🖨️ In-Depth Review: The Xerox Phaser 8500/SDN Solid Ink Color Printer
The Xerox Phaser 8500 series, including the 8500/SDN model, was a significant player in the mid-2000s office printing market. Distinguished by its unique Solid Ink technology, this machine was positioned to bridge the gap between traditional laser and inkjet printers, offering businesses an affordable color printing solution with vibrant output.
The specific model requested, the Xerox Phaser 8500/SDN CLR PRINTR 24PPM 128MB (8500/SDN), is a networked version of the 8500 series, designed for small to medium-sized workgroups. While this model is no longer sold new, its technology and characteristics remain a fascinating case study in office printing innovation.
 |
| In-Depth Review: The Xerox Phaser 8500/SDN Solid Ink Color Printer |
🛠️ Technology Spotlight: Solid Ink
The defining feature of the Phaser 8500/SDN is its use of Solid Ink technology. Unlike liquid ink cartridges or dry powder toner, this printer uses wax-like, crayon-shaped sticks of solid ink.
How it Works:
The colored ink sticks (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) are dropped into color-coded slots—a process often described as being as simple as loading a stapler.
The printer melts the solid ink into a liquid.
The liquid ink is jetted onto an oil-coated drum.
The image is then quickly transferred and fused to the paper in a single pass.
Advantages of Solid Ink:
Vibrant Color Quality: Solid ink is renowned for producing exceptionally smooth, saturated, and vibrant colors, often exceeding the color quality of comparably priced color laser printers of its time. This makes it ideal for documents requiring visual impact, such as marketing materials, real estate listings, and professional-looking business reports.
Ease of Maintenance: The compact, no-mess ink sticks are easy to load and generate significantly less waste than toner cartridges, making the printer more environmentally friendly and simpler to maintain.
Media Versatility: The technology provides superior print quality regardless of media type, working well with everything from recycled paper to heavy cover stocks and transparencies.
🚀 Performance and Specifications
The 8500/SDN was built for productivity in a network environment, indicated by the 'N' (Network) and 'D' (Duplex) in its model name, though some sources suggest the base 8500/DN may have had different speed/resolution characteristics than the higher-end 8550 models. The core specifications were impressive for a color printer in its category:
| Feature | Specification (Phaser 8500 Series) | Note |
| Print Speed | Up to 24 pages per minute (PPM) in color. | A key selling point for speed-conscious businesses. |
| First Page Out | As fast as 6 seconds. | Very fast for a color device, aiding productivity on short jobs. |
| Standard Resolution | Standard resolution for general office use. | Higher resolution modes (up to 2400 FinePoint) were often reserved for the higher-end 8550 models. |
| Processor/Memory | 128MB Standard (as per the model name). | Sufficient for handling complex print jobs over a network. |
| Duplexing | Automatic two-sided printing (Duplex) is standard. | Essential for saving paper and creating professional documents. |
| Connectivity | Ethernet Network (N) ready. | Crucial for workgroup sharing. |
| Paper Capacity | Main tray: 525 sheets (holds a full ream). | High capacity minimizes interruptions. |
✅ Pros: What Sets the 8500/SDN Apart
Superior Color Output: The most consistently praised feature. The colors are deeply saturated and vibrant, making graphics and photos pop—a notable advantage over entry-level color lasers.
User-Friendly Design: The ink-loading process is straightforward, and the printer often includes tools like PrintingScout for on-screen alerts and maintenance guidance, simplifying troubleshooting for users and administrators alike.
Low Running Costs: Solid ink sticks are highly efficient, offering an average yield of 3,000 pages per color set, contributing to potentially lower operating costs compared to some laser printers.
Fast First Page: A first-page-out time of around 6 seconds means less waiting for short documents.
❌ Cons: Potential Drawbacks
Warm-up Time: Since the printer must keep the solid ink melted, it requires a warm-up period, especially when starting from a cold state.
Text Quality (Minor Flaw): While the color graphics were excellent, some reviewers noted that plain text, when viewed very closely, could appear slightly fuzzier than true laser output, resembling a high-quality inkjet.
Reliability Concerns: Some user feedback suggested that while the printer was excellent when working, it could be prone to maintenance issues like blocked jets, which required using the printer's cleaning feature. Furthermore, the repair cost could be significant when parts failed.
Requires Constant Power: To minimize warm-up time, the printer needs to be left on in a Standby or Intelligent Ready mode, which slightly increases energy consumption compared to a laser printer that can power down completely.
🎯 Conclusion: An Innovative Workgroup Choice
The Xerox Phaser 8500/SDN was a bold and innovative choice for its time. It successfully delivered on its promise to bring high-quality, vibrant, and cost-effective color printing to small and medium-sized workgroups.
It was perfectly suited for offices that regularly print materials where color quality is paramount—such as sales presentations, brochures, and internal reports needing high visual impact. Its fast speed, standard network connectivity, and automatic duplexing made it a highly practical workgroup machine.
While the solid ink technology brought minor trade-offs in power consumption and text sharpness compared to the best lasers, the superior color quality and ease of maintenance made the Phaser 8500/SDN a compelling and unique alternative in the competitive color printer market. It remains a testament to Xerox's commitment to pushing the boundaries of office printing technology.