HP Officejet 4500 All-in-One (CB867A#B1H)

So first a shout out to packaging: product was packaged so well (wrapped in plastic then surrounded by foam so not even touching cardboard outer box) that even when my UPS delivery guy left the box out in the pouring rain all day, none of the components were even slightly damp when I unpacked it.

Assembly instructions were clear and easy to follow. Basically you plug in the printer and insert an auto-load cd to your computer and the rest is magic. Unfortunately, despite easy to follow instructions, set up did not work on my computer. I am running Vista - not sure if other Vista users had similar problems? Anyway, was able to access HP Solution Center and downloaded a separate set of manual set up instructions that were not quite as easy to follow. My computer crashed 3 times trying to back out the auto install files. 2 hours later, I was able to clean my hard drive to follow the manual install instructions and got the darn thing set up.

Now, after all...Read more

There are a lot of things to like about HP Officejet 4500 All-in-One Printer... specifically, it is serves all of your home-office needs at an affordable price. Unfortunately, while it does many things it does not perform exceptionally in any one area. Users who expect more than minimum features will likely be disappointed in the performance.

Notes -

- Set-up was not "easy" but it was not especially difficult. Total time for set-up was about 1 hour, but I was unable to hard-wire the HP 4500 into my router and have it identified by my Mac.

- I understand that this is an inexpensive printer - but I wish HP would have included all of the necessary cables. You need to recognize that you will need a USB cable to connect the printer to your computer. It is also important to know that you need a standard printer stye USB cable and NOT the mini-usb - here is a good deal on a cable that will work...Read more

I am a college student and a great affordable printer is essential. I love the design of this printer and the cartridges last a long time. I love the option of getting the XL cartridge so i dont feel like i'm constantly buying ink like i was with my older model printer.