HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 Review (All You Need To Know)

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 All-in-One Printer is one of the most expensive inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs) for office use. It provides a level of productivity and handling of paper and features more frequently found in color laser MFPs than inkjets.

Like most color laser MFPs, it is also so large that you won’t want it on your desk. However, it’s an excellent option for a micro office, small office, or workgroup assuming you can find a place. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 belongs to a small class of inkjet printers.

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-5690, our Editors’ Choice inkjet MFP for up to heavy-duty use in a small office, is one of the few that meets the requirements. Compared to the other, the Epson model performed substantially better on our testing and produced text output of more excellent quality.

These two crucial characteristics help it maintain its position as our top selection. The 8740 produced images of a higher caliber on our tests, though. A configuration that costs about the same also provides more paper capacity.

A 250-sheet front drawer, an 80-sheet rear tray, and a duplexer are standard equipment with the Epson WF-5690. In contrast, the 8740 costs the same but includes two 250-sheet drawers and a duplexer as standard. However, if you want to add the additional optional 250-sheet tray, the Epson printer’s maximum capacity will be a little bit greater.

HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 Review

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8740‘s basic MFP features include the capacity to print from and scan to a USB memory key, print, fax, and work as a standalone copier and fax machine. A simple set of menus for delivering commands is available on the 4.3-inch color touch screen, and there is even the possibility to alter it slightly.

You can print to the printer through the cloud or connect to it through scan to iOS and Android smartphones and tablets if you click the printer to a network using Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Additionally, you can utilize the touch screen on the front panel to access the HP Print Apps and print from various cloud services.

You cannot use the Print Apps or publish through the cloud if you decide to connect to a single PC with a USB cord. You may still print and scan straight from mobile devices using the printer’s Wi-Fi Direct.

If your phone or tablet supports NFC, you can also connect to Wi-Fi Direct by touching the device to the NFC symbol on the control panel of the MFP. With a legal-size, rather than letter-size, flatbed and a 50-sheet automated document feeder (ADF), the 8740 provides superior paper handling for scanning than most small-office MFPs.

Better yet, the 8740 offers accurate duplex scanning as opposed to simplex scanning or even a duplexing ADF, which scans one side, flips the page over, and examines the second side. The 8740 enables you to copy simplex and duplex originals to your choice of simplex or duplex copies, just like most MFPs that can scan and print in a duplex.

Setup, Speed, And Output Quality

The 8740 weighs 40.6 pounds and has dimensions of 19.7 by 20.9 by 16.2 inches (HWD). The setup is standard. I used its Ethernet connector to connect it to a network for my testing, and I set up the drivers and software on a Windows Vista computer.

The 8740’s results on our business applications suite hardware and software were 6.3 pages per minute (ppm). It is quicker than the majority of color laser MFPs in the same price range because of this.

The output quality is slightly inconsistent, but overall it is more of a positive than a disadvantage. With highly readable text, even at 5 and 6 points for most of our test typefaces, text quality is at the upper end of the range, including the great majority of inkjets.

You shouldn’t have any crises as long as you don’t require further smaller font sizes. However, unlike laser output, the ink can somewhat smear if it becomes wet, making the text more difficult to see.

In our tests, the graphics output was significantly above the inkjets standard. In some solid fills, I saw some faint banding. The product was nevertheless of a high enough caliber that I would not hesitate to provide it to a significant client whom I was attempting to impress with my professionalism.

You can switch to a higher-quality option, although printing will take longer if you’re sufficiently picky to find this little defect annoying. Photos in my tests were much better than most lasers could produce; they were well within the range you’d anticipate for standard drugstore prints.

Connections

To summarize this section, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 can be connected to everything connected to a printer. A standard USB connection and safe dual-band WiFi are available on this printer. Alternatively, you may print directly from a USB flash drive, or it has NFC capabilities.

From an Ethernet network, you can print. Even your Amazon Alexa can be connected to this printer. Although I don’t see why someone would want to print using their voice, the option is there, and I like that.

Options are essential for businesses. You shouldn’t design your office around a printer. Your office needs to incorporate a printer. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 should blend perfectly with any setup you have.

Duplex Masterfully

The greatest is saved for last. This was the most blatant example of innovation from earlier when I was talking about it. HP has entirely rethought how duplex printing should function with this printer.

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 produces documents backward, up onto a catch-tray rather than spitting them out the front of the printer. It does this to make duplex printing more efficient. The paper won’t leave this printer until it has finished printing on both sides when printing two-sided documents.

Most printers print one side, then re-suck the page to publish the other. Your paper will be turned inside the printer by the HP OfficeJet Pro 8740, and both sides will be printed simultaneously.

Additionally, this printer starts producing the second while turning the first page. This implies that there is no waiting when pages turn or in between pages. What does this all mean? It denotes a duplex print speed of twenty pages per minute. That will be challenging for a Xerox copier to keep up with.

A single-pass duplex auto-document feeder is also included with this printer. This saves even more time because each two-sided paper must only go through the scanner once. If you frequently work with two-sided documents, stop reading right here. You just need to use this printer.

Editors Rating

4 out of 5 Stars

Testing

Though there were a few minor issues when I first set up the HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 printer, the initial setup of the 8740 is relatively simple. The printer initially had trouble locating my wifi network and connecting to test the fax function.

Before it eventually discovered my network, it made a few more attempts. I found a firmware upgrade available after the initial setup, but the printer didn’t alert me to the update during setup. I had to manually update the firmware instead of using the touchscreen interface on the printer. The fax test issue seems to be resolved, and the printer now appears to be able to be seen on the network as it should.

Though it is somewhat obscured in the settings, performing a manual firmware update is not immediately apparent. Fortunately, the printer has an automated update feature, so maybe this will be the last time I need to update the printer manually.

Home printer technology has improved since I bought 2710 in 2005. It now offers 2-sided printing and scanning, a 4-inch touchscreen, and the ability to update and use apps.

This printer is suitable for the home or workplace. Its two trays can hold a lot of different-sized paper. Touch screen menus are easy to use, except for the buried manual update function. It can scan, print, copy, and fax.

It can print and scan from a USB drive, cloud, printer, computer, phone, or tablet. Documents and images are printed quickly, clearly, and in acceptable quality. My insurance company, for example, only accepts faxes no problems with the fax.

My wireless printer may also be connected through ethernet, WPS, and NFC. The supplied HP software isn’t much different from my old 2710 software, but it works fine. HP includes ReadIris Pro, but it’s a 2-version-old version. The 50-page automatic document feeder works well and makes scanning and copying easier.

Product Comparison

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 achieved a rate of 6.3 pages per minute when run through our hardware and software business applications suite (ppm). This makes it much quicker than comparable color laser MFPs that cost around the same.

Comparing the Brother MFC-9340CDW to the Canon Color imageClass MF628Cw, I got a speed of 5.8 pages per minute (ppm) for the former. In comparison, the Epson WF-5690 printed at 10.1 pages per minute (ppm), making the 8740’s pace seem more decent than outstanding.

Final Verdict

The Epson WF-5690 is an excellent alternative to the HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 All-in-One Printer because it combines quick performance, outstanding paper management, and exceptional text quality for an inkjet.

Due to their waterproof output and clear text, you may also wish to consider the laser-based Brother MFC-9340CDW or Canon Color imageClass MF628Cw. Nevertheless, the 8740 offers superior graphics quality compared to the Epson model, faster speed compared to any laser printer, and better text quality than most inkjets, making it a solid option and one that is worth a close study.

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