HP OfficeJet J4500 Ink Cartridges

HP J4500 Printer Review

For users that are looking for a versatile machine that can handle the various low-volume demands of a home office, the HP OfficeJet J4500 may be the ideal unit. With a modern design that includes a shiny black plastic frame, silver control panel, and a ribbed front casing, the J4500 is not gaudy like many all-in-one devices on the market. In addition to being attractive, this inkjet unit is also extremely useful, offering the ability to scan, fax, print, and copy in black-and-white and color.

The overall print quality is one of the highest rated features of the J4500, however, the resolution that is created depends largely on the print mode that is selected. This also affects the speed. For optimum speed, Draft mode should be set. In this mode, less HP J4500 ink is used per inch of paper, reducing the amount of time it takes to complete a task, but also reducing the quality of the image or document. In Best mode, the number of printer ink drops that are applied per inch increases, slowing the speed but increasing the maximum resolution. With black-and-white documents, the maximum resolution is 600x600 dpi while the highest resolution reached using color OfficeJet J4500 ink is 4800x1200 dpi.

Wireless capabilities are built into this machine, which explains why it is sometimes referred to as the HP J4500 Wireless. A hi-speed USB 2.0 port is also available for users that simply want to connect to a computer directly. Ethernet is not a standard feature, but the proper adapters will enable the J4500 to be shared among multiple users. No memory card slots or PictBridge connection are available.

Only two HP J4500 ink cartridges are required during operation – one holds only black printer ink while the other holds cyan, magenta, and yellow. Only 200 pages can be rendered from the black supply, while the color OfficeJet J4500 ink cartridge can yield up to 360 pages. A high-capacity black version is also available, which can yield up to 900 pages. Third-party manufacturers offer compatible HP J4500 ink as well, which cost considerably less than the OEM replacements.

General capacity is a bit low, which would be limiting for busy offices. The monthly duty cycle is only 3,000 pages, and HP recommends only printing up to 600 pages per month. The paper capacity is also low, maxing out at 100 sheets in and 20 documents out. There is a 20-sheet automatic document feeder that will continuously feed the scanner.

Home office users will be impressed with the speed, quality, and flexibility of the HP J4500 inkjet printer. Some of the features have limited capacities, but beyond that this machine offers most of the features an average user will want in a low-volume home office.