HP 8150N - Boxy. Grey. Reliable.
Written: Mar 20 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Paper Handling: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Dependability and speed.
Cons: Holds only two reams of paper.
The Bottom Line: A solid printer that is ideal for a printing pool of around 20 users.
|
|
|
| search66's Full Review: Hewlett Packard LaserJet 8150n Laser Printer |
"The need for reliable business printers is something every IT department faces. Our corporation has a contract with Hewlett Packard and are required to use them. This is a good thing, and when it came to choose a network printer, the choice was obvious."
Intro
This review actually has a two-fold objective. The first objective (of course) is to give the consumer a well-conceived, factual and personal opinion on the product at hand. The second objective is to prove to my gaming community that I actually do work, and this review will silence there flaming.
As mentioned, when choosing any product for a group of users takes serious time and considerations before implementation. IT professionals require two major factors: ease of use and maintenance and dependability. Hewlett Packard has always produced reliable components, and are virtually indestructible. I still have about a dozen LaserJet 4's roaming around the office that just refuse to die. For this project, I was required to choose a high-speed network printer that would cater to about 25 users.
After a few weeks of research, I choose to go with the mid-to-lower tier of the 8150 family and chose the 8150N. The 8150 series range from the baseline model running around $1,800 to their top-of-the-line 8150MFP towering at about $10,000. The "N" was a solid choice and cost the company about $2,200. The next one above the "N" was the "DN" and the only difference was the option for double sided printing; something our users would never use.
Packaging
I've always been impressed with the way HP packages their product, and this printer was no different. Wrapped in two canvas straps around a thick cardboard box, the product was well secured. Once opened, it was securely comforted around high-density Styrofoam. On top, unpacking instructions were supplied; which suggested using four people to unpack the printer. The printer was quite heavy, and easily weighed over a hundred pounds.
Not having the luxury of four people helping me, another co-worker and I had no problems removing the printer from the box. We simply turned it on its side and pulled it from its housing. Once removed, there was only one "floating" item that wasn't attached to the printer itself. The paper feeder was separate, and wrapped in a plastic baggie. There was also a “quick start” guide along with a thick manual. A CD was also included which included an online manual along with the drivers and registration process.
Setup
Setting up the printer (as will all HP printers) was a breeze. The paper feeder snapped on snugly and we only had to hook up an Ethernet cable and the power cord. To keep the printer secure during transport, there are about a dozen or so tape-strips attached to various "loose" parts. Luckily, there is a nice "map" which shows the location of each of them. The only problem we came across was a tape/cardboard piece that fit where the paper ejected. The cardboard ripped, and a piece fell inside the printer, and we have yet to find a way to remove it. It's caused no problems as of yet, and the next time an HP rep is visiting I will point it out to them.
Since this was going to be a network-shared printer, we went back and installed the printer’s software on a server. After inserting the CD, the installation process held your hand from start to finish. Before installing the drivers and software, however, we had to configure the printer to accept TCP/IP and DHCP. Without the use of the manual, the printers menu system was easy to follow and a breeze to set up.
During the installation process of the software and drivers, you are given a few choices along the way. Since we wanted the printer to be on the network, and didn't want to assign it a static IP address; I always allow DHCP to dynamically change the IP address for all of our printers. Once at the appropriate step, the software asked us about it, and prompted to search the network for printers. The printer was immediately found on the network (along with others). Simply by choosing the 8150N and hitting next, the software continued the install and configured the drivers. After the installation, the only other requirement I had to choose was a printer name, and if I wanted to register. HP has a nice online registration process, which once registered, shows you all of the products you have registered and any support for them. I found this a nice relief, since if there are updated drivers or software it tells me of it on existing hardware. The printer was online and ready for use after the installation was complete. The software did require me to reboot the system; but I was glad to see the printer working without doing so. Users were up and running without a reboot, so I could reboot the server during off-hours.
Accessibility and features
Once the printer was ready for serious action, we changed basically nothing in the ways of settings. The default resolution is 1200. At first I thought this was a bit too high, but after changing it to a lower setting, I found it to be slower and much worse quality. HP touts a FastRes technology that combines the quality of high definition and the speed of lower definition. Surprisingly, this setting is best kept left alone.
I knew I was pushing the limits a bit with over 20 users accessing this printer. So far, I have been overly pleased with the performance of the printer. The printer comes with a standard 32MB of RAM, which is more than enough for most printing pools. I think if we add another five users or more to the pool, I will definitely upgrade to 64MB. There have been very little bottlenecks and even fewer PAR errors. The printer chugs along with speed and confidence. The entire 8150 series also comes standard with a 250MHz processor and can print up to 32 pages a minute. I've tested the printer out, and find that the 32 pages seems far from what it can really handle. From the time you hint print (this is from an SNA based emulator third-party software) it takes about four seconds for the printer to start printing. I'm shocked to see how fast this actually is. The printer does not hesitate, and takes little over a second to print. The also printer holds a two reams of paper (there are two trays) and the print cartridge (about double the size of the 4000 series) lasts for approximately 20,000 pages.
Dependability
This is a new series for the HP line, and has only been introduced since late last year. We've had this printer installed for two months now, and have yet had any problems with it. I haven't had to change the toner cartridge yet, and have had only a handful of paper jams. Most of the problems were due to incompetent users putting the paper in wrong, or messing with the setting on the printer itself. This leads me into one point where I hope HP will take notice. I wish they would put a security code on the printer itself, which would deter users from manually changing the settings; because they have no clue on what they are doing.
Since most of the issues are standard fare for any IT team, the hardware has been flawless. Bi-weekly, I clean the machine with compressed air, and check for stray shredded paper in the clockworks. Other than standard maintenance, the 8150 has been a rock-solid performer. I've been overly impressed with the compatibility with our OS (NT4) and software (Office 2000). In the past, I've rarely had any issues with HP printers, and have only once taken advantage of their one year on site warrantee.
Other features and upgrades
Probably the biggest marketing slogan the 8150 series hypes is the use of MFP. This allows users to send the documents via email or fax in digital formats (PDF and TIFF). The only printer in the series that allows you to do this; is the MFP model. The 8150MFP also includes a 3.2GB HDD, 2000 sheet input tray and lots of other goodies. If you want to fork out another few grand you can get this upgrade kit which will allow your existing 8000 series to do the same thing. As of now, most of our users are not efficient enough with standard printing; let alone advance printing/faxing/emailing... I doubt we will ever take advantage of this option, but many offices might find this a nice feature. All of the printers also allow you to remotely manage print jobs via the Internet, and also allow you to customize it to the hilt because of MFP and the Internet.
Upgrading the printer should also be easily done. When you spend this much cash on a printer, you don't want to have to spend another few grand on a new one. You can upgrade everything from adding RAM to an internal hard drive that will store documents. Input trays and paper stackers are also easily attached with a wide array of choices. Depending on your office needs, if you lack a newer copier, the 8150 can be fitted with a sorter, stapler and even an envelope feeder.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a stable, workhorse of a printer; I think the 8150 series is a perfect line for you. HP has never let me down for the last five years at this location; and expect their quality to never lessen. With a ton of upgradeable features, this printer can also grow with your companies needs.
The staff at HP have always been helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. I have confidence in not only the product but also the people that run the company. Since my company is under contract with HP I have no choice other than to user their printers... but even if I did have a choice; I wouldn't choose anyone else no matter what the savings. The overall value of the 8150 series, if like their other lines, is well worth the initial expense.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2,200
Operating System: Windows
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
search66
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 227
Trusted by: 227 members
About Me:
God bless netjak.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.