All I wanted is to print and scan which this does nicely. I did some quick math in the store and the ink cartridges for this model cost a tiny bit less, but had longer life than the cartridges for similar models.
My first problem, as other reviewers have said, is the drivers. I have Windows 7 64-bit, and no driver was available for it either on the CD or online! I was about to just box it up and return it, but then decided to see what drivers Windows 7 came with. I did a network printer install and it just popped up and asked if I wanted to install this HP 6500 printer that it found on my network. Just like that I was printing.
I thought I could live with that and just scan using my other Windows XP machine, but while poking around I found that the printer has a tiny web server built in with a pretty decent interface for managing print jobs and even scanning. You can scan without drivers by just opening a browser and typing in the printers IP address. Yes, it has been 7-8 years since I purchased my last home printer, so maybe everybody has this feature now, but still...I was impressed.
I'm sticking with the basic driver and using the printer's webpage for everything else. I can't stand bloated driver packages and this works just fine. I installed the IT professionals only basic driver from HP on my other XP machines as well.
Lose a star for being noisy and having crappy drivers. Otherwise a great printer!Get more detail about HP Officejet 6500 All-in-One Printer.
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