HP Color LaserJet 3500n

...that I had to phone HP technical support. I had to pay for the call and the warranty had just expired (what are the odds) but the patient support technician explained each step of the way how to take parts out find the piece of torn paper that had jammed and how to put it together again. The whole phone call took around 15-20 minutes. I was very impressed with the level of support, especially as the warranty had expired.

My only gripe ...
...of a support web site HP has. It requires the product number and as the HP LaserJet 3000 series isn’t supported as it could be on the site so it took a long time to find it.

I would quote the support page for the printer but it’s very long and complex. I wish the support web site was better designed.
To start you off, go to the following page and type in your product name/number and hope for the best.
http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html
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I bought this nearly three years ago to help me with my IT business that I had at the time. I needed a good quality printer that could be left printing dozens of pages without too much hassle. An inkjet was out of the question so a laser was the only solution open to me. When I found this printer, it was advertised as a networked printer (the ‘n’ in 3500n), which I thought meant it had a network card built in, seemed ideal. Only afterwards I found out it simply meant it came with a Print Server.

Quick techo-babble explained:

[ ] A networked printer can be plugged into a local network rather than a computer, like the one found in offices or home routers. It means that you don’t need to have a designated computer switched on to print documents; any computer connected to the network can print documents from it, which is great if you have more than one computer (say a desktop and a laptop).

[ ] A Print Server is a small box that connects to the network (say to your home router) and allows any printer attached to it to be accessed by any computer on the network (with the drivers installed). You can buy them for under £20 from most IT suppliers. Newer models are wireless so there’s fewer cables, though more expensive.

* Installation *

Installation and configuration of this printer was easy and took less than 20 minutes from the time I started unpacking until I was printing. It was mostly removing the packaging, the sticky tapes that keep the parts from damage, attaching the relevant cables and installing the drivers.

I have a pretty good networking knowledge, though I doubt a novice home user will have problems following the clear directions, and is similar to installing an inkjet printer. The drivers and printer management software were straightforward, same as most printers. Lastly, installing the toner cartridges was relatively simple if you take your time and follow directions to the letter. Installing the management software and drivers is as simple as inserting a CD ROM and accepting the defaults.

* My Comments *

Initially, I thought that 64K of memory it has would not be enough for some complicated jobs but I was pleasantly surprised. I have thrown all kinds of jobs at it with almost no problems.

Sometimes, the printer performs an internal self-clean, which is only done when it is just been turned on. It takes around 30-60 seconds, though seems a lot longer when you want to do some printing quickly.
The time it takes to print the first page from cold (just switched it on) is around 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending if it starts its self maintenance and checks for simple problems (like paper jams). Obviously, it takes considerably shorter time to print when it has warmed up and waiting for jobs. The specification say it prints at 12 pages a minute (colour or black and white), which I agree, though this can seem long compared to newer printers.

This printer produces beautiful prints in colour, though not as good as photographic ink jets you can get these days – but that isn’t the point of this printer, is it? It’s for SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) use, printing jobs like letters, newsletters, and flyers etc, not photographs – but saying that – the printer drivers have a setting to tell the printer the type of paper to use. On plain paper, when I print photographs from our digital camera the output is a lot better than you might expect. On glossy paper the results are extremely impressive for a laser printer (though in my opinion are a little dark) – we print out some holiday snaps to give to friends and family. As I pointed out earlier, it’s not as good as using a good quality photo-inkjet, but for quick and cheap printouts it’s a big help.

The main paper tray is situated at the bottom of the printer and holds 250 A4 plain paper sheets, though can take other kinds of paper like glossy and thin card. The printed paper is rolled out at the top of the printer and can hold quite a lot of completed pages. You can choose to feed single pages at a front slot. Once a small door is released it will accept thicker paper, card and other media.

There is also an output slot that flicks down at the back of the printer for some types of media. I haven’t used any media thicker than glossy paper (at 210g/m2). The specification of the printer says the maximum weight is 216g/m2. This is typical for laser printers as they bend the paper to print on it.
A quick explanation on paper and weights:

Paper is weighted by grams per meter square. In other words, imagine a piece of paper that is a meter in length each way. This meter square paper should weigh 80 grams for normal photocopier paper (specified as 80g/m2). Obviously, the thicker the paper the heaver it is (thin card is around 150g/m2, glossy paper is around 200g/m2). Most printers don’t allow anything heavier than 250g/m2. Look at the specifications before buying the media.

It should be noted that most laser printers will not accept certain type of thick card, and transparency film should be checked before using them. Some film types will melt inside the printer. A laser works by passing a very hot wire moving over the media being used – you have been warned. This printer seems ok when using media that specifies laser printer compatible. I’ve had problems with some small envelopes, though this is probably my lack of experience of printing on envelopes.

You get a set of toner cartridges with the printer, as expected, which lasted me the promised 4000+ pages. Naturally, magenta (red) and cyan (blue) ran out first, leaving black and finally yellow to run out later. Yellow has only recently ran out of toner. The black cartridges have extra capacity, like in many printers, so it last longer than expected, despite using it more.

As expected, the LED display on the front of the printer informs you of the progress of the current job, errors (when the red light flashes) and also tells you how much toner is left per colour, though it is only a guideline. It warns you when it is about to run out of a particular toner. After a while, the printer won’t print until you change the empty toner cartridge.

As for the print server, this is very basic. It actually stopped working after the warranty expired (how do these little boxes know these things) but as I have another print server (see my NAS review for that) I didn’t replace it. The printer has a USB connection, which is used to connect to the print server, though you can easily connect it to the computer directly (just remember to change the driver settings accordingly).

* The Overall Cost *

Buying replacement cartridges cost me £80 each (£320 for all four), though the price has been lowered now to around £60 if you look around. This may seem a lot of money but for 4000 pages, it works out at 8 pence a page. With this in mind, some cartridges (like yellow) last longer than others so the cost per page is more likely to be around 5-6p.

Another thing to consider when buying laser printers is that they also require fuser units and new imaging drums to be replaced now and then. They are around the same cost as a new cartridge but lasts for a long time. Although I have bought replacement for the printer, I am still using my original fuser and drum. I reckon they will last 3-4 years of normal use. With this in mind, the cost per page increases to around 6-7p. Obviously, these costs are based on a normal 5% printed page. Printing a lot of page coverage (say printing a picture) increases that a lot, though this would be the same no matter which printer you use.

* Support and Technical Help *

One of the most common problems with laser printers is paper jams. Due to the amount of mechanics inside and the way laser printers work this is expected from time to time. I’ve only had two paper jams ever with this printer! One jam that occurred last year was so serious that I had to phone HP technical support. I had to pay for the call and the warranty had just expired (what are the odds) but the patient support technician explained each step of the way how to take parts out find the piece of torn paper that had jammed and how to put it together again. The whole phone call took around 15-20 minutes. I was very impressed with the level of support, especially as the warranty had expired.

My only gripe is finding the proper support phone number was quite difficult. The support number on the documentation that came with the printer had changed and I had to find it in the monster of a support web site HP has. It requires the product number and as the HP LaserJet 3000 series isn’t supported as it could be on the site so it took a long time to find it.

I would quote the support page for the printer but it’s very long and complex. I wish the support web site was better designed.
To start you off, go to the following page and type in your product name/number and hope for the best.
http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html

On an additional note, I’ve just tried finding the support page, and it now insists on using a Personal Product Profile and Active Chat Support (whatever they mean) but nothing beats a simple phone call speaking to a human being who knows how to fix the problem – alas, despite spending 20 minutes trying to find the UK support phone number I’ve given up. Customers are now required to register with HP and make a support case and wait who knows how long for a response – is this progress?

* General Comments *

Overall, this is a great printer that produces amazing results in the highest resolution settings. It cost me £600 two years ago, though you can get one for around half that now, and the fact that it is network ready (comes with a print server) is a definite plus.

If you need a colour laser printer and want one that anyone can install and operate with no hassles or reading through complicated manuals, this is a great deal. It is very reliable.

The only complaint I have with this printer is the noise. When starting up, self-cleaning, and printing, is quite noisy, though most laser printers usually are. It is also quite bulky, though I am comparing this to newer models.

It does need a lot of ventilation, though I have it placed in the corner of the room, where it seems happy and out of the way.

* Specifications *

General
[ ] Printer Type: Workgroup printer - laser - colour
[ ] Width: 50 cm
[ ] Depth: 44.7 cm
[ ] Height: 46.7 cm
[ ] Weight: 32.5 kg

Technical
[ ] Built-in Devices: Status LCD
[ ] Connectivity Technology: Wired
[ ] Interface: USB, Ethernet 10/100Base-TX
[ ] Max Resolution (B&W): 600 dpi x 600 dpi
[ ] Max Resolution (Colour): 600 dpi x 600 dpi
[ ] Image Enhancement Technology: HP ImageREt 2400
[ ] Language Simulation: HP JetReady 4.0

[ ] Processor: MIPS
[ ] RAM Installed (Max): 64 MB / 64 MB (max)

Print Speed:
[ ] Up to 12 ppm - B/W - ANSI A (Letter) (216 x 279 mm)
[ ] Up to 12 ppm - colour - ANSI A (Letter) (216 x 279 mm)
[ ] Up to 12 ppm - B/W - A4 (210 x 297 mm)
[ ] Up to 12 ppm - colour - A4 (210 x 297 mm)

Media handling
[ ] Media Type: Envelopes, transparencies, labels, plain paper, glossy paper, cards, recycled paper
[ ] Max Media Size (Custom): 216 mm (Legal) x 356 mm (Legal)
[ ] Media Sizes: ANSI A (Letter) (216 x 279 mm), Legal (216 x 356 mm), Executive (184 x 267 mm), A4 (210 x 297 mm), A5 (148 x 210 mm), B5 (176 x 250 mm), JIS B5 (182 x 257 mm), 76 x 127 mm
[ ] Envelope Sizes: US No 10 (104.7 x 241.3 mm), Monarch (98.4 x 190.5 mm)
[ ] Media Weight: 60 g/m2 - 216 g/m2
[ ] Total Media Capacity: 350 sheets

Media Feeder(s):
[ ] 1 x autoload - 100 sheets - Legal (216 x 356 mm) weight: 60 g/m2 - 216 g/m2
[ ] 1 x autoload - 250 sheets - Legal (216 x 356 mm) weight: 60 g/m2 - 105 g/m2

Max Media Capacity: 850 sheets
Monthly Duty Cycle: 45000 pages

Networking
[ ] Networking: Print server - external
[ ] Connectivity Technology: Wired
[ ] Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet
[ ] Network / Transport Protocol: TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, AppleTalk, DLC/LLC
[ ] Remote Management Protocol: SNMP 1, Telnet, NCP, SNMP 2c, HTTP, NDPS

Connections:
[ ] 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 PIN USB Type B
[ ] 1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45

Cables Included: 1 x USB cable

Consumables Included:
[ ] 1 x yellow toner cartridge - up to 4000 pages
[ ] 1 x magenta toner cartridge - up to 4000 pages
[ ] 1 x cyan toner cartridge - up to 4000 pages
[ ] 1 x black toner cartridge - up to 6000 pages

Compliant Standards: CE, TUV GS, GOST, CISPR 22 Class B, cUL, EPA Energy Star, ICES-003, IEC 60950, UL 60950, EMC
Power

Power Device: Power supply - internal
Power Consumption Operational: 350 Watt
Power Consumption Stand by / Sleep: 18 Watt

Software Included: Drivers & Utilities, HP Web JetAdmin, HP Embedded Web Server

System Requirements Details:
[ ] Windows 98/2000/ME/XP - 333 MHz - RAM 64 MB - HD 220 MB
[ ] Windows Server 2003 - 550 MHz - RAM 128 MB - HD 220 MB
[ ] MacOS 9.1/9.2 - RAM 96 MB - HD 220 MB
[ ] MacOS X 10.2 or later - RAM 128 MB - HD 220 MB

Environmental parameters
[ ] Min Operating Temperature: 17 °C
[ ] Max Operating Temperature: 25 °C
[ ] Humidity Range Operating: 20 - 60%
[ ] Sound Emission: 32 dBA (idle) / 48 dBA (operating)

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve found this review useful/interesting.

Ian 

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