HP Officejet 8600 Plus: Wicked Awesome With Macs!

[frigilux]

I picked up this great printer/copier/scanner/fax at Sam's Club today for $219.  It's the first copier I've had that is completely compatible, wirelessly, with Apple/Mac products.  I have an Officejet 6500 Plus at work, but I have to scan by opening the Image Capture application in my iMac and MacBook Pro, and I have to open documents in HP's E-Print app to print from my iPad.  This one has Airport, which is Apple's wireless system.  

 

The only confusion:  The instructions say to do an Apple Software Update on your computer to make it work with OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion).  You actually have to go to HP's website and download the proper driver and software from there.  

 

It was so nice to have it up and running in under a half-hour with no problems whatsoever, and I love not having to deal with extra steps in order to scan to a Mac or print from an iPad.  (Everything from OS X 10.7 Lion on down is supported by the disc that comes with the printer.)

 

So far:  I've printed photos and text, scanned, and copied, and the quality of everything is great.  Fifty page document feeder and two-sided printing; copies legal-size documents.  Highly recommended for its seamless interfacing with Apple products. 

[this post was last edited: 9/8/2012-21:05]

 

[qualin]

Congratulations on your purchase!

You'll have to let us know how expensive the ink cartridges are.

Is the print head integrated into the print cartridge or are they separate?

 

[washer111]

Nice!

 

When I got my Deskjet 3070A, the OSX Lion drivers weren't available (this was probably in March/April). I plugged it in, turned it on, and my Macbook Pro (Late 2011) went straight to work downloading the drivers.

 

Great printer, and the results for text are great in the Fast Draft function. 

 

Frigilux, if you've used versions of OS X previous to Mountain Lion, can you say if there is any point in upgrading, or do you feel there isn't much merit an in upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion from just "Lion."

 

[frigilux]

Bud: I know so little about the nuts-and-bolts of the technology I use, LOL! I don't think the print head is part of the ink cartridge. Here is a photo of an off-brand's version of the cartridges so you can see what they look like.

washer 111: Both my iMac (early '09) and MacBook (mid '11) at work were updated to Mountain Lion by the tech guy, so I did the same at home with my iMac (early '09). It's easier to sync up calendars, reminders, etc., but the thing I notice the most is the "search field" (the bar along the top where you type in a web address) no longer has a separate "Google" search bar. It's one long bar, and you can type in either a web address or a Google search. A small, but cool convenience. There's a list of all the changes/improvements made with Mountain Lion at Apple.com. Bottom line: Is the update critical? I'd say no, but you may be someone who'd take advantage of the changes more than I have.

My boss at work, who appeared in my world three years ago, was very stridently anti-Apple when he arrived. However, within the past year he "drank the Kool-Aid" as they say, and is now a major cheerleader for their products. He has Apple-ized his office and home, and even bought his parents a MacBook Pro (FaceTime with him and the grandkids on a daily basis), iPhones, and an iPod with a Bose Sound Dock (after hearing the one in my office). He had all their vinyl albums transferred to MP3 files and loaded them onto their iPod, which I thought was a sweet gesture. Anyway, it's funny to see this former Apple-hater running around with his iPad and iPhone at work.

I have never used anything but Apple/Mac, and since I'm not a natural with computer/digital technology, I appreciate the way all of Apple's products work together so seamlessly. I use Apple TV/Airplay a lot at work now (mostly for mirroring my iPad) and will definitely get one for the house when I upgrade to a digital TV.

And there is a certain seduction that takes place with Apple in areas of tactility, design, and styling. Occasionally I'm in a situation where I have to use someone's desktop PC, and I immediately notice the tactile differences in things like the mouse and keyboard keys. Apple pays so much attention to those things, which is often what drives people who are not Apple fans bonkers. It even extends to the way they package their products. I bought a new iPod last week, and just opening the box and removing the packaging was a thoughtful experience for the eyes and fingers. [this post was last edited: 9/9/2012-08:30]

 

[washer111]

Yeah, I have the "New" Safari browser you speak of, came in a recent software update package. 

 

The main thing affecting our upgrade is our current internet plan, with one of the telco's here. Back when it was "Created" it was the 12GB (Upload/Downloads) plan. However, we cannot upsize, as many of the offers we have are related to this "obsolete" plan. I think it will have to change in a few months, but who knows? We also got lots of extras thrown in when we called and complained (all for free). So us upgrading, is a NO GO! (Even if it is just 1 Mac)

 

[frigilux]

Update: Just checked Consumer Reports' ratings of printers, and was encouraged to see the Officejet 8600 scoring a 71 (top-rated model, a Canon, rated 72). Then I read the user reviews and saw near unanimous complaints about the printer refusing to accept card stock. Jumped to HP's support forum and saw more of the same. I use card stock a lot (as well as photo paper), so grabbed some, put it in the tray and....it printed without incident. Whew! Users had been complaining of getting an "Out Of Paper" message when using card stock.

Perhaps HP fixed the problem by the time I purchased mine.

 

[frigilux]

washer 111: I am so lucky to live in a town that owns its own telephone/internet company. We have fantastic internet service, quite cheap. People come here from major cities and are stunned that we have such advanced service, while we take it completely for granted. Several people decided to locate here on the strength of it. I guess its the one perk to living out here in the middle of the desolate, lone prairie, LOL.