Printers aren’t exciting things. Printers aren’t even widely used outside of massive office settings, really. Yet, a reliable printer tends to be quite useful for the few times that you do have to actually print something. When that time comes, you’ll want to make sure that you have a trusty printer on your side.

A printer that can spit out bold colors and create deep black ink is a printer well worth putting on your holiday list (even if you buy it for yourself). On the off chance that you are shopping for a printer this holiday season, HP has a great one for you. The HP Officejet PRO 8600 is affordable, durable, and an all-around excellent buy.

A Clean New Update

The PRO 8600 is a cleaned-up version of HP’s older Pro 8500 A Plus. The 8500 had a glossy black exterior that looked good but was difficult to clean. HP didn’t mess around with sticky fingers this time. The 8600 has a matte exterior that hides fingerprints relatively well. Aside from the material that HP has chosen the 8600 has a rather large body that might not suit all style preferences. Then again, this printer was built to be a workhorse, not to win any style awards.

This printer comes with a 250-sheet tray and a 50-page document feeder. HP has also equipped the 8600 with a nice and simple touchscreen display that includes all of the printer’s major functions. The display is easy to navigate and wasn’t troublesome when tested. The 8600 also comes with a USB port, so that you can plug the printer in via USB, but you will have to purchase a USB cable, since the 8600 does not include this option.

Pricing and Availability

The 8600 is an all-around solid printer for small to medium sized businesses and for the home office. However, this printer doesn’t print card stock very well, and it’s not an ideal printer for the contract designer or for anyone looking to use a printer for scrapbooking purposes. That said, the price of the 8600 is right at just $199 – even less if you happen to find a holiday deal or two. You can purchase the 8600 through most electronics stores, through HP, or through an online retailer. If you’re looking for the best deal, an online retailer might be a good option.

It’s rare that a printer worth writing about appears these days. When most of the world has gone digital, manufacturers have largely stopped focusing on printers. Yet, companies like HP still put out solidly built machines that will last for many years to come. If you’re wondering about the ink cartridge price for the 8600, you’ll be happy to know that HP has kept its ink prices rather low.

You can purchase ink for the 8600 for around $30 per black ink cartridge, and $20 for various colored cartridges. Considering the fact that some printers come with ink that’s priced a lot higher than $30, the 8600 is a great purchase from all angles. The one drawback to this printer that some reviewers found has to do with the sensitivity of the touchscreen, which can be rather picky at times (so you’ll have to press a bit harder to complete a task – no a game changing detail, but one that should be known all the same).