This high-volume workhorse is fast, has great print quality, and keeps ink costs in check. It has just about every productivity and convenience feature small offices need in an all-in-one in its price range.

Exceptional print; copy; and scan quality; Fast performance; Automatic-duplexing ADF; Inexpensive ink

Odd-colored chassis; No slot for specialty media

The $299 HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One printer is an updated version of the Pro 8500A Plus multifunction CNET reviewed last year. The flagship of HP's workcentric inkjet line gets a performance makeover from the inside out, with improvements to the speed of the print engine and the texture...

The HP Officejet 8600 Plus prints professional-quality photos and documents quickly with versatile connectivity options and robust features like an auto-duplexer; cloud printing; and a legal-size scanning bay

The touch screen requires aggressive finger presses to actuate the display functions; and there's no way to calibrate its sensitivity

The $299 HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One printer is an updated version of the Pro 8500A Plus multifunction CNET reviewed last year. The flagship of HP's workcentric inkjet line gets a performance makeover from the inside out, with improvements to the speed of the print engine and the texture of the 4.3-inch touch-screen display, and a sleeker chassis that hides fingerprints better than the previous version. The device also takes printing to the cloud with ePrint and an accompanying iOS application that make the Officejet Pro 8600A Plus an impressively resourceful printer. I recommend it for home offices and professional environments that need a dependable workhorse printer.

If you can find a desk to accommodate its large size, the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus all-in-one printer serves up top-shelf output quality at rapid print speeds, suitable for offices, home users, and photo enthusiasts hunting for an upgrade.

The HP Officejet 8600 Plus prints professional-quality photos and documents quickly with versatile connectivity options and robust features like an auto-duplexer; cloud printing; and a legal-size scanning bay.

The touch screen requires aggressive finger presses to actuate the display functions; and there's no way to calibrate its sensitivity.

• It offers maximum horizontal to vertical resolution as 4800×1200 dpi • Colour print speed is 35ppm • Offers envelop and banner inputs along with transparency printing capacity • Has both automatic and manual feed capacity • Works on multiple Operating systems like Microsoft Windows 2000, XP...

It offers maximum horizontal to vertical resolution as 4800×1200 dpi; Colour print speed is 35ppm; Offers envelop and banner inputs along with transparency printing capacity; Has both automatic and manual feed capacity; Works on multiple Operating systems like Microsoft Windows 2000; XP...

Touch Screen requires efforts to operate and it cannot be calibrated in any way for better sensitivity; Bigger in size than most of the other printers; Graphic quality delivered is below standard

The printer speed is excellent and the double sided scanning and copying is a real plus at this price. I've used the AirPrint feature to print from my iPhone and iPad which is really neat (no drivers needed!). You can also print by sending the printer an email which is quite cool.

In our last all-in-one Labs, the HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus strolled away with the top award thanks to its combination of a quality scanner, great document prints and very low running costs.

Aimed squarely at micro and small offices, the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One ($299.99 direct) is more directly competitive with low-end color laser MFPs like the HP LaserJet Pro 100 Color MFP M175nw ($349.99 direct, 3 stars) than with inkjets.

Fast; High-quality output; Duplexes; Duplexing automatic document feeder; Legal-size flatbed; Prints through cloud

A little larger than most inkjet MFPs

In a world filled with cheap but underpowered inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs), using the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus is a pleasant departure. One of the most competent MFPs for the price (US$300 as of 12/05/2011), it lacks nothing in its features, is solidly constructed, fully supports...

Fast; Cheap ink; Solid construction

Non-LCD controls are slow

The HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus is a heavyweight, inkjet all-in-one.

Much cheaper than colour laser; Easy wireless connection; Max 25,000 page monthly duty cycle

No multipurpose tray; USB socket not PictBridge compatible; Slower than specified

This is the best printer I have ever owned! The wireless capability is an added bonus for my office space and small business. The double-siding capability also is terrific as I don't have to physically hover over the printer to turn the page over at the right time.