My findings - AirPrint & HP 8500a Plus

So, HP support AirPrint on the HP OfficeJet 8500 A910, but NOT on the HP OfficeJet 8500 a909?

Great, so I got stuck with the a909, and I get nothing?

What is the expected date for supporting AirPrint on the a909? Tell me it's sooner than when heck freezes over.

You're not understanding, much as I did not. The "8500 space Axxx" is not a supported printer. You need an "8500A space xxx". There is a hardware difference. You and I are screwed. We will never get Airprint. Great...

So just to clarify, the 8500A A910 Series and the 8500 A909 Series are fundamentally different printers and run a completely different firmware stack. The newer "A" models had changes in place that allowed us to add AirPrint to them after they were developed. The older models do not.

If you have an older model, you can still use [HP iPrint Photo|http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hp-iprint-photo-3-0/id299531647?mt=8], or set up printer sharing from your Mac (see my [FAQ|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2658625&tstart=0] for more details) with either a free or paid option.

The unfortunate short answer is you will not be getting direct AirPrint capabilities on these printers, but the longer answer is there are many ways to still enable printing.

Just trying to help.

Andrew

Hi there,

I am having trouble with trying to update as well. I am connected to the network and have access to the internet but for some reason it keeps telling me that there are no updates at this time. Is that because its already updated? and if so do I need to turn something so that airprint will work? Ive tested from my iphone an ipad with no luck.

mikeseef,

What firmware version does your Printer report it has? It will tell you if you print out a Printer configuration report (Print Report from the Tools menu).

Just trying to help.

Andrew

Happy New Year everyone.

Hi Andrew, thanks for your responses on this forum - that level of support prompted to go with this printer today.

I just have 1 question regarding set up, the printer is connected fine and has done the software update and can view apps etc however I can't get the printer e-mail address to register on the eprint website - when I click on printer email address I get "The printer was unable to connect to the server" and goes on to mention proxy details?

Cheers

Darren

Darren,

Are you still having problems? There were some issues over the weekend which should be resolved now. If you're still having issues post back and we'll work through them.

Just trying to help.

Andrew

Hi Andrew

Yes I still have this issue.

Thanks

Darren

Darren,

Go to Tools->Wireless->Web Services Settings->Remove Web Services

Then Add Web Services, and try again with the new email address.

Note that this process will remove your existing email address, and give you a new one, so pay attention to that. And note that these menu items may be slightly different on an OfficeJet Pro 8500A, I don't have one to look at.

Just trying to help.

Andrew

Hi Andrew

I've just done that via Web Services Settings and Restore to default and but when it re-registers to ePrint a screen flashes up for a fraction of a second and then goes back to the home page. I then tried going into Printer e-mail address again but it still shows "The was unable to connect to the server"? I've run test reports and everything shows fine, bizarre!

Darren,

Definitely weird behavior. I have asked for an 8500A so that I can walk through the experience on that Printer (since the vary slightly between Printers). In the meantime, my best guess would be Remove Web Services, Restore Defaults, Power Cycle, Add Back Web Services.

Before your problem was on the Web site, now your problem is on the Printer, correct?

Just trying to help.

Andrew

Cracked it, I found another user experiencing this problem and this worked for me.

1. Restore your printer to factory default settings.

2. I accessed the restore to default settings by going to Setup, Tools, Restore Factory Defaults. Be sure you get confirmation your printer has been restored to factory defaults.

3. Power cycle your printer. Unplug power cord and Ethernet cable if you are not using Wi-Fi. After about 30 seconds plug your power cord and Ethernet cable in.

4. After printer powers up and gets to ready status go into your Network settings on the printer and confirm you are connected to the Network. If using Wi-Fi you will need to go through the wireless set up again. Either way confirm your Network settings and be sure your printer has an IP address.

5. In Setup go to Web Services Setup and turn ePrint OFF and the back ON.

6. You "should" get a printout providing you with a code to enter at www.eprintcenter.com

Cheers

Darren

Glad its working. And the process I posted of turning off ePrint, reseting defaults, power cycling, then turning back on ePrint should also work, although your way probably takes fewer clicks on the front panel. 😉

Andrew

HP Mac Architect wrote:

Right Arrow –> Setup –> Web Services Setup –> Product Updates –> Check for Product Updates

Thanks for these simple but incredibly helpful instructions.

I just bought an 8500 A910 yesterday, set it up today, and this very key information was not IOTTCO. The resulting firmare (version LRP1FN1048PR) did the trick. We can now Airprint from our iPads and iPhones. Kudos!

Andrew,

Thanks very much. Your instructions led me right down the path to success. I have an HP Officejet 8500 A910 and AirPrint on my iPad and iPhone 4 works great.

The only addition I would make is: The 'Right Arrow' didn't show up on my printer display until I double clicked the Home icon (the house) on my printer. I followed the on screen directions and downloaded the update that way.

For those of you thinking AirPrint won't work on an 'A910' printer, it will.