CNET Editor's rating: 8.0 out of 10
Reviewed by
Justin Yu
Review date: 05/08/08
Release date: 04/16/09
The good: Loads of useful built-in hardware including autoduplexer, auto-document feeder, Optical Character Recognition scanner; painless 802.11g wireless setup; excellent quality text, graphic, and photo prints.
The bad: No PictBridge support; only three autodial fax buttons; slower than average photo prints.
The bottom line: The HP Officejet J6480 has a lot of built-in features that are rarely found included in a $200 printer. Shoppers looking for an all-inclusive multifunctional unit will be impressed with the robust hardware and rich print quality.
The Officejet J6480 is Hewlett-Packard's newest all-in-one printer with a host of features designed to appeal to small-to-midsize businesses that want a low-cost, feature-rich device capable of handling projects across the board. This $200 multifunction printer certainly delivers everything you want in an AIO: Autoduplexing, photo finishing, one-touch faxing, a scanner with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, auto-document feeder (ADF), and built in wireless 802.11g networking. The J6480 includes all these additional features you don't normally see in a $200 printer and does so without sacrificing print quality, software usability, or hardware shortcuts. Even though it prints photos slower than the average speed for an AIO, the rest of the robust feature set on the J6480 make it one of our favorite do-it-all devices.
Design and features
The HP Officejet J6480 is relatively large (18.7 inches wide by 18.6 inches deep) and heavy (16.87 pounds), but it manages to keep a low profile by standing only 10 inches high. The large footprint plus the fact that the trays don't fold into the body mean you probably won't move it around the office very often. However, the combination of matte-white-and-gray panels and the glossy black cockpit should blend well with the rest of your decor. At first glance, it seems that the J6480 has a lot going on, but the buttons are organized in such a way that makes navigation fairly easy. The front panel houses a series of shortcuts for the scanner, the printer, the copier, and the fax machine, with the numerical keypad and faxing buttons occupying half of the console. There's also a small, two-line LCD screen to quickly access system preferences and tools to maintain ink cartridges and the printer nozzle, but there are only three autodials for the fax machine--most AIOs have at least four, if not eight one-touch buttons.
The front panel also has an external card reader (supporting xD, Memory Stick, SD, and CompactFlash) and a wireless On/Off button. Unfortunately, the J6480 does not have a PictBridge port for transferring images directly from a digital camera. We understand the redundancy in including both a media bay and a PictBridge port, but PictBridge is quickly becoming the de facto standard for direct printing, and we wish HP would have considered this in the printer's design.
The 250-sheet input tray has an adjustable arm to fit any paper size--we like that the tray is actually fixed into the machine and made of a sturdy plastic, as opposed to other printers that employ a flimsy tray to corral paper. The printer also has an auto document feeder for scanning and/or copying as many as 35 sheets at a time, as well as an autoduplexer for double-sided printing, accessible through the driver settings. Finally, HP rounds out the device with built-in wireless 802.11g networking. We followed the onscreen instructions and successfully paired the J6480 with our desktop computer in less than 10 minutes. From there, we connected satellite computers to the printer by simply installing the driver onto the other desktops. The process of setting up a wireless network with your printer is typically painful, requiring special network configurations and system changes, but the J6480 slowly guides you through the setup with onscreen instructions that we found easy to follow and troubleshoot.
In addition to the drivers, the J6480 also ships with HP's Photosmart Essential and Solution Center software. The former allows you to import, organize, edit, and share your digital photos, while the latter helps you fax and scan documents as well as order additional supplies to use with your printer. The J6480 has a two-cartridge bay with one single black cartridge ($15) and another tricolor cartridge ($18) for color prints. We ran low on color ink during our testing, so we suggest that you purchase the XL cartridge that's available on the HP Web site for $35. They're double the price of the standard cartridge but offer three times the page yields in both black and color.
The scanner on the J6480 comes with onboard Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software that allows the scanner to interpret graphics into editable text. The HP Solution Center software has a "convert to text' option as well as an embedded "save as editable text" feature that automatically converts as it scans. We tested this functionality using several documents, including handwritten notes as well as simple text document printouts, and we received mixed results. Large, clear text translated well, and the software even matched the original fonts, but the algorithm couldn't recognize our smaller letters as well as any of the handwritten portions, no matter how uniform the character. Instead, the scanner changed our letters into a font that looked a lot like Wing Dings. All in all, the OCR isn't perfect, but you can count on it to work for light editing on presentations and other large format scans.
Performance
The HP Officejet J6480 excelled against its competitors in all the speed test categories except photo. In this case, the HP tested dead last at 0.83 photo per minute and couldn't even beat out the Lexmark x7550, which was the previous model to beat for dead slowest photo printer (1.16 PPM). Photos aside, the rest of the speeds were surprisingly quick. The J6480 blew away the Brother MFC-685CW and the Kodak EasyShare 5500 in the speed test, and the 3.4 page-per-minute scan speed is one of the higher benchmarks in the AIO printer category.
Print speed test (in pages per minute) (Longer bars indicate better performance)
Those who decide to use the J6480 to print photos will be rewarded for their wait--text, graphics, and full-color photos are very pleasing with detailed, sharp lines. We did notice some color casts on some of the prints, but a few tweaks in HP's image-editing software fixed the issue in less than five minutes. The skin tones in our portrait shots blended well with their background and exhibited a rich color palette, including dark purples and lighter shades of blue and green. We recommend HP's Premium Presentation Paper for presentations and other high traffic documents--the nozzle had a hard time laying down a smooth color gradient on plain paper and the matte-coated finish lends itself better to the tricolor inks.
Service and support
HP includes a one-year warranty with its J6480, with the option to upgrade to its "Total One Package," which offers an additional two years of HP Accidental Damage Protection and access to its Pick Up and Return program. In addition, coverage is extended for qualifying peripherals during the same time period. The standard warranty includes 24-hour toll-free technical support. In addition, online classes, FAQs, driver downloads, and basic troubleshooting can be found at HP's Web site, www.hp.com.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Works Great!
Don't know what the complaints are on this model, my set up went without a hitch! It does take ...
Don't know what the complaints are on this model, my set up went without a hitch! It does take a while to set it up through the software install (10-15min.)I chose to do a customized install where I chose what software I wanted. You don't need all the junk software that is offered. I already have Adobe Photoshop for viewing photos. The software found my network through an ethernet cable from the printer to the router. I also loaded the drivers on a laptop and was able to access the printer through my wireless G network. It works great...prints two sided copies, scanning, and faxing. You do need to use the included phone cable for the fax machine. It did not like mine...and the software set up tells you so! ...so far so good.
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by jrbrug (see profile) -
May 29, 2008
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
3 out of 10 - Poor A disappointment even though I REALLY wanted it to work.
I have to say I was really enthusiastic at the prospect of a device that would meet almost all of ...
I have to say I was really enthusiastic at the prospect of a device that would meet almost all of my needs.
Enthusiasim turned to disappointment when trying to used the automatic document feeder (ADF). I had a number of family photos to scan for a project. I used the feeder to scan 4x6 prints. Each scan had the exact same issue - about 4 7/8" down the scan there appeared a horizontal line and the photo lost 1/4" of the image. There were also vertical lines (artifacts) that appeared randomly. It made the image look as if it were scratched.
I then tried scanning via the flatbed. The scan came out perfect. No horizontal line or random artifacts.
I packed up the original unit and returned it to the retailer. I exchanged the J6480 for a brand new unit, took it home and set it up. The setup of the second was a bit frustrating as I had to delete the first printer and re-install. Also had to setup the wireless connection once again.
Once I finally got the computer (HP Pavillion DV6345) to recognize the printer, I embarked on my scanning mission again. I was ready to put the photos in the ADF and let the machine do the work it was designed to do.
Before I committed to an investment of time and disk space I wanted to make sure the spectre of my earlier issues would not reappear. I placed the 4x6 photo in the ADF and pressed "scan".
Well, I was not impressed. I was now experiencing the very same issues as on the first unit I purchased. This time I opted to call the experts at HP Tech Support.
One Hundred and Seven minutes later I was no further along than when I discovered the ADF issues. It didn't matter if I was copying or scanning a photo (or paper document) with the ADF - results were consistently the same. The image always contains a horizontal line where it gets compressed by 1/4".
I tried different size photos - same results.
Conclusion - I received either two units from a bad manufacturing lot or there is a design issue with the ADF. Without the ADF this unit is severely crippled in the capacity in which it is sold and marketed. Don't take my word for it. Scan or copy your own photos or documents using both the ADF and flatbed options. Physically compare the results to the originals. I'd be interested to see if many other folks experience or notice the same issues (feedback at ray_parker59@hotmail.com).
If HP can get the ADF portion of this device working properly and ease the installation pain a bit, it will have an awesome product with little competition in this price/performance range. I really hope they can remedy this quickly.
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by rparker59 (see profile) -
May 27, 2008
7 out of 10 - Very good Installation needs work
I tried for 3 hours to get this configured by myself with no luck. I then called HP tech support ...
I tried for 3 hours to get this configured by myself with no luck. I then called HP tech support and 2 hours later it worked.
There is a manual setting on the printer to configure network settings. We had to manually set the IP on the printer, once that happened things started to fall into place. Just hit the setup button on the printer and scroll till you see network settings, there is an option to set it manually.
We also had to delete a file and reinstall it, since it wanted to default back to the wrong IP address.
Here is what we had to do. Install the installation cd then (this is his spelling, I just pasted it here)
If ther would be no network found just do this ff steps:
Right click on the hp disc and click explore
Look for the Setup folder>Open it>look for Netdevicemanager folder>right click on the windows installer netdevice and click Uninstall and then right click again and click install.
After doing this go back to the Connection type window click through the netwrok and it will found now your netwrok printer.
It now works perfectly! And I am very happy with it, more importantly, my wife is happy with it.
This is much better than my old printer having to use a print server on a Non networked printer.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal Problems with Vista/installation
After several hours on the phone with HP over the last three weeks, I have decided to return this printer. ...
After several hours on the phone with HP over the last three weeks, I have decided to return this printer. The reps could not get it installed properly on my Vista-equipped XPS. Actually, that's not entirely true ? currently, it is installed correctly, but Vista is so shot that I have such bad error messages that I need to reinstall Vista. This is a brand new laptop and I am furious with the reps for wreaking havoc on it. Through remote access they changed settings, changed permissions, changed the registry, and basically messed up my laptop so badly that it doesn't function at all now except to print. If I had more than 21 days to return, I would try to install the printer again after I reinstall Vista, but my time is up, and I'm not going to take that risk since it took us 6 installs to get to this point. I suspect that HP's drivers are not fully compatible with Vista yet, which is really a shame. In fact, one rep even told me that "7 out of 10 times we will not be able to install." I found most of HP's reps to be incompetent ? e.g. asking me to download wireless internet software when I don't even have wireless internet ? and I won't ever allow them remote access to my pc again. Also ? the "Scan" button on the actual device is not functional on my printer. I suspect this is Vista related (too many details to explain here). The reps told me to "ignore" this and that button "is not supposed to work." What?! Minor annoyance but add it to the list. Also ? the automatic ink level sensors don't work on my printer either. The reps also told me to "just ignore" this and to replace the ink when the pages start to fade. I don't really care about this feature but it's an indication of a bigger problem, in my opinion. If you are buying this printer for a Vista pc, I suggest you immediately install the software and run several tests over several restarts (some of the error messages were coming up after successful installs; that is, a few days after a successful install, suddenly it would be asking me to insert the disk).
Updated I am learning that this printer is not "Certified for Vista," which is a designation by Microsoft given to devices after they pass a rigorous test of compatibility. Other HP printers do have this designation but not this one. Something to keep in mind for buying a printer for a Vista system.
3 out of 10 - Poor no good for faxing
We purchased this all-in-one for its' wireless capability and were very happy until we tried to send a fax. We ...
We purchased this all-in-one for its' wireless capability and were very happy until we tried to send a fax. We could send a fax by using the control buttons on the all-in-one, but when we tried to send a fax using our pc(HP Pavillion dv6000), we were unable to do so. We tried with the wireless setup and also with the USB connection setup. In both cases we first opened Home Solutions and selected Send A Fax. After completing the Fax info we clicked Send Fax and in both cases we got an ERROR MSG "The Fax Scan Failed".
After FOUR DAYS and SEVERAL HOURS, HP technicians were unable to solve the problem. One tech even said that Home Solutions, included with Windows Vista Home Premium, is not compatable with this all-in-ones' fax software and that we may need a upscale version of Vista. "BUMMER".
Our J6480 has gone back to Best Buy. Don't know yet what to purchase next, but HP is not on our shopping list!
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by hadahawk (see profile) -
April 12, 2008
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Good printer, however...
Look, I've used HP printers for practically 10 years, and I've used Lexmark, Epson, and Canon, but the ...
Look, I've used HP printers for practically 10 years, and I've used Lexmark, Epson, and Canon, but the install sofrware needs work. I can't believe how poorly the install instructions are written. With all the resources available to HP, they can do better. That being said, the print quality is crisp, color quality is very good, and duplex and wireless features work as advertised. Aside from the install, the printer does its job well.
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by gwzap (see profile) -
July 20, 2008
7 out of 10 - Very good An AIO that works.
So far no paper jams or duplexing issues. For the price this is a very good printer.
So far no paper jams or duplexing issues. For the price this is a very good printer.
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by Predator000 (see profile) -
June 24, 2008
8 out of 10 - Excellent Worked well with Vista
I almost didn't buy this because other reviewers had so much trouble setting it up with Vista, but I'...
I almost didn't buy this because other reviewers had so much trouble setting it up with Vista, but I've gotten it working.
Installation took a while because I didn't correctly set up the security on my router (MAC filtering), which isn't HP's fault. But then when I fixed this and it was finishing the install, the installation program froze, couldn't recover when I rebooted, and couldn't say what was wrong except to try re-installing. The second time worked, though, and I'm now printing wirelessly via my AirLink AR430W super-G router.
I also had one bump in the road where my 1 year old pressed a button making the printer freeze (again not HP's fault), which continuted even when I rebooted the printer a first time. I was underwhelmed by HP's software for figuring out the printer's status. However, turning the printer off then on once more fixed things.
The two-sided printing works great, although it waits a bit of time for one side to dry before printing on the other side. The text prints look fine. The photo I printed looked okay, not great, but perhaps it would go better if I'd used HP's own imaging software instead of that from my old Canon printer.
I copied a few black-and-white pages using the document feeder, and it worked very well. I haven't needed the fax yet, although that feature was an important reason I picked this model.
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