HP's Officejet 6500 Wireless color inkjet multifunction printer (MFP) finally offers some serious competition to the Pixma MX700 and other Canon models that habitually dominate our chart rankings. The two machines are comparable in speed and price (at this writing, $199 for the HP and $180 for the Canon), but the Officejet 6500 Wireless wins hands-down in design and in ink cost per page.
Hewlett-Packard Officejet 6500 Wireless

Pricing
$139.99 - $211.85 From 14 Vendors Get Best Prices »
- Spec Navigator
- Core Components
- Media Handling
- Display
- Network
- Connectivity
- Platform Support
- Dimensions
- General Features
- Green
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Resolutions
- Scanning
- Faxing
Media Handling
| Manual Feed Slot | No |
| Maximum Number of Input Trays | 1 |
| Maximum paper size, height | 14.0 inches |
| Maximum Sheets With All Paper Trays | 250 |
| Output Tray Capacity | 50 |
| Standard Number of Input Trays | 1 |
| Maximum paper size, width | 8.5 inches |
| Standard input sheet capacity | 250 |
| Duplex printing | Yes |
General Features
| Printer Emulation Type | PCL3 |
| Media slots |
|
| PictBridge compatible | No |
| Printer languages supported | PCL3 |
Included Software
| Included Software |
|
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Printers »
Pros
Fast print speeds; automatic duplexing
Inexpensive high-yield inks
Cons
Slow scanning speeds
Orange fleshtones on plain and HP papers
Bottom Line
This midpriced model offers solid performance, features, and print quality, with few compromises.
HP Officejet 6500 Wireless Inkjet MFP
Officejet 6500 Wireless Review, by Susan Silvius, PC World July 28, 2009
In our speed tests, the Officejet 6500 Wireless printed plain text at a speed of 11.7 pages per minute (ppm), and its color output was as fast as 3.2 ppm--faster than average, though far short of HP's advertised engine speeds of 32 ppm for monochrome and 31 ppm for graphics. Photos looked smooth and detailed. Some colors fell on the dark side of the natural range, and flesh tones often appeared orangey. Scans happened slowly and lacked some crispness, but the color balance was generally good.
The control panel looks busy, but grouping buttons by function prevents confusion. A two-line, 16-character monochrome LCD shows menu options and messages. Media slots take MMC/SD, xD, and MS/Duomedia cards; absent is any PictBridge port. The bundled HP Solutions Center and Photosmart Essentials applications add to the feature set. Photosmart Essentials offers photo-editing and organizing tools. The Solutions Center's help section includes an extensive library of how-to and troubleshooting animations.
Features of the Officejet 6500 Wireless unit we looked at included a 250-sheet input tray, a 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), and an automatic duplexer. The input tray can handle a variety of media, from 4-by-6-inch photo paper to legal-size sheets. The 150-sheet output tray (on the lid of the input tray) supports legal paper--although the extensions to support the added length are a bit flimsy. All the other components are sturdy and well-constructed. Ethernet, USB, and wireless connectors are standard. The Canon Pixma MX700 has dual 150-sheet input trays, but it lacks duplexing or wireless.
HP sells replacement ink cartridges for the Officejet 6500 in standard and high-yield sizes (the printer ships with the standard size). All are keyed by color to their slots. The prices for the standard-cartridge inks are average, but the high-yield versions are impressively cheap: 2.7 cents per page for black text and 9.1 cents per page for color.
The HP Officejet 6500 strikes an impressive balance of performance, ease of use, and features at an aggressive price. It's robust enough to support a small office with moderate output needs, and it's easy to install and use, with excellent software support.
--Susan Silvius
2 Comments | 2 Topics | Print Only This Review
- Rating Breakdown
-
81
-
76
-
91
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Printers
81
86
85
81
Performance
| 300dpi Line Art Image (secs) | 17.96 |
| 4 by 6 Color Photo (secs) | 14.99 |
| 4 by 6 Grayscale Photo (secs) | 15.73 |
| Color Output Quality | Very Good |
| Color Photo Quality | Very Good |
| Copy Output Quality | Very Good |
| Copy Quality | Very Good |
| Final Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 16.6 |
| Final Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 1.77 |
| Final Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 5.3 |
| Grayscale Glossy Output Quality | n/a |
| Grayscale Output Quality | Good |
| Line Art Output Quality | Very Good |
| One-Page Copy | 15.8 |
| One-Page Copy (secs) | 15.8 |
| One-Page Line Art, Maximum Resolution | Superior |
| One-Page Webpage (secs) | 19.16 |
| One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | Good |
| Overall Scan Quality | Very Good |
| Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 23.5 |
| Preview Scan, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 23.56 |
| Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 24.36 |
| Sports Action Shot (secs) | 31.62 |
| Ten-Page Word Document | 66.54 |
| Ten-Page Word Document (secs) | 66.54 |
| Tested Color Speed (ppm) | 3.5 |
| Tested Glossy Photo Speed (ppm) | 3.3 |
| Tested Grayscale Speed (ppm) | 3.8 |
| Tested Text Speed (ppm) | 11.7 |
| Text Output Quality | Very Good |
| Three-Page Word Document | 35.65 |
| Three-Page Word Document (secs) | 35.65 |
| Total Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 16.6 |
| Total Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 1.77 |
| Total Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 5.3 |
| Two-Page Excel Document | 33.57 |
| Two-Page Excel Document (secs) | 33.57 |
Scanning
| Preview scan, 2-by-2-inch document, 600 dpi | 23.5 |
| Preview scan, 4-by-5-inch document, 100 dpi | 23.56 |
| Preview scan, one-page Word document, 300 dpi | 24.36 |
| Preview scan, one-page Word document, 300 dpi | 24.36 |
Text Printing
| Text output quality | Very Good |
Average User Reviews for Hewlett-Packard Officejet 6500 Wireless
- Latest User Reviews 5 reviews
-
Reviewed by: fwer207
Duration of ownership: 8 Months
Strengths: Fast good text printing. Printing color graphics & photos is decent.
Weaknesses: -Wirelessly networked, the product does it's good "energy star" job and goes to sleep... but it doesn't wake up. HP's solution by Indians speaking bad English is to re-install the driver each time I called. No matter we did that before and it didn't help, let's do it again! Finally, I gave up and ran a CAT5 to the printer. Pathetic support. -The drivers are memory and processor HOGS. Go with the "basic" driver not "full".
Overall: I was an idiot to buy another HP. It will not happen again. HP is just another example of what used to be a sound, quality company being run by bean counters that care only about profit. Where have all the engineers gone?
-
Reviewed by: mikedgolf40505
Duration of ownership: 6 Months
Strengths: Fast printing, works great wirelessly when hooked to my Time Capsule, works great with Mac OSX, large capacity cheap inks
Weaknesses: Needs larger, color menu box
Overall: Excellent printer, almost as good as the HP 7600 I have on my desk at work.
-
Reviewed by: squirejay
Duration of ownership: 3 Months
Strengths: Good print quality. Decently priced ink. Easy to use when it works.
Weaknesses: The electronics and software are junk. I've had more problems with this printer than anything I have ever bought in the past. The printer goes into sleep mode and won't wake up. It loses it's wireless connection every time it goes into sleep mode...the problems just keep piling up!
Overall: I am on my third printer of this Officejet 6500 wireless model in the last two months. I am having HP replace this with another model printer. STAY AWAY!!!
-
Reviewed by: jebart
Duration of ownership: 1 Week
Overall: You cannot scan to email without installing Windows Live email program. I will be taking this printer back - This is totally wrong.
-
Reviewed by: dsavary
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Prints well and is very economical with the ink. If used with a USB cable this is printer will serve you well.
Weaknesses: Does not offer any wireless drivers for the Windows 7 operating system. HP has promised a set of Win 7 drivers in 2 weeks, that was in October, this has streched until November. Now Hp said December or January time frame. The real problem I have was the false advertisement that is is a wireless printer compatible to Windows 7. I also take little comfort in all the prnter reviews of this model for no one has picked this up which translates that very little testing is done and a lot is gleened from the manufacturers hipe.
Overall: Great printer, lousy HP support. There should be a disclaimer for all the false advertising.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
-
Reviewed by: dvdirv
Strengths: Wireless, separate cartridges, easy to set up, fast & great looking copies
Weaknesses: 2-Line LCD text display
Overall: If you're looking for a printer with all the latest technologies, check out the HP Officejet 6500 Wireless. Keep in mind that HP makes two 6500 models--one is wireless and one is not. This is the wireless model.With copy, scan, print and fax functions this all-in-one is a real workhorse. Fast speed (up to 31 ppm) and extremely easy to use.The setup function is all done via software--you don't even need to touch the 6500's keypad controls. It links directly to your System Preferences control panel making the wireless and fax settings easy.Main drawback is HP's decision to only include a 2-line text display. For a printer in this price range, HP should have included a 2.5" color LCD screen.If you're looking for a multifunction machine that does it all, seriously consider the HP 6500 Wireless.

| Merchant | Price | Merchant Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
$199.99 Learn More » | |
|
$152.00 Learn More » | |
|
$149.00 Learn More » | |
|
$139.99 Learn More » | |
|
$147.23 Learn More » | |
|
$198.00 Learn More » |
Printers similar to the Hewlett-Packard Officejet 6500 Wireless
We recommend these Printers for their similarities to the Hewlett-Packard Officejet 6500 Wireless in features, specs, ratings, and user interest.
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
![]() |
|
Latest Prices » |
- Before you buy
- How to Buy a Printer

Pricing
$139.99 - $211.85 From 14 Vendors Get Best Prices »
|
Fantastic HP Officejet 6500 All-In-One Printer 7 months ago |
PCWorld | 2 Replies 538 Views |
|
|
HP Officejet 6500 Wireless Inkjet MFP 7 months ago |
PCWorld | 0 Replies 81 Views |
Start New Topic Don't see the answer to your question? Ask it here!
Lenovo Laptop Deals
-
ThinkPad Edge A welcome refresh of Lenovo's workhorse line that improves look and feel without sacrificing the features that make ThinkPads so well-loved.
-
ThinkPad T400 Performance meets portability in T400's lightweight design, switchable graphics and superior power management.
Cameras
Camcorders
Cell Phones
Components
Desktops
HDTV
Home Theater
GPS
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Networking &
Printers
Storage
Facebook










