Resolved Best color laser printer for photos (was: HP Color LaserJet M856x (review))

[ZombiePhysicist]

Btw, looks like HP finally came out with a multifunction version of the M856x, the m880z:

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise flow MFP M880z

Free shipping. Buy direct from HP. See customer reviews and comparisons for HP Color LaserJet Enterprise flow MFP M880z. Upgrades and savings on select products.

www.hp.com

It’s not cheap, but it does do the imageRET4800. It’s kind of fugly as it has a weird-for-no-reason ugly black asymmetrical side; whoever thought that looks good has no taste and should never be involved in aesthetic design again.

It’s annoying, but you cannot filter HP printers by dpi resolution or imageRET technology level. Other printer manufacturers also don’t let you filter by those basic quality levels.

 

[18percentphotographer]

Like PsychJosh, I had to create an account to thank you for the research and commitment! I am also in search of a color laser printer for photographs. I make zines / booklets, and as many have suggested on this thread, I do own an inkjet (Canon Pro-1000), on which I currently print zines…but of course it takes alot of time, especially when you’re trying to make multiple copies. So I’m looking to speed up my workflow. My needs are similar, but different of course, as if I need a photo for framing, I can just use my Canon.

I’ve been looking at those Xeroxes as well, I did get Xerox (after like a month) to send me a printed example that looked really great, but as you have said, all the reviews that I’ve seen online regarding their Versalink line have really been a damper on my search. The HP that you’ve settled on, is way out of my budget, so my search continues!

And there really is no reason for this (finding an acceptable machine) to be as difficult as it has been!

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Like PsychJosh, I had to create an account to thank you for the research and commitment! I am also in search of a color laser printer for photographs. I make zines / booklets, and as many have suggested on this thread, I do own an inkjet (Canon Pro-1000), on which I currently print zines…but of course it takes alot of time, especially when you’re trying to make multiple copies. So I’m looking to speed up my workflow. My needs are similar, but different of course, as if I need a photo for framing, I can just use my Canon.

I’ve been looking at those Xeroxes as well, I did get Xerox (after like a month) to send me a printed example that looked really great, but as you have said, all the reviews that I’ve seen online regarding their Versalink line have really been a damper on my search. The HP that you’ve settled on, is way out of my budget, so my search continues!

And there really is no reason for this (finding an acceptable machine) to be as difficult as it has been!

So what may be worth checking out is the other HP printers that do ImageRET.

I believe only one other does imageRET4800 and that is this one:

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M751dn

Free shipping. Buy direct from HP. See customer reviews and comparisons for HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M751dn. Upgrades and savings on select products.

www.hp.com

I think that's the cheapest imeageRET4800 printer so it should print out basically the same as mine.

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M751n Printer with One-Year, Next-Business Day, Onsite Warranty (T3U43A) White

It's the next generation of quality, productivity, and security—the Color LaserJet Enterprise M751n is built to help drive successful organizations forward. Expect professional-quality documents and brilliant graphics with HP Jet Intelligence toner, and use the special enhanced color mode for a w...

www.amazon.com

Goes for around $2800.

Now there is a wide spread of printers that do imageRET 3600. Some with 1200dpi. Some with lower DPI like 600dpi. Not sure they all use the same toner as in these imageRET4800 printers, so vibrancy might be different. I suspect that despite all of them claiming imageRET 3600, that the output quality may vary a good bit amongst them.

But if I recall, some of the imeageRET3600 printers were under $1000. So might be worth testing some of those out.

Unfortunately the HP site does not let you filter on printer resolution or imageRET status.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Got an interesting call from Xerox today. Basically their Versalink C8000 and C9000 printers will cease production. I see no obvious replacement yet, but perhaps they will release a good new one. I fear this level of printer is going the way of the dodo though. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Finally a review of a color laser discussing its decent as a photo printer.

HP built an office-caliber color laser printer you can also hide at home — Digital Trends

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301fdw is a speedy and reliable all-in-one printer with an eye-catching design and a user-friendly touchscreen.

apple.news

“Paper selection is an underappreciated benefit of a color laser printer. I can get decent-quality photo printing on the cheapest paper available with minimal curling and no delay for drying time. A laser printer melts toner onto the page rather than dousing it with liquid ink.

Naturally, photo paper provides the best results. The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301fdw nearly matches the photo quality of most inkjet printers when using a matte or glossy photo paper. The limited 600 dpi resolution does show in some photos, so an inkjet is still needed for maximum picture fidelity. The only thing lacking is the option for borderless printing.”

 

[18percentphotographer]

So what may be worth checking out is the other HP printers that do ImageRET.

I believe only one other does imageRET4800 and that is this one:

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M751dn

Free shipping. Buy direct from HP. See customer reviews and comparisons for HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M751dn. Upgrades and savings on select products.

www.hp.com

I think that's the cheapest imeageRET4800 printer so it should print out basically the same as mine.

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M751n Printer with One-Year, Next-Business Day, Onsite Warranty (T3U43A) White

It's the next generation of quality, productivity, and security—the Color LaserJet Enterprise M751n is built to help drive successful organizations forward. Expect professional-quality documents and brilliant graphics with HP Jet Intelligence toner, and use the special enhanced color mode for a w...

www.amazon.com

Goes for around $2800.

Now there is a wide spread of printers that do imageRET 3600. Some with 1200dpi. Some with lower DPI like 600dpi. Not sure they all use the same toner as in these imageRET4800 printers, so vibrancy might be different. I suspect that despite all of them claiming imageRET 3600, that the output quality may vary a good bit amongst them.

But if I recall, some of the imeageRET3600 printers were under $1000. So might be worth testing some of those out.

Unfortunately the HP site does not let you filter on printer resolution or imageRET status.

Thanks, that gives me a lot to think about!

 

[18percentphotographer]

Finally a review of a color laser discussing its decent as a photo printer.

HP built an office-caliber color laser printer you can also hide at home — Digital Trends

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301fdw is a speedy and reliable all-in-one printer with an eye-catching design and a user-friendly touchscreen.

apple.news

“Paper selection is an underappreciated benefit of a color laser printer. I can get decent-quality photo printing on the cheapest paper available with minimal curling and no delay for drying time. A laser printer melts toner onto the page rather than dousing it with liquid ink.

Naturally, photo paper provides the best results. The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301fdw nearly matches the photo quality of most inkjet printers when using a matte or glossy photo paper. The limited 600 dpi resolution does show in some photos, so an inkjet is still needed for maximum picture fidelity. The only thing lacking is the option for borderless printing.”

this one looks pretty good, I'll need to see if I can find it in one of my local Office Depots and check it out in person. Tabloid size would be nice, but if this is the right one, Legal size would be good enough for my purposes.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

this one looks pretty good, I'll need to see if I can find it in one of my local Office Depots and check it out in person. Tabloid size would be nice, but if this is the right one, Legal size would be good enough for my purposes.

It has imageRET2400 (corrected 2023-10-19). But it's weird, imageRET3600 is on printers that only do 600dpi (like that one) and on ones that do 1200dpi. I'm not sure it will consistently be good for photos, but it's worth getting some samples at the extremes to see if it makes a difference.

Good luck with it and please share results of your search too!

 

[epipodius]

It has imageRET3600. But it's weird, imageRET3600 is on printers that only do 600dpi (like that one) and on ones that do 1200dpi. I'm not sure it will consistently be good for photos, but it's worth getting some samples at the extremes to see if it makes a difference.

Good luck with it and please share results of your search too!

On the HP website right now, it says this printer is imageREt 2400. Maybe they listed the wrong spec before and corrected it?

 

[epipodius]

Add me to the growing list of people who have created an account to commend you on all your research. It has shifted my thinking about laser printers as a viable option for some of the photo printing I want to do.

While I struggle with the inkjet printers I own, I still rely on my 44” and 17” Epsons for exhibition prints. I’m in the market for a smaller printer for generating scores of 4x6” photographs, letter size photobook maquettes, and general home office use. The prints don’t have to be of the highest quality, as they are primarily just for my reference, but I still want them to look good. I was close to pulling the trigger on one of Epson’s eco tank printers, but am also reluctant to bring another inkjet into my studio.

The school where I teach has Xerox laser printers, and my test results with them yielded passable results. However these were pretty high end machines (can’t recall the model numbers at the moment). I had assumed anything in my price range / small footprint requirements would make significantly worse looking prints.

Incidentally, I made these tests on Mohawk Color Copy 98 and Finch Fine papers which are nice papers that come in an array of base color options and textures.

So, based on everything I’ve read here, the two laser printers I think could be a good fit for my needs are the HP 4301fdw and the HP M283fdw.

They are similarly sized and priced (around $550). The 4301fdw is newer and faster, but is only Image REt 2400. The M283fdw is Image Ret 3600. Both are 600 x 600 dpi.

It seems like the M283fdw would be the clear winner in terms of image quality because of the Image Ret 3600, but am I missing something here? They are only comparably priced because the 4301fdw is heavily discounted at the moment.

If anyone here has any experience with either of these machines, I would welcome their input.

I’m also wondering if anyone has any suggestions of places where these printers might be on display, where I can possibly make some of my own test prints. It sounds like HP is not very responsive to requests for print samples.

I’ve never printed with HP printers before. I’ve been reading about people having lots of connectivity and driver issues with them. Have others had those problems printing from a Mac?

Also, can these printers be profiled and/or color managed in a straightforward way?

Lastly, is there any research out there about the longevity of color laser prints?

Thanks for any thoughts and advice anyone might have.


Here are the links to the printers:

HP M283fdw:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-m283fdw#techSpecs

4301fdw:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-mfp-4301fdw-printer#techSpecs

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Add me to the growing list of people who have created an account to commend you on all your research. It has shifted my thinking about laser printers as a viable option for some of the photo printing I want to do.

While I struggle with the inkjet printers I own, I still rely on my 44” and 17” Epsons for exhibition prints. I’m in the market for a smaller printer for generating scores of 4x6” photographs, letter size photobook maquettes, and general home office use. The prints don’t have to be of the highest quality, as they are primarily just for my reference, but I still want them to look good. I was close to pulling the trigger on one of Epson’s eco tank printers, but am also reluctant to bring another inkjet into my studio.

The school where I teach has Xerox laser printers, and my test results with them yielded passable results. However these were pretty high end machines (can’t recall the model numbers at the moment). I had assumed anything in my price range / small footprint requirements would make significantly worse looking prints.

Incidentally, I made these tests on Mohawk Color Copy 98 and Finch Fine papers which are nice papers that come in an array of base color options and textures.

So, based on everything I’ve read here, the two laser printers I think could be a good fit for my needs are the HP 4301fdw and the HP M283fdw.

They are similarly sized and priced (around $550). The 4301fdw is newer and faster, but is only Image REt 2400. The M283fdw is Image Ret 3600. Both are 600 x 600 dpi.

It seems like the M283fdw would be the clear winner in terms of image quality because of the Image Ret 3600, but am I missing something here? They are only comparably priced because the 4301fdw is heavily discounted at the moment.

If anyone here has any experience with either of these machines, I would welcome their input.

I’m also wondering if anyone has any suggestions of places where these printers might be on display, where I can possibly make some of my own test prints. It sounds like HP is not very responsive to requests for print samples.

I’ve never printed with HP printers before. I’ve been reading about people having lots of connectivity and driver issues with them. Have others had those problems printing from a Mac?

Also, can these printers be profiled and/or color managed in a straightforward way?

Lastly, is there any research out there about the longevity of color laser prints?

Thanks for any thoughts and advice anyone might have.


Here are the links to the printers:

HP M283fdw:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-m283fdw#techSpecs

4301fdw:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-mfp-4301fdw-printer#techSpecs

Wow a lot of questions and good points. Thanks for the correction that the 4301 is imageret2400; I could swear I read it was 3600—perhaps it was a typo they later corrected or I just saw it wrong—but regardless I corrected my post above and appreciate you noting my error.

So I think it’s worth your time and ask HP for print samples from those printers, and maybe a few other imageret3600 printers in your price range. I suspect they would be more likely to supply you with samples for many of the more common printers. Part of the difficulty of my getting prints were the high end printers were just not available to them internally, so you might be pleasantly surprised If you call and ask.

Also, I would try to get at least one sample from an imageret3600 printer with a 600 dpi and one from a 1200dpi resolution to see if there is much if any difference for photos. If not, that would be a great piece of info for yourself and others in being able to get way cheaper printers that still do a good job.

My guess is that imageret2400 will be appreciably worse for photos, because it would limit the color density per 600dpi dot, but who knows, maybe it still would be good enough for your purposes.

Some of the Best Buy locations had some of these printers available. It may be worth your time to go to them and try some AirPrints. Even if not for your exact printer, getting an imageret2400 and imageret3600 sample print may give you a greater sense of things.

The HP print driver I have works well for my printer even on Sonoma. They can be finicky to install. I had to install and uninstall a few times on my Mac Pro, but it installed on the first try on my MacBook, so it may depend on how “complicated” your setup is.

One thing a longtime HP employee told me was to just get the printer only version of my printer rather than the multifunction version (if I didn’t need a high end mfc feature set, and I didn’t as I have a high end separate scanner and use a fax service), because the printer only versions are trouble free “tanks” (her words) while the mfc versions tend to have way more issues and problems.

As for profiling etc, I haven’t messed around as the default colors have matched my work nicely, but I’m not a pro photographer. I suspect the HP should work fine for color profile work, but I just havent done it so I can’t give details there.

It’s a great question on longevity, and for my printer, it has a different toner type, so I suspect it may vary per toner type. It’s a great question but I have not investigated. And I suspect there may be at least 2 types of longevity.

The first is, if you have really old toner cartridges in the printer, say years old, does the color change. I suspect not as many toner cartridges are batch manufactured and sit for years. Also my printer recalibrates itself ever restart and can tell if it moved and detects atmospheric conditions like humidity, etc that may affect print output and recalibrates.

The second is how long do printed pages retain color accurate prints and how durable are they withstanding exposure to air/light. Anecdotal stories seem to be that toner lasts longer than ink, but there have been so many advancements in specific toner and inks to resist UV, that it begs for more specifics. Unfortunately I don’t know.

Sorry, I wish I could give you more answers but hope at least some of that was helpful. Good luck with your search, and please share anything you learn with us!

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Just came across the site below via this site that seems to do a lot of research on print longevity:

Wilhelm Imaging Research

Wilhelm Imaging Research in Grinnell Iowa is an authority on archival and preservation for the photographic, digital, and printing industries.

www.wilhelm-research.com

This ink/toner type review seems to suggest toner is good for longevity as well:

Pigment, Dye, UV, Eco Solvent, or Toner; Which is Right for Your Business?

Originally posted on the Arrow Systems, Inc. Blog Digital printing companies have many options when it comes to selecting which printing technology fits their needs for labels and other printed products.

www.linkedin.com

 

[epipodius]

Thanks. That is all very helpful. I reached out to HP for print samples, so hopefully I will get to assess those soon.

I was thinking about longevity of prints, though am getting the sense that they are quite stable, especially compared to dye based inks.

One comment that I came across said that only the Xerox color lasers can handle Adobe PostScript. I'm not sure if that is actually true or how much that will ultimately make a difference.

I like the idea of the laser printer for my purposes, though I will have to get a better understanding of the color management and image quality issues.

However, I crunched the numbers on the per print cost of toner vs. ecoTank ink and was a bit surprised to see that the cost of color laser prints ($0.12) is six time higher than the ecoTank prints ($0.02). It's not a determining factor, but a consideration...

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Thanks. That is all very helpful. I reached out to HP for print samples, so hopefully I will get to assess those soon.

I was thinking about longevity of prints, though am getting the sense that they are quite stable, especially compared to dye based inks.

One comment that I came across said that only the Xerox color lasers can handle Adobe PostScript. I'm not sure if that is actually true or how much that will ultimately make a difference.

I like the idea of the laser printer for my purposes, though I will have to get a better understanding of the color management and image quality issues.

However, I crunched the numbers on the per print cost of toner vs. ecoTank ink and was a bit surprised to see that the cost of color laser prints ($0.12) is six time higher than the ecoTank prints ($0.02). It's not a determining factor, but a consideration...

I haven’t used eco tanks so cannot comment on their cost. But mot of the costs are bs for many use cases. I can not use my printer for 6 months and hit print and it’s perfect. In that time my ink cartridges went bad as have to be thrown out. So there is theory vs reality here where for many people this ideal price point doesn’t happen because ink is designed to waste away.

 

[epipodius]

Good point. Also, as you said elsewhere you can get good results on cheaper paper.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

 

[lofat]

Thanks for publishing the saga of your search. I started my own back in the late 1990s (ha!), when companies would still send you free print samples lol. The era of the Tektronix Phaser with "crayons" (ink sticks) and the early dye sublimation printers. I ended up with a six color Epson wide format ink jet, but all that wet ink coming out was a hassle. Lasers were only good at black, but their black was awesome.

I would renew my search every five years, hoping for an increase in laser printer resolution. However, they mostly topped out at 1200 dpi, and the market retreated to mostly 600 because the small toner particles were harder/more expensive to work with. Laser Printer black quality went down (grayer) from the peak of the LaserJet 4 days. I always wanted something that could at least do 11x17, but in a home setting, not needing ten trays, an output collator and a service contract, something that didn't map. A "prosumer" large format color laser.

Five years ago I ran into some impressive prints from a Kyrocera TASKalfa 4052ci which had the best output I'd seen thus far. It is a 1200x1200 dpi printer with up to 12x18 prints. At the time HP was stuck in 600 dpi color, obfuscated behind walls of Resolution Enhancement Technology camouflage.

It is great to see that there are now some more options in the 1200x1200 space. I figured if we could hit 2400x2400 we'd be in offset printing territory, but the tech never made it. I appreciate all the time and effort you put in documenting your journey. Currently, I have an ageing 1200dpi HP 3390 laser and a Canon inkjet. As the laser trudges towards replacement, I will eagerly examine the REt 4800 models you have listed here.

HP quality in their other product categories seems to have plummeted in recent years. I owned and hated two HP Laptops (which I won in a contest), an HP Inkjet which decided one day it refused to stay powered on, and now they're playing games with remotely brickable inkjet cartridges. That is my only hesitancy to buying an HP product. Hopefully the LaserJet segment continues to match their old, good reputation.

Again, many thanks!

 

[lofat]

I guess you were right, it was too good to last. I can't find an ImageREt 4800 printer available anymore from a normal place. What's going on with HP?

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

I guess you were right, it was too good to last. I can't find an ImageREt 4800 printer available anymore from a normal place. What's going on with HP?

They are moving to a subscription model. They want you to pay a subscription fee to use their printers. I think the lower price 4800 imageret product is still available. But that was my fear and why I ran to get my printer. It seems everyone is trying to move to the subscription model, which is toxic to me. But you should look up on the site, I could swear they still have that other model that does 4800. Was it the 751?

Best color laser printer for photos (was: HP Color LaserJet M856x (review))

So what may be worth checking out is the other HP printers that do ImageRET. I believe only one other does imageRET4800 and that is this one: https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-enterprise-m751dn I think that's the cheapest imeageRET4800 printer so it should print out basically...

forums.macrumors.com

I think I link to it in the above post. It also has a link to the 751 still available on Amazon. Sadly, I can’t say if the 751 is a good printer or not. I have the 856 and it’s amazing. I marvel every time I print something from it, and it’s been very hassle free. Also, the latest driver seems to work much better than when I first got the printer, installation has not been a problem.

 

[lofat]

They are moving to a subscription model. They want you to pay a subscription fee to use their printers. I think the lower price 4800 imageret product is still available. But that was my fear and why I ran to get my printer. It seems everyone is trying to move to the subscription model, which is toxic to me. But you should look up on the site, I could swear they still have that other model that does 4800. Was it the 751?

Best color laser printer for photos (was: HP Color LaserJet M856x (review))

So what may be worth checking out is the other HP printers that do ImageRET. I believe only one other does imageRET4800 and that is this one: https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-enterprise-m751dn I think that's the cheapest imeageRET4800 printer so it should print out basically...

forums.macrumors.com

I think I link to it in the above post. It also has a link to the 751 still available on Amazon. Sadly, I can’t say if the 751 is a good printer or not. I have the 856 and it’s amazing. I marvel every time I print something from it, and it’s been very hassle free. Also, the latest driver seems to work much better than when I first got the printer, installation has not been a problem.

Thank you! CDW claims it can still source an 856 but their inventory info isn't always reliable. Let's hope I can get toner The whole terrible brickable HP inkjet cartridges (when your subscription lapses any cartridges you received but haven't used yet from the subscription are bricked) is horrible.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Thank you! CDW claims it can still source an 856 but their inventory info isn't always reliable. Let's hope I can get toner The whole terrible brickable HP inkjet cartridges (when your subscription lapses any cartridges you received but haven't used yet from the subscription are bricked) is horrible.

Please let us know your experience and best of luck!

 

[diegopampin]

Finally some forum info on all of this mess.

I currently have the HP 454dw (was like 350$) that has 600dpi and HP ImageREt 3600. The thing is that since I bought it the colors look very very bad and the print quality (very noticeable on gradients) is not the best, it’s like the color is not vivid enough and you can see the dots of the print. Reading your comments in going to take a look at the printing options on the Mac to see if there is an option for the imageRet printing resolution that I’m not using or what.

Having said that, I’m looking to improving the quality so I’ve been looking for some days for options and I’ve found two low budget that look very well:

Xerox C400 (like 550$): 600dpi but 8bit resolution

Xerox C315 (like 600$): 1200dpi, 4800 image quality (which seems to be something like ImageRET but on Xerox)

So I really don’t know what to buy if I need to but the first thought in my mind is going for the C315 just for resolution. What do you think?

Another thing I’m afraid of is that I print usually on 330gsm paper and idk if those printers can handle it like the hp.

 

[MikeDr206]

So, some of the info here re HP is not 100% accurate. For many printers, they have two versions, subscription and non-subscription. They will have the exact same model number, but the subscription version ends in “e”.

the subscription version requires that you use (subscribe to) their Instant Ink service (misnomer, since for laser printers it’s toner). Non subscription versions do not have to (But still require you to use HP toner as a general rule).

the subscription version is generally less expensive.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Finally some forum info on all of this mess.

I currently have the HP 454dw (was like 350$) that has 600dpi and HP ImageREt 3600. The thing is that since I bought it the colors look very very bad and the print quality (very noticeable on gradients) is not the best, it’s like the color is not vivid enough and you can see the dots of the print. Reading your comments in going to take a look at the printing options on the Mac to see if there is an option for the imageRet printing resolution that I’m not using or what.

Having said that, I’m looking to improving the quality so I’ve been looking for some days for options and I’ve found two low budget that look very well:

Xerox C400 (like 550$): 600dpi but 8bit resolution

Xerox C315 (like 600$): 1200dpi, 4800 image quality (which seems to be something like ImageRET but on Xerox)

So I really don’t know what to buy if I need to but the first thought in my mind is going for the C315 just for resolution. What do you think?

Another thing I’m afraid of is that I print usually on 330gsm paper and idk if those printers can handle it like the hp.

Wow sorry to hear. So 4 things I can think of that may account for the bad quality...

1) Set the print driver to print in 'enhanced' mode. You have to use the NON AirPrint driver to see that enhanced mode, ie, in the full HP driver. At least that is a mode on my printer, I would think there should be something similar on yours.

2) For best results, you really need the glossy paper stock. I posted some options I found a while ago. My guess is 8x11 glossy HP might be the best thing to try as a starting point before you invest too much. When you put in the better paper, make sure to select the paper type from the driver prior to printing.

3) The toner may be very different on your printer versus the 856, so that may be one of the issues of vibrancy.

4) The lack of 1200dpi may make the 454 print very differently. Or that and a combination with different toner, per 3), above.

It's not clear to me how the imageRET plays differently with regard to different resolutions. HP has a bunch of printers with 3600ImageRET but at 600dpi and 1200dpi, yet the imageRET4800 printers also have 1200dpi. It's not clear what the resolution means with regard to those technologies, but for the high quality prints I am getting, perhaps it requires 1200dpi in addition to imageRET 3600/4800, or perhaps it requires all 3 items, 1200dpi, the improved toner cartridges of the 856 and imageRET4800?


As for the Xerox printers, they look very interesting, look forward to any insights there. When I looked over their offerings the spec sheets didn't have the "4800 color" note in the DPI section, and it's very not clear what that means.

Al that said, it would be a super helpful find an affordable and decent photo color laser option that doesnt cost a small fortune like my 856.

Thanks for sharing your findings and hope you figure out a better option (and can return your printer if you can't get it to print better).

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

So, some of the info here re HP is not 100% accurate. For many printers, they have two versions, subscription and non-subscription. They will have the exact same model number, but the subscription version ends in “e”.

the subscription version requires that you use (subscribe to) their Instant Ink service (misnomer, since for laser printers it’s toner). Non subscription versions do not have to (But still require you to use HP toner as a general rule).

the subscription version is generally less expensive.

Huh. If we got something wrong, would appreciate a pointer to it so we can correct it.

I dont believe specific assertions were made with regard to ink printers other than general disdain, which is opinion. With regard to subscription, no specific models were mentioned, and I mentioned a general trend and desire of HP to move towards subscriptions, which I believe is very accurate per at least this.

HP's CEO went so far in his interview as to disparage users that dare not "print enough" or buy HP's supplies as "bad investments" (my guess he meant with regard to their subscription line).