HP Photosmart Pro B8850

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.

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I took a chance when I bought this unit because I saw the bad ratings. I must say that I'm usually able to work with an HP product and get it to work. This is one of four HP Printers that I've owned in the… last 5 years. I have an HP Color Laser (sucks because it doesn't print on heavy cardstock), an older HP color inkjet that was passed onto the kids, an HP Photosmart 8450 that I used to use before this, and this B8850. Two reasons I bought this: (1) large format and (2) waterproof prints. It is waterproof and it does print on the large format paper. That's why I gave it two stars. It does do what I bought it for. However, a print is only as good as it looks, large or small and this one is terrible. First, the color that I get is not even close to the screen. Now, before you say I need to calibrate my screen, take into account that the 8450 can and will print the EXACT color on my screens...plural. I've move the photo editing software back and forth and even used a third monitor and they all produce the same color. The 8450 can reproduce it perfectly. I've tried several methods to get the B8850 right and it's just not working. All my colors are too pink and I can't adjust the color to the fine detail it needs to be. Photos of my baby at the beach look like she's sunburned and I know she wasn't. I've been able to get it close, and I guess that will have to do. The other major problem I have with this printer is that it has less detail that I'm used to getting from the 8450. I print a lot of digital scrapbook pages that have texture and depth. The detail in the prints and photos isn't nearly as good as from the 8450. I see some detail, but the entire print seems blurred a little. I don't think it's a problem with the unit. It think it's just meant to replicate a photo from a developer. At first I thought it was because I was always using matte paper in the 8450 but I just printed the same print on the same paper from both machines and the 8450 was superior. Now, some people like the "photo" appearance, but I spend a lot of time trying to make my digital pages have detail and look like they are 3D. The 8850 loses some of that and I'm very disappointed. I've had this for 9 months and I've worked with it a fair amount. I just can't return it at this point and I'm not willing to risk another brand at this time. Something I found out today...my 8450 prints that were printed on HP Advanced Photo Paper...are WATERPROOF! Tested by smearing water across the print and it slightly discolored it until it dried and was back to same color. So it looks like I'm gonna keep my 8450 and use the B8850 only when necessary. Oh, yeah...and the 8450 is networked already. Side note, I have had 3 HP laptops (just ordered 2 more for a total of 5) and one desktop over the last 5 years too. I usually love HP and still do, so when I say I'm disappointed with this printer, I'm really not liking it.

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Setting up was easy, but learning to select the right options took some time. I use Photoshop CS3, so I have to choose application control when setting up to get perfect results. One problem was printing… 8X10s on 8.5X11 paper. It stretched the image to the full paper size. This problem was solved by making the 8X10 to size and pasting it on a white 8.5X11 blank white image. Another problem was the 6.5 mil kodak paper would get gripper marks on the bottom part of the paper. Using Ilford Gallerie smooth pearl paper has worked great, with no marks. It is a heavier than recommended paper, but I have had no problems using it. I love the quality of the prints and the waterproof long lasting feature of the pigment based ink. When using the special media tray, the printer pushes the print through the back slot, then prints on the paper coming forward onto the trays. I had thought it printed out the back, but no, it comes back forward. A little more room is needed for this. I am pleased with the results of the printer and Amazon had the best price.

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This printer is awesome for making clear, vibrant prints up to 13 x 19. It's easy to set up. It is large--you'll need a big space for it and noisy, but the pictures are worth it. I had a Canon 9900i… previously and this printer does at least as good if not better job. I'm an advance amateur and like to print my pictures from Photoshop Elements at 8x10 or larger. The only detriment I've run into is that it doesn't like the cheap paper...as long as I stick to the HP stuff, it works great. I'm impressed with the colors and accuracy of the prints.

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