HP Color LaserJet 3500n: wired color sharing through an included external server review

The network model includes an external print server

The HP Color LaserJet 3500n is an earlier color laser configuration whose included networking depends on a separate component. HP's US product page identifies Q1320A#ABA and marks it discontinued. The original configuration paragraph says it includes the base 3500 plus an HP Jetdirect en3700 external print server for 10/100 Ethernet. This review covers the documented 100–127-volt printer configuration.

That external-server detail is central when assessing an offered older unit. The printer alone has its USB connection; a missing en3700, its appropriate power supply or the connecting cable changes the usable network arrangement. The n suffix does not establish that the network socket is built into the printer cabinet.

Check the actual connection before relying on sharing

For the documented wired network workflow, the en3700 links the printer's USB interface to the Ethernet network. The original parts table identifies it as J7942A with 10/100 Ethernet and Hi-Speed USB. Configure the actual server and a compatible computer queue, then print a real color document through that route. A direct USB computer connection is a separate alternative.

Do not borrow the 3700 family's internal EIO network card, parallel port, PCL or PostScript language support. The 3500 uses HP JetReady 4.0 and needs a compatible exact driver. The original guide distinguishes HP toolbox status functions from the 3700's embedded-web-server features. A working status interface does not establish document PIN release, AirPrint or Mopria.

No built-in Wi-Fi radio or Wi-Fi Direct arrangement is established. Wireless print servers listed elsewhere in the accessory material are optional devices, not part of the standard n package. Check current software and network compatibility rather than treating a historical Windows or Mac list as a present guarantee.

Paper capacity stays at 350 included sheets

The n retains 100-sheet Tray 1 and 250-sheet Tray 2, rated at 75 g/m² for ordinary paper. Letter, Legal and A4 are supported in the included feeds, so standard capacity for those sizes is 350 sheets. The external print server does not add paper handling.

The additional 500-sheet Tray 3 is optional and supports Letter and A4 only. Its larger total is not counted as included, and its size restriction should not be ignored on a Legal job. Check which feeder is physically present and recognized, along with the tray guides and configured paper type.

Two-sided printing remains manual. The original routine opens the rear output, prints one side, then reloads the stack through Tray 1. Larger jobs require successive groups of up to 100 sheets for the reverse pass. An unattended automatic-duplex requirement therefore fails on the standard 3500n even though a compatible driver provides a two-sided option.

Occasional envelopes use up to ten suitable envelopes in Tray 1 with the correct driver settings. That is a different load from 100 ordinary sheets and is not an automatic-duplex envelope promise. There is no scanning, paper-original copying or fax hardware.

Separate engine ratings from actual condition and running supplies

HP's original exact 3500/3500n technical columns rate both black and color one-sided output up to 12 pages per minute on Letter and A4. These are manufacturer ratings, not our test of a surviving unit. Both columns give a 45,000-page maximum monthly duty cycle. A recommended recurring monthly range was not established and remains unknown.

The original guide's 1,000-page monthly example is a supply-life calculation rather than a workload recommendation. It estimates approximately 6,000 black and 4,000 each color pages at five-percent coverage of each color on A4/Letter. Those figures are not relabeled as ISO yields or remaining toner. The exact HP compatibility row lists Q2670A, Q2671A, Q2672A and Q2673A; it resolves the older guide's inconsistent magenta part number.

Request configuration and supplies pages, sample output and evidence that the complete network arrangement works. Inspect transfer and fuser condition separately from toner. The printer cabinet is about 19.7 inches wide, 17.6 deep and 18.4 high; the external server and its cables need additional space and power. Its separate weight is not silently combined into a single package figure.

A complete 3500n can serve a defined earlier wired color queue when the included external server, exact driver and manual duplex routine fit the work. Verify the printer rating label and the actual server power arrangement rather than assuming that any similarly shaped used package is ready to connect.