Update: The HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 is no longer in production.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 has been replaced by the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015. We’d recommend you check out or review of that printer instead.
Summer is ending, and we’re back in time for school with our OfficeJet Pro 8710 review. The OfficeJet Pro 8710 printer from HP is one of the most popular models currently on the market. It’s fast, efficient, and downright sexy. But does it live up to its reputation? Let’s take a look.
The Pros
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 is probably the most popular printer I’ve sold in recent years. It is fast, efficient, and holds up incredibly well for home or small office use. I’ve literally sold hundreds of these printers, and I believe I’ve only had one returned.
The OfficeJet Pro 8710 is one of the faster home office printers, at 22 pages per minute of black and 18 pages per minute of color. Two-sided documents print at up to 12 pages per minute and come out clean and crisp every time. This printer is rated for a workload of up to 25,000 pages per month, which makes it one of the best printers for a home office or small business.
Better than the OfficeJet Pro 8710’s speed is its efficiency. HP’s OfficeJet Pro 8710 takes the 952 ink series, which is one of the most efficient inks on the market. The 952 XL black cartridge offers a page yield of about 2,000 pages, while the colors yield about 1,600 pages. This comes out to about 2.2 cents per page for each color. This makes the OfficeJet Pro 8710 one of the most efficient inkjet printers on the market, as well as one of the only to print color at the same price per page as black and white.
As far as print quality goes, this printer holds up against most home office printers. The OfficeJet Pro 8710 prints resolutions up to 1200 dpi. This is high enough for crisp charts and graphics, with bright vibrant colors. When using HP ink cartridges and paper with Colorlok technology, you can write and highlight documents and charts without fear of smudging. However, if photos are a top priority, you may wish to look elsewhere. Because the OfficeJet Pro 8710 isn’t a photo printer, the black ink isn’t dense enough for great, crisp photos.
Another great feature about the 8710 is that it qualifies for HP Instant Ink. If you read my review for Instant Ink, you’ll find it’s a great way for consistent users to save on their ink costs. Even though the 952 series is very efficient, you will still save on your overall ink costs if you subscribe to Instant Ink, particularly if you choose the frequent plan.
As far as additional features go, this printer has all you need. NFC technology, wireless printing from computers and mobile devices, scanning to email and cloud storage; the list goes on and on. This printer is jammed packed with many useful features, along with some you may use once or twice, and many you will probably never use at all.
That brings us to the cons.
The Cons
Like the previous model, the OfficeJet Pro 8610, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 is probably the most returned printer on the market. However, this number is unfair, because it sells way more than other models. When viewed proportionally, I’ve seen way fewer of this model returned for defects than other models. Just bear in mind that if you get a defective model, this printer sells a ton of units, so returning it for another of the same will probably be safe. The chances of getting two defective units are very slim.
If you are technologically challenged, this is probably not the printer for you. While the user interface has large buttons and steps that are easy to follow, this printer is loaded with features which less proficient users may find confusing or intimidating.
This printer also runs into the issue of being too efficient. The cartridges print thousands of pages. While this can save a lot of money in the long run, users who print one or two pages per week will run into cartridges drying out. If they dry out, it doesn’t matter how efficient they are, you are throwing money away.
Lastly, this printer is very quick… for single-sided prints. Double-sided prints cut the speed at least by half. For someone who prints two-sided documents often, I’d recommend checking out the OfficeJet Pro 8720 or OfficeJet Pro 8740. Both of those printers utilize different technology to speed up two-sided printing while using the same efficient ink cartridges.
That’s really about it for cons. If this printer is too slow or not efficient enough for you, you should look at a color laser printer, or one of the HP PageWide printers if you are set on liquid ink.
The Verdict
There’s no way around it; the HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 is a great printer. Almost all the complaints I’ve heard about this printer are from people who shouldn’t have bought it in the first place. If you often have cartridges dry out due to not enough printing, or if you have a large office printing over a thousand pages per day, this is not the printer for you.
If you are a teacher, or a student, or a small business, or anyone who prints off a lot of paperwork and charts, this will be a great printer for you. It is priced below many of the competitors’ models while being faster and more efficient. The size is manageable, and it has all the features an every-day user could ever need. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 is a great printer and one that I would highly recommend.
Click here to purchase the HP OfficeJet Pro 8710.
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