Overview
This page has general reference information for the setup and support of the HP Officejet Pro 8630 e-All-in-One Printer. The retail price of this printer is about $400. It occasionally goes on sale at Staples for $300. It’s available on Amazon for $239. [Amazon]
Hardware Setup
Follow these instructions for setting up the printer.
Unbox. Unbox and remove all blue tape that secures the various components of the printer.
Power. Connect the power cord.
Internet. Ideally you’ll want to have the printer connected to the Internet using an Ethernet cable instead of wireless. This requires that you have a router with an available data port. The reason you’ll want to connect through your local network instead of using USB is because the printer features are enhanced by accessing the web. Updates to the printer’s firmware are possible with an Internet connection. The printer is referred to as a ‘wireless’ printer and there may not be any mention on the box of Ethernet network cable connection capabilities. You’ll find a yellow ‘plug’ covering and protecting the Ethernet jack on the back of the printer. This is to ensure that people don’t put the fax telephone line into the Ethernet jack/port.
Paper. Install some paper in both paper trays.
Configure. Follow the on-screen configuration steps choosing language, region, and time.
Ink. You’ll be prompted to put in the ink. The ink goes inside a door on the front left of the printer. There is a set of four ink cartridges and another set of three ink cartridges (color only). The set of four ink cartridges includes the three color ‘setup’ cartridges. Use these when initially setting up the printer. On the box in the store, it may not indicate that there are a total of seven ink cartridges total.
Calibrate. After the ink cartridges are installed, close the door and follow the on-screen instructions for printer calibration.
Adjust Display. The printer display screen is adjustable from flat to about 50 degrees. When it’s adjusted properly it’s clearer and easier to see.
Continue below when prompted to connect and install the software.
Software Installation
Download Software. You’ll be prompted to go to the following website to connect the printer and install the software: http://www.hp.com/eprint/ojpro8630. That link will automatically forward you to this page https://123.hpconnected.com/activate/woobe/ojpro8630. When you click on the Download button, you may be told that the download isn’t working. You may need to try again. Alternatively, you can go to the printer product page on the HP website. Click on Software and Downloads, then click the Go button. As of 25 July 2015, the software was at the 12.32 version released on Oct 17, 2014.
Install Software. Once the software is downloaded, double-click the installation file to begin the installation process and follow the instructions. For Apple computers, the download will be a DMG file. Open that file. Within it will be a puzzle piece icon named HP Officejet Pro 8630.
ReadIRIS Software. You’ll also find another icon named Readiris Pro 14 for HP on the . The Readiris software is for OCR (optical character recognition). This allows you to save PDF files that are searchable. When you click the icon, you’ll be taken to a page that has an ftp download link for the Apple Mac software or you can also get the Windows version of the software.
Printer Connection. When you’re installing the printer, at some point you’ll be given a choice to select an IP connection or a Bonjour connection. The Bonjour connection may be more reliable if the printer IP address changes. When you’re at the point of adding the printer, from the Use: dropdown menu, choose HP Officejet Pro 8630 e-All-in-One. AirPrint may have been selected by default.
Register. Register the printer when asked to do so.
Create an HP Account. Setup an account with HP.
Automatic Ink Delivery. The final step of the installation will be to signup for automatic ink replacement from HP. This service offers printing fees at costs from 3 cents per page up to about 6 cents per page. With the service you don’t need to purchase ink. Instead, HP will ship ink to you when the printer needs it. The advertising indicates that you’ll save hundreds of dollars per year. However, if you look up the cost of the high capacity black ink cartridge, it’s about $37 for a yield of about 2,300 pages. That’s about 1.5 cents per page if you choose black only printing. Color XL cartridges are about $30 each ($90 total) and yield about 1,500 pages (6 cents per page). The cost per month for the automatic ink delivery subscription remains the same whether you print or not. There is the option to have ‘rollover’ pages, but that’s limited to your subscription level.
Ink Replacement Cartridges
The most economical solution for purchasing ink is to buy the four pack of high capacity (XL) ink cartridges for $117 from Amazon. These are estimated to yield 1,500 pages of mostly color, or 2,300 pages of black ink printing. Using the economical configuration suggestion shown below, your yield may be higher.
Economical Black Ink Draft Printing
For most printing, color ink isn’t needed. To save money and increase print speed, choose to print in draft mode with grayscale using black ink only. You may need to click the triangle next to Color Options to have additional options shown. You can save these settings as a printing preset (see the dropdown menu next to Presets). Below is an example from the Apple printing dialog. For Windows you’d look for this under print settings. Click the image below for a larger view.
Product Photos
Below are some product photos.
