My old HP OfficeJet Pro K8600 wide format printer

[doane2u]

Hello, everyone. I tried the HP forum and it's like I don't exist.
My Officejet Pro K8600 wide format printer. I upgraded to Windows 11 and had a difficult time getting the printer to work. On HP, they no longer support this printer and I have had no help from them. They supplied drivers on their site for a 8610 printer and that would not work and could not identify my USB connection anyway. Finally, using Windows Update search I found the drivers for my model, but the software interface it installed is very basic and it has no option to print larger sheet size like 13x19 or 11x17. This is really frustrating.

This printer still works perfectly, even though it is old. I hate the idea of just throwing it away and having to spend $4-600 for a replacement. The only wide format HP has now is an all in one with a mediocre scanner that is slow and low quality.
I need the software package that will allow me to print in larger sizes, see a preview, etc. Maybe there is a separate non HP software that will work with this printer?
Can anyone with one of these still working send me the software?
Thanks,

 

[thebestcpu]

Fingers crossed that you find a satisfactory option. What was the last PC OS that gave you full functionality? Given that the K8600 was introduced in about 2007 I am quite amazed it has worked until just recently for you. Finding ink for an old model seems pretty amazing too given new models were taking its place in the ~2012 timeframe. What I found online for support was this:

Officially Supported Windows Versions:​

Windows 2000 (SP4)​

Windows XP (32-bit & 64-bit, including Home & Professional)​

Windows Vista (32-bit & 64-bit)​

Windows 7 (32-bit & 64-bit)​

Windows 8 / 8.1 (via compatibility mode and basic drivers)​

Windows 10 (basic drivers may be available via Windows Update, but full-feature software may not exist)​

For Windows 10 and later, official HP support is limited, and users often rely on built-in or generic drivers.​

For future reference, with today's computer, OS, and hardware life cycle, one should not buy hardware with the expectation that it will be supported for even a decade. New OSes come out every year, and supporting hardware and software beyond a few OS generations becomes problematic for those companies as any software support (e.g., drivers, firmware) has to be thoroughly tested out on each generation of OS across PC and Macs, as well as having expertise on each of those OSes. If they have many customers that are still buying ink for a given model (providing the business a financial incentive) support might last longer. I don't like that, yet I understand the reality of business reasons.

For those that need the hardware to last longer, one needs to have a machine dedicated to staying on the last PC and last OS that gave support to run the hardware and sign up for a little more IT work when customer support wanes. There are companies and people that take this path, too.

If you need to upgrade in the worst case, I am sure you would get a lot of input from forum members if you listed your requirements for paper size, speed, quality, etc.

I hope you find a suitable solution.
John Wheeler

 

[doane2u]

Thanks, John, appreciate the reply.
It worked fine with my Windows 10 64bit I had the software/driver package from about 2001 saved on my computer so never went looking for it on the HP website.. they probably had already deleted it. When I updated to Windows 11 it somehow deleted my saved HP software/driver package. That's when I went to HP and discovered no support.

Yes, this has been a great printer, except for the expensive ink, but it also has large XL tanks and the after market ink always worked and was very reasonable. The quality of the color prints, even on the regular setting was pretty amazing and photo setting with good photo paper was nearly as good as some of the much more expensive Epsons.
I ocassionally had to clean the print heads, but I didn't even have to ever replace them, pretty amazing. The only other failure was the physical duplex addition that quit working a few years ago.

I really hate to just trash a perfectly good working machine, just because the company pulled the software off their site to encourage you to upgrade for another sale. I can't even print large format on it anymore. I will not be buying HP again, also because they don't even offer a dedicated 13x19 printer anymore and the ones with a scanner are garbage. I have an old, dedicated Epson Perfection V600 Photo scanner that is high res and really quick to scan and will scan transparencies and slides with an excellent interface.
If I can't find a software package for my HP I will soon have to buy a replacement and will ask you guys for advice.
Meanwhile, I was hoping someone with this HP still has the software package they were using with Windows 10,
Thanks,

 

[thebestcpu]

Did you save your backups when you were on Windows 10? You would still have the drivers on the backups.
You can go back to Windows 10 and run it from there.
If you need Windows 11, you could use an inexpensive computer running Windows 10 in isolation to run your printer.
Just trying to be creative about getting your printer back online for you.
Just another thought as an option
John Wheeler