HP Photosmart B8550 Inkjet Photo Printer
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Category: CE
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: hpAudio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language)
Model: CB981A#B1H
Product features:
- Inkjet printer produces lab-quality photos as large as 13 x 19-inches
- 125-sheet tray holds paper from 4 x 6-inches to 13 x 19-inches; includes specialized tray for three common photo sizes
- Up to 32 pages per minute for black-and-white draft-quality letters; 95 seconds for 13 x 19-inch color photos
- Five-ink system lets you replace only the colors you need; 2.4-inch color LCD lets you review, select, and enhance photos without your computer
- One-year limited hardware warranty; one-year of technical phone support
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Digital camera reviews of HP Photosmart B8550 Inkjet Photo Printer
Digital camera Review: A lot of bang for the buck
Summary: 4 Stars
I thought I got a deal on this printer at $[...], delivered, a few weeks ago. Now it's available for slightly less. Friends, this is a deal. Look at the prices for the top-end photo printers from HP, Epson, or Canon and you'll see that this model is a bargain.
I will not attempt to duplicate the many excellent reviews already posted. I will just post a few comments:
1. This printer replaces my Deskjet 9650, which also printed up to 13x19. Three gripes:
--The Deskjet had a rear-feed slot for straight-through printing of heavy papers or cardstock. The B8550 lacks this feature. It's not something I used often in the Deskjet, but it's something you miss when it's not there.
--You could specify a custom page length up to 50" on the Deskjet. On the B8550, it's 44". Question to HP: Why? C'mon, HP, panoramas are pretty popular these days. Why the reduced page length in the printer driver?
--No "Banner" selection in the printer driver. If this setting were available, several programs (like Qimage, which I find invaluable) would allow printing panoramas well in excess of the maximum page length in the printer driver.
I just got interested in panoramas a month or two ago, which is why I mention the gripes above. In reality, I can probably live with a 13x44 maximum page size. But I'm always puzzled by printer-driver limitations like this.
On the upside:
1. Haven't printed 13x19 yet (just received the paper), but prints on 8½x11 paper have knocked my socks off...and have elicited comments from others like, "Did you have this professionally printed?" A noticeable step up from the Deskjet 9650, for which I paid $[...] (on special) in 2004.
2. HP has done a great job of optimizing their printers for the paper they supply. Don't curse them for this, as I used to do. Just go to your local Wal-Mart and buy the HP Advanced or Premium paper for about $0.50/sheet in 50-packs and use it. You can see the difference.
3. This printer is NOT an ink hog. Unlike most other HP printers, the printheads are NOT built into the ink cartridges. Instead, ink from the cartridges is pumped to the printheads...meaning that a good amount of the ink in the starter cartridges supplied with the printer will be used up by the time ink is pumped to the printheads--meaning that you will get "low ink" warnings very soon in your experience with this printer. Take my advice: order a full set of the 564XL cartridges the same day you order the printer.
4. The ink is not especially expensive. OEM cartridges are available on Amazon for FAR below retail...and even less than the $12.95 Walgreens charges to refill cartridges.
5. To those who complain about no cable being included, I must ask: Is this the first USB printer you have ever bought? Even if it is, every Staples & Wal-Mart on the planet carries the appropriate cable.
6. As clearly stated, this printer will print on 13x19 paper. If you open the box and discover that it's much bigger than you expected, you are dangerously unobservant. Read the specs, here and on the excellent HP site.
7. Stay around during the software installation for this printer. You actually have to push a button & do a couple of things to complete the installation (test print, etc.)
8. I have no idea why a few reviewers report installation problems and/or poor print quality. I was getting great prints 30 minutes after setup & installation.
9. A basic test: Using the built-in card slots, print a photo directly from the printer. Print quality okay? If so, open the same photo on your computer and send it to the printer. Print quality NOT okay? Don't blame the printer, please. Color management is screwed up somewhere in your software. GI,GO.
10. I was going to end by echoing other reviewers: if you only occasionally print larger than 4x6 and 8x10, you don't need this 13x19 printer...but at less than $150, why not? Go for it.
Update, April 2010:
1. Still very happy with this printer and the quality prints it produces.
2. For photo printing, I have essentially switched over to the HP Advanced Photo Paper recommended for this printer. Packs of 8½x11 and 13x19 are readily available from Amazon at a good price. Note: the HP Advanced glossy paper is very much so. The "satin-matt" would be more appropriate for some subjects or display settings.
3. 13x19 prints have exceeded my expectations. One caveat: I do all of my photo printing from Qimage, a printing utility with some very sophisticated interpolation algorithms. When you're printing large, it can make a noticeable difference.
4. Other papers: I have started making photo note cards using matte cardstock (coated for inkjet printing) from [...]. I did not know that it was possible to get that level of quality on matte stock. The special size and thickness feeds reliably through the B8550.
5. It's a bit quirky to set up a special paper size AND the printer settings which you wish to use for that special paper. The first thing you have to do is name the special paper you're setting up. As soon as you enter a name, the "Save" button lights up. The natural thing to do is click on it. DON'T. Don't save ANYTHING until you have entered ALL of the printer settings you wish to use with this special paper size. If you do, the EXISTING printer settings--which probably aren't what you want--will be saved and used with the special paper size you just set up. It took me 20 minutes and much cursing to figure this out.
6. Considering the price of 4x6 and 5x7 prints at photofinishers these days, I thought I'd never use the paper tray dedicated to these sizes. I was wrong. It's very handy for test prints (and test strips, if your photo-printing software has that feature).
7. You will get an "out of paper" message if the stack of paper you've loaded is not absolutely all the way forward in the tray. I think that sometimes just the vibration of the printer is enough to shift the paper back just a bit. No biggie.
8. I repeat that this printer is not an ink hog. The XL cartridges are available at reasonable prices. Note that if you're near a Staples store, you can recycle these or any other cartridges for $3 in Rewards after signing up for the program.
9. I considered buying a "true" professional photo printer from HP or Epson until I found out that a full inkset could run $240. This printer gives me knockout 13x19 prints, and that's more than good enough for me.
Summary of HP Photosmart B8550 Inkjet Photo Printer
From amazing photo enlargements to high-quality documents, this is the only printer you need. Print photos from 4 x 6 to 13 x 19 including 12 x 12 scrap booking pages. It's easy to use, efficient and delivers the long-lasting photo quality you demand.Amazon.com Product Description The HP Photosmart B8550 Inkjet Photo Printer makes it easy to produce lab-quality photos as large as 13 x 19-inches at home. Enjoy the versatility of printing from your computer, from a supported memory card, or directly from your PictBridge enabled camera. And because this Photosmart printer also produces laser-quality text, you can rely on it for all your printing needs.
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 Easy-to-access ports let you print directly from memory cards. |
 The HP Photosmart B8550 Inkjet Photo Printer produces lab-quality photos up to 13 x 19-inches. View larger. |
 Review photos using a 2.4-inch color LCD display. View larger. |
Printing photos and enlargements at home is convenient and cost-effective. The HP Photosmart B8550 Inkjet Photo Printer offers several printing options. With a 2.4-inch color LCD display, you can review, select, and enhance photos without the use of your computer. It features 15 convenient buttons that let you zoom-in to check out details before you print and perform quick editing tasks. With special HP technology, red eye reduction is as easy as pushing a single button, and the printer's four LED indicators let you know if anything needs your attention before you start printing.
Dedicated slots let you print directly from a variety of common memory cards, including Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Secure Digital/MultiMediaCards, and xD-Picture Cards. You can also print right from any PictBridge enabled camera or computer using one of the printer's high-speed USB connections. This printer also supports wireless operation with the use of HP Blue tooth adapters (not included).
Print Almost Anything, Fast
The 125-sheet main tray holds paper from 4 x 6-inches to 13 x 19-inches, including envelopes, standard letter paper, and legal-sized paper. A specialized tray makes it easy to load paper in three common photo sizes--3.5 x 5-inches, 4 x 6-inches, and 5 x 7-inches. Additionally, borderless printing is supported for prints up to 13 x 44-inches.
Document printing is fast, at up to 32 pages per minute for black-and-white draft-quality letters and 31 pages per minute for color draft-quality letters. Unlike with some multi-use printers, photo printing is quick, too. A 13 x 19-inch color photo may be finished printing in as little as 95 seconds.
Innovative Technology for Quality and Reliability
Four HP 564 dye-ink cartridges in cyan, magenta, yellow, and photo black provide vivid color images and high-quality black-and-white photos. For laser-quality black text on paper, a fifth cartridge contains black pigment ink. Combined with Advanced Photo Paper, these Vivera inks offer instant-dry, smudge-resistant photos. Plus, with the five-ink system, you only have to replace the cartridges you need, saving you money.
There's plenty of innovative technology behind HP's photo printers. Unique Auto Sense technology uses optical sensors to optimize settings based on what type of paper you are using. And when printing begins, dual-drop volume technology means the specialized print head delivers extremely small drops, allowing detailed images to contain smooth transitions.
When you select the "best" print quality option for color or black and white, this Photosmart printer prints up to 1200 x 1200 dpi. For photographs, it can render images with up to 9600 x 2400-optimized dpi color (when printing from a computer on selected HP photo papers and with 1200-input dpi).
This HP Photosmart printer is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty and one-year of technical phone support.
What's in the Box
HP Photosmart B8550, Printhead Assembly, HP 564 Black Ink Cartridge, HP 564 Photo Black Ink Cartridge, HP 564 Cyan Ink Cartridge, HP 564 Magenta Ink Cartridge, HP 564 Yellow Ink Cartridge, power cord, Software CD, Photo media sample pack, Start Here Poster, User Guide, and Creative Projects Guide.
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