Choosing inkjet technology for your color multifunctional needs is often the cost effective choice, but can lead to drastic sacrifices in print speeds. With the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500, a laser comparable color print mode allows for not only great quality color prints, but speeds faster than one might imagine from an inkjet.

With a variety of selectable print speeds, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 can function at various speeds and print quality in both monochrome and color. Laser comparable quality comes at 11 pages per minute in color and up to 15 pages per minute in black and white. Normal quality is at 19 pages per minute for both monochrome and color, while fast draft quality is achievable at up to 35 pages per minute in black and 34 pages per minute in color.

Unfortunately, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500s first page out time lags a bit, at 15 seconds. Its maximum monthly duty cycle is substantial for a desktop MFC at 15,000 pages, but HP recommends only a 250 to 1,250 page monthly usage for maximum performance and lifespan. Monochrome resolution is attainable up to 1200 x 1200 dots per inch, but when utilizing HP Advance Photo Paper, up to 4800 x 1200 dots per inch is attainable. When printing out a copy, up to 1200 x 1200 dots per inch can be selected, so photo reproductions will best maintain quality when scanned to a PC initially, and then printed.

One of the most user friendly features included with the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 Premier are the dual paper trays. With two 250 sheet trays standard, the OfficeJet can switch automatically between letter and legal sized paper without reloads, though only the Premier model includes the tray in box, standard owners can purchase it separately. Also included with the unit is a 35 sheet automatic document feeder (50 sheet Premier model), while output capacity rests at 150 sheets.

The scanner is of a flatbed, fold up design and has an optical resolution of up to 4800 dots per inch with an outstanding 48 bit depth. The standard HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 includes only a letter sized document glass, while the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 Premiere is upgraded to full legal size, however, both units are compatible with legal sized input when using the automatic document feeder. Memory also varies in model types, and is not upgradable in either, with 64 MBs in the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 and 128 MBs in the upgraded models.

Fax specifications are very typical for a model of this type, with a 3 second per page transmission speed and a 300 x 300 dot per inch maximum fax resolution, making the unit up to par in this category as well. Up to 48 locations to can be broadcast to, while up to 99 speed dial numbers can be stored in fax memory. Color faxing is also possible along with auto redial and fax delay, rounding out the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500s array of features.