money.

By the way, all of the paperwork that is included with the printer states that the printer is NOT compatable with CS3. Whoever wrote the reviews on the photo websites didn't try it out.

I bought the printer directly from HP hoping for better service. No Luck They promised me a price match. I have not received the rebate promised. Now I just have to figure out how to return this monster.

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.

I am generally satisfied with the product. However, I was disappointed that the original manufacturer packaging of the unit purchased from Amazon.com showed evidence of being bounced around in storage for some time. Also, the date of manufacture was noted as approximately 12 prior to the date of purchase, so I have additional concern with the shelf life and freshness of the included ink cartridges. In general, I am thinking I may have been better off by paying $50 more and purchasing the product directly from HP with a $50 instant rebate and probably getting a newer and fresher unit. The unit set up went OK and I was able to quickly produce excellent 13x22 prints using the included software and and cards using a Hallmark program, although it for some reason would not recognize and print on the associated envelope with the Hallmark program. The only other anomaly of significant concern has been an occasional and abnormally loud bang or crash of the moving print heads that has occurred a few times during automatic print head servicing. When this has occurred, the head service routine has ceased and the resume button flashes which is a clear indication that this is not normal. So far, pushing the button resumes the routine and the unit otherwise continues to work normally in operation. I do not know why this is happening and will probably have to inquire with HP since I have a concern regarding the future potential for damage related to this anomaly and potential need for repair if it continues.