LaserJet M507dn Questions

[Dryst]

I just purchased a new M507dn.  I got the printer installed and also updated to the latest firmware.  The firmware update was a bit tricky and very different from previous LaserJet printers.  My previous printers all had an EXE that executed under Windows performing the firmware update.  This one had a binary file download with zero instructions on what to do next.  I figured it out after watching a YouTube video in a different language.  I ran into difficulty, because I disabled the USB drive feature upon initial printer setup.  The docs provide no guidance on disabling this prevents all firmware updates.  I then had to spend time figuring out how to re-enable this feature.  After trial and error, I found that I can enable USB drive feature through settings on the front panel.  This panel was a bit tricky and not so intuitive.  I spent time stuck on language right after power on not finding a way to proceed.  I eventually got through that after more trial and error.

The printer includes sign-on options, and I was thinking I had to login to configure the printer.  I have no idea what this login is for.  Some Google searches state that some printers will automatically download and update themselves to latest firmware.  I thought I needed to sign-in to do this, but there is zero information on how to sign in and what credentials to use.  There's zero documentation that I can find explaining this, and this is why I am now posting.

What is the purpose of Sign in?  There are three types:  User Access Code, Administrator Access Code, and Service Access Code.  I received no sign-in instructions or access codes.  How can I get these?  What is going on here?

[Dryst]

Second question -- I noticed that my warranty expires after a mere six months.  This printer does not even include a year warranty?

[Repairatrooper]

The printer you have purchased is considered to be part of HP's Enterprise series printers and as such uses HP FutureSmart firmware and has enhanced security over their Laserjet Pro and Officejet products.

Had you read the Firmware Readme file, as advised on the page, it would have shown you in great detail the various options for upgrading the firmware.

The various accounts you see are used to secure the printer in an office environment and allow an administrator to give users limited ability to see items such as toner level while not allowing them full access and the ability to change any settings. You should apply a password to the embedded web server. You should leave the service account as is or if you do change the password for the service account (NOT RECOMMENDED) that you write it down.

Regarding the warranty, when a printer is assembled on the factory line they have to apply some type of warranty dates on it to prevent database corruption from missing fields for a device. The default is set at one year plus 3 months to account for shipping and warehouse time. So when the unit is finally sold, it is always possible that the warranty is going to show as almost or completely used up. This is why it is important to register your purchase. Registering triggers an event that notifies HP that it needs to adjust the warranty dates in their database to match the date of sale plus one year. If you do not register and did require service you would need to provide a valid proof of purchase in order to have a repair carried out under the warranty.

[Dryst]

Thank you so much for your post.

Note that I did register my serial number to then have the website show that my warranty expires in six months.  My printer is registered, but I imagine this could be a website bug not showing a correct warranty end date.  I will re-check this, and I will also write to support if it again shows my warranty expires in six months.

As far as the firmware update, I got that updated successfully, but I was merely venting on how difficult this was.  It would have been super helpful to include in the instructions to not disable the USB drive feature.  If you do you will never be able to update your firmware.  Also, there is zero documentation for the settings panel.

As for the webserver I imagine this is built into the printer.  I will attempt to connect to the IP address to see if it will allow me to configure credentials.  However. I am the sole user of this printer.  I most likely will not have to set any credentials.  I do use a secure password manager, and all my credentials are stored securely in the cloud.  I will never have a lost password, thankfully.

[Repairatrooper]

The serial number update process can take a few days or more to fully refresh. The firmware update with the Enterprise products is actually less problematic as I often see cases where the update utility simply does not see the printer. The FutureSmart can be done through the embedded web server or with a USB stick. As a technician, the USB option is very handy on customer sites as I do not require access to one of their computers. I understand the ease and comfort that the .EXE method provides, however in a corporate environment it really slows things down. Glad that you managed to get everything sorted away.

[Dryst]

Okay -- I will give it more time.

The printer is working under Windows 10 and also my Mac Book Pro.  I just installed drivers under MacOS.

I logged into the printer's IP address, created an admin password, and I was browsing config options.  I also looked for the config under the printer's settings.  This printer differs from my previous LaserJet.  With my older printer I was able to set default quality settings.  It looks like this printer does not provide this option at all.  I set my old printer to always print ProRes 1200 by default.  For this printer there are zero quality options that I can find.  Also, when I print under MacOS I am not able to set print quality at all that I can find.  Print quality is not even available under Windows 10.  With my previous LaserJet, I could click Printer Preferences, Paper/Quality tab, and under Quality there existed ProRes 1200, FastRes 1200 and more options.  For this newer printer my options are:  Normal, Fine Lines, Quick View and Economode.  Economode would not be high res, of course.  The best quality is Normal?  Is this ProRes 1200?  This is a huge change and with zero documentation this does not help users at all.

[Dryst]

I just took a look under Windows 10 Printer settings.  I see for Normal the following: 

High quality printing for most documents with FastRes

So the highest quality this printer supports is FastRes 1200?  HP removed ProRes?

[Dryst]

Based on Google searching, FastRes 1200 is not true 1200 dpi.  ProRes 1200 is true 1200 dpi.  This means that my new M507dn printer has worse output than my previous LaserJet,

This sucks.

[Dryst]

The warranty still has not been corrected.  I contacted support regarding this matter.  They asked for an invoice that I shared and they did not accept.  The invoice did not state the serial number.

They then asked for photographs, and I took a photo of the bar code from the box that shows the serial number.  They did not accept this either.  They specifically asked for the photo of the back of the printer that shows the serial number.  I did this, and the person told me my request may be rejected.

This incredibly lame.

I may be returning this printer for a refund if I do not get the warranty for the new printer I purchased.