» HP Color LaserJet 4500N Printer

HP Color LaserJet 4500N Printer Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware - This model discontinued
Comment: I was about to shell out for this printer - it sounds great, however the hp support site lists it as discontinued and no longer sells supplies for it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Slow Workhorse
Comment: After using several B&W HP lasers for years, I'd always wanted a color laser. Finally, I splurged and got this one as my desktop printer about 6 months ago. I'm not happy- nor totally unhappy either. It's definitely a workhorse. Once it's warmed up, calibrated and running, it works beautifully. Furthermore, it is much less expensive to run than a regular inkjet. I had been spending close to $/month in ink with the PSC500 I was using before this printer. I'm still using the original cartridges which came with the printer...In this respect, it's a great buy.

However, to save energy it goes to idle after 15 minutes or so, and takes about 5 minutes to warm up, calibrate and get up to speed. If you get a paper jam, it will again require the whole cycle. Thus, it's not really suited to be a personal printer. It is best suited for specific large jobs, not as an everyday printer. Everytime I write a one page letter, cut a check or do something simple, I have to wait and wait, and it's definitely exasperating.

Also, it's not really good as a photo printer, although I have often used it as one.

I hope the new color laser series is better.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Best Printer for the Money
Comment: I have used my 4500 for about 6 months now and could not be more in love with it. I have owned about 6-7 color inkjets before this and finally made the big move to color laser. You can print perfect photos on just about any kind of paper. I would like to see some "true" glossy paper on the market for photos, however. Most specialty papers for inkjet printers (mostly glossy) will not work with the laserjet because of the heat. Keep in mind you can not do heat transfers with a laserjet printer. There are four cartridges that make up the 4500's color. They are VERY expensive, but I am still using the same one that came with the printer and have printed well over a thousand photos. Long term is much cheaper to run than an inkjet.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Pleased with My Investment!
Comment: I print A LOT of graphs and charts on both paper and transparencies. I was very happy to see how well this printer handled them. Using HP Transparencies the printing quality was consistent and clean. No jams at all. Using plain 20lb copy paper, quality was even and bright. You can load up your media and literally walk away knowing that when you come back everything will be printed without having to "baby-sit" the machine. With the amount of printing I do (10K+ a month) that is very important to me. Hope this review helps people in their choice for a color laser printer.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Quality, Quality, Quality
Comment: This is a great color printer. I have been using this in my office since the beginning of the year. The quality of the color is unbelievable. When I use it with my hp scanner, it is difficult to tell the difference between the original and the scanned output. While I haven't used it with a digital camera, I suspect that the result is similar.

Negatives are few. Obviously, the purchase price is a factor. It is also expensive to operate in comparison to ink jet printers. Each color has its own cartrige, which costs about $100. While the printer comes with a starter set, you'll want a spare of each color. Just think... you're printing that perfect digital image of your favorite subject, and the blue runs out. These cartriges are not stocked at your local office supply store. If you have any significant volume of printing, you will need to purchase a replacement drum kit. (I know it sounds odd, but this is normal.) You may also want to add on a duplexer; this costs over twice the cost of a duplexer on most other printers.

I don't quite agree with the other reviewers about the speed of this printer in black and white. If you are comparing it to low end desk jet printers, then I guess that they are right. If you are looking for speed in black and white, then I suggest that you look at the hp 4000n. While the 4500c is the fastest true "COLOR" printer that I have seen, it takes much longer to warm up then other printers. When you are just sending 2 or 3 sheets, get a cup of coffee while you wait.

If you are networking printers, you can be both time and cost efficient by also networking a fast black and white printer such as the hp 4000n, as well as a low end desk jet for the quick draft print.

There are three reasons to spend this amount of money on this printer. 1. Quality 2. Quality and 3. Quality. I highly recommend this printer.

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