HP Expands Professional Photo Printer Offerings By Shutterbug Staff March 4, 2008 — HP has unveiled the Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer, rounding out the company’s growing portfolio of printing solutions for the advanced amateur market.

The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer contains several color management advancements that simplify the printing experience. The printer is seamlessly integrated with Adobe Photoshop¨ CS3, enabling users to print directly from their preferred workflow. The choice is then automatically synchronized with the color management setting, eliminating issues associated with “double color management.” This technology also is available in a free software download.

Additional advancements that ensure consistent color and superior gallery-quality prints include Electrostatic Drop Detection and closed-loop calibration. The Electrostatic Drop Detection printhead management system efficiently self-monitors and self-cleans to keep the printer in top condition while minimizing waste by cleaning only the individual print nozzles that require attention. Closed-loop calibration automatically adjusts print settings to maintain color consistency.

Precise, long-lasting color with HP Vivera pigment inks
An exclusive at this price, the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer is said to offer truly neutral black-and-white printing with individual HP Vivera pigment inks – including photo black, matte black and light gray – eliminating the need to swap out cartridges to print in matte or gloss.

HP’s Vivera pigment inks are formulated with exclusive pigment dispersion
Electrosteric Encapsulation Technology, offering an extensive palette of life-like colors, deep rich blacks and true neutral grays for fast-drying, color-stable, water-resistant photos with exceptional fade resistance for more than 200 years.(1) To learn more about HP photo permanence and durability and to experience a visual demonstration of HP’s light fade simulator, visit www.hp.com/go/printpermanence.

The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer allows photographers to print creative content the way they want on a wide assortment of media, including HP Advanced Photo Paper, and digital fine art media up to 0.7-mm thick, including canvas and fiber-gloss, for professional, color-accurate prints with exceptional image quality and durability that maintain color integrity and resist fading for generations.

The media portfolio includes HP Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art Paper, HP HahnemŸhle Watercolor Paper, HP Aquarella Art Paper, HP Artist Matte Canvas and HP Professional Satin Photo Paper for brilliant prints up to 13 x 19 inches in as fast as 90 seconds.

HP offers full-featured Mac driver support for more than 1,000 HP models across all HP product lines. Furthering this commitment, the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer is Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard compatible out of the box. In addition, the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer is compatible with Mac OS X v10.3.9 or higher; G4, G5 and Intel¨ Core™.

Additional information about Mac support for the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer is available at www.hp.com/go/mac. The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer is expected to be available for purchase in North America in April for $549.