The HP Photosmart 8750 is HP’s answer to Epson’s A3 photo printers. The device is not yet available on the market, but we received a late prototype to test and review. The HP 8750 is a 9-ink A3-capable photo inkjet printer with internal calibration and dedicated software.

The HP Photosmart 8750 is about as big as an Epson 1290. It has a squarish form factor and a protruding photo paper tray. The printer has a large blue LCD display on top of the hood. At the front, there are the memory card slots and a USB connector for direct connection to the camera.

The paper tray is what first struck me. As the test machine is a prototype, there wasn’t a manual delivered with it, so I was on my own trying to figure out how it worked. And I must say, it’s easier than previous trays on HP Photosmart photo printers. It’s also more sturdy.

The two main and most important improvements with this new model are the 9-ink (Vivera inks) system and the A3 capabilities. The ninth ink provided with this inkjet printer is an extra blue. According to HP, next to gray tones, blue is the most often used ink colour, and the one with the most visible improvements in photographic quality.

I compared the output of the 8750 with the output of the 8450, HP’s current flagship photo printer. There is hardly any difference, except in blue skies and green areas. I expected the improvement in the blue sky areas, but not in the green colour areas. However, in both cases the improvements are marginal. I did notice the 8750 to output slightly sharper photographs when printing from the camera directly.

I was particularly curious about the 8750’s A3 capabilities. The Photosmart 8750 is not a production machine, like the DesignJet 30, also a A3-capable printer. Its ink cartridges are much smaller than those of the DesignJet and the calibration is a machine-only affair, whereas the DesignJet allows for closed-loop calibration with linearization controlled by a RIP like the EFI Designer RIP.

Bottom Line

The Photosmart 8750 therefore is more aimed at serious amateur photographers, whereas the DesignJet 30 is more aimed at professional photo studios who also happen to output the occasional proof. In my opinion, a professional photographer who exhibits his/her work in galleries, will not want either of these machines. He/she will buy a DesignJet 90 or 130 instead. A2 to A1 paper size capabilities are important if one wants his work to be seen clearly from a distance, as it would in a gallery.

That being said, the DesignJets “only” have 6 inks, and this shows in the A3 output. The Photosmart 8750 has more subtle gradients, more detail in the shadows and slightly more sharpness, even when one closes in on the photograph. The DesignJet’s output loses detail when one steps real close up to the work.

What’s the bottom line with the Photosmart 8750? Well, it’s a great printer capable of printing extremely detailed and beautifully coloured prints. Seeing a print from the HP Photosmart 8750 next to the identical photograph in silver halide version, it’s difficult to tell the difference. The same could be said from the Photosmart 8450’s prints, though. One area where the Photosmart 8750 photo inkjet is a bit better than the HP Photosmart 8450 relate to the blue and green tones and colours. Prints are a bit more vivid as a result of the ninth ink, but not by much.

It would have surprised me if the Photosmart 8750 would have been much better than HP’s Photosmart 8450 photo printer. The latter’s output was already in a league of its own, so it should be hard to improve. The Photosmart 8750 is better, but not by much. The reason to buy this printer therefore would definitely be the A3-size capability.

May 2006: read all about HP’s new flagship photo inkjet printer, the Photosmart Pro B9180.