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Although the B8850 is physically the same size printer, there are a few differences. On this page I will highlight some of the visible and the not so visible differences.
Starting at the most basic level. The B 8850 has a lighter coloured case, together with a light grey paper out tray. I am not sure why HP has opted for the light touch, although it probably would look better in a home environment. The B9180 does look somber by comparison, but it does have a more "Pro" look about it.
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HP B8850 |
HP B9180 |
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HP B8850 |
HP B9180 |
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Minimal panel controls on the 8850 |
Clear ink indication on the 9180 |
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8850 rear view |
9180 rear view - power socket on right |
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Power & USB port on 8850 |
USB & Ethernet port on 9180 |
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Same ink set used for both printers |
Although the two printers are similar in appearance, the B8850 does lack some of the more advanced features found on the B9180.
The LCD display has been dropped on the B8850. This is a useful feature if you are sharing the printer on a network. For home use, all the necessary information is displayed on the print information panel when printing. The B8850 uses a Green ready light, whereas the B9180 uses a Blue light - no big deal here, unless you work for the police force and prefer blue flashing lights.
The rear of the printer reveals more, The B8850 uses a separate transformer pack for the power supply, this has a small mini HP plug to power the printer. I had this same system on my HP7960 printer, and it worked fine until I accidentally trod on the mini plug - this rendered the printer unusable - pity I liked that printer too. The B9180 uses a standard 3 pin plug - the same type that my electric kettle uses. It is solid and I think my foot would lose the battle if I trod on it.
Both printers use the same four print heads and eight Vivera pigment inks, it will be interesting to see how the print quality differs - I am not expecting any surprises here. However, the B9180 does have a better closed loop colour calibration system than the B8850 - maybe we will see a difference in the prints after all.
Finally, the B8850 only has one USB port, whereas the B9180 has USB and Ethernet. Although I am the only one that prints with the B9180 in my office, I must say it is very handy being able to use the printer with several computers - I have four computers which all have access to this and other printers on my network.
I will proceed with the first prints, although I'm going to avoid making any harsh criticism of this pre-production unit.
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