I just got paid for a big job the other day and I decided to buy a new printer... I debated whether to go for the wide format, or for the proof size... and I made up my mind that while big is good, I could always use MPIX if I wanted a sizeable option... so I looked around a bit, mainly at the Canon and HP offerings (I have a bad taste in my mouth with Epson's out of the box print quality) and I finally decided on the HP8450 - with a major nod toward Photo-I's review of the printer.
I got off work, ran down to the local Staples and picked up the 8450, USB cable, and a few boxes of paper. I just finished my sixth print...
A M A Z I N G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only problem so far with the prints is that the printer sharpening option was buried in a menu and I did not disable it for the first print... after it was disabled, all was good/
My comparison for color are prints made by MPIX recently and in the past. Obviously there are going to be advantages with eight colors and the ability to print from AdobeRGB, but the MPIX prints, which I have been quite satisfied with so far are the comparison base... with that said... the color is better on the HP... an obvious wider gamut... the only caveat is that the inks are sitting on top of the paper, so at an angled viewing I can see the 'ridges' of the black. After an hour of drying, the ridges have gone down... and at a straight on viewing they are not noticeable at all.
Black and white... perfect neutral prints straight out of the box.... amazing... this machine is worth it for this ability alone. There is a slight glossiness to the dark blacks, but it too is fading as time is given to dry... we will see tomorrow if the prints are nice and flat when viewed from an angle. This really is inconsequential to me though, as I will rarely examine a print using an obtuse viewing angle
To me, this is what printing at home is SUPPOSED to be like. I am not a dumb person, but the obtuse controls of printing with the two epsons I had, made printing a shotgun effect... maybe I would get what I wanted, maybe I would not...
Huge thumbs up so far for this $270 printer (20 bucks for the usb cable)
I will add more as I print more, as I would personally like to have heard these types of remarks before I bought, but the chance I took so far was a good one.
*steve
First Edit:
I was running the prints using the HP profile in the print space area of the photoshop printing dialog. I have found that printing using the 'Same as source' results in much more screen accurate images. There seems now to be a slight warm tone to the b/w prints too.. viewed under incandescent lights.
Second edit:
Wow, 10D ISO 800 looks pretty damn clean when actually printed out Even in the shadows...
I thought that the card slot would make for a good reader for transfer to the computer, alas it is incredibly slow...
3rd Edit:
- Difference between highest resolution printing and 'best' is negligible from prints so far other than the 'best' version prints far quicker.
- Color issues have cropped up on a couple of images, and I am working on correcting them - although the prints still look fine if I don't hold them up next to the monitor.
- I have to watch if I have the 4x6 tray selected and pushed in... if it is not pushed in, it takes paper from the 8.5x11 tray.
Edited by semillerimages on Nov 29, 2004 at 06:35 AM GMT (Reason: added info)
Thanks for the review Steve.
I am going to be in the market here pretty soon and like to get all the real world impressions I can
I have been very happy with my HP's, so have been hesitant to try another brand.
After an evening of drying, the black inks have settled to the paper nicely. I am currently printing out a batch of b/w images... and really, they are unbelievable... really. Like I mentioned above, this option is worth the printer alone.
I am going to do a fade test in my window... three prints of the same image - one taped into a window facing the sun, one just inside with no protection and one in an enclosed envelope... I will try it for a month at first... so we shall see what the short term effects are on the hp premium + papers
How's the ink? Is it as expensive to use this printer as everyone seems to think? I am about to break down and get one. Your review has pushed me off of the fence. Keep it coming. Thanks!
I am about to replace the gray cartridge 100 that came with the printer... dunno if it was full or what, but I have done a lot of prints so far at the highest quality mode... when the cartridge runs dry I will do a page count, and then another with a fresh full one...
HP 'everyday' paper does not have the HP logo on the back... premium plus paper does... not a real big deal, but people who I showed some b/w prints to today were amazed at the quality and thought they were real RC prints...
I read that the Ilford Gallerie paper works well, but I cannot remember if they have a logo on the back... so I will check it out
do you use Windows or Mac? Are the Mac and PC interface of the printer's software the same? I am having bad experience with a Canon i990 + Mac. I am not able overrun the printer color correction if I print from photoshop and if I print from the printer’s software I can only print in jpg. Plus, I have a constant reddish cast that I can reduce by adjusting the levels of red and magenta but I cannot completely eliminate without altering the overall color balance. I have already consumed tons of paper and inks trying different set-up, but it seems that the problem is with the Mac interface of the printer’s software, which by the way was quickly discontinued. It is quite sometime that I am looking at the HP 8450, after having read that it can produce excellent results out of the box. Do you get the same good results by printing from photoshop as by printing from the printer’s software?
They had a $50 reduction at Future Shop in the Ottawa region, good until Dec 2. I had to ask for the discount since this promotion was not posted in the store but the attendant found it in the computer.
My first four prints are very good... and I am using old stock paper! cannot wait to break open a package of the good stuff.
I cannot comment on the mac/pc thing... although I do have a mac too I have not connected it to the printer yet. I cannot either comment on the Canon printer. I can say that some color images need some adjustments in photoshop to get things right... but that is to be expected. I have not used the printer software so far, but I did print some directly from the card slot on the printer and they were good... then again I do not shoot jpg ever, so this was not a common situation.
Here is a new shot that I did for a local restaurant/bar that printed out PERFECTLY with no intervention on my behalf other than sending it to the printer via photoshop:
Crazy saturated colors rendered perfect to paper...
I too am highly considering this model. Basically the price is very good right now for the printer, but lousy for the inks. I'm trying to decide between the HP 8450 and the Epson R800. The R800 looks to be very good but is almost $150 more than the HP to start. That price will go down at some point. What to do, what to do...
Well, after a week with this printer all I can say is that it is awesome! Shoot, process, PS, print, voila... a hard copy of what I envisioned. I wish they made a 13x19 version of it, as I would buy it in a second.
Worth every single penny.
