Your needs, this model
Does it fit your priorities?
Can it print color Legal documents over USB with 350 supplied sheets for 3,000 monthly pages?
Yes, using a compatible driver and ordinary supported paper; two-sided output is manual.
Explore this need in the finder →Does the standard base include Ethernet?
No. Networking is an option; the n/dn/dtn packages include different hardware.
Explore this need in the finder →Does it automatically print both sides?
No. The base package requires manual two-sided handling.
Explore this need in the finder →The base model is a local color printer
The HP Color LaserJet 3800 without an additional suffix is the Q5981A base configuration. It supplies computer USB and a color print engine, with manual rather than automatic two-sided printing. Its place is a compatible computer’s printing routine, not an assumed shared-network or multifunction setup.
That exact identity matters because the same family includes n, dn and dtn packages. Their embedded networking, duplexer and extra tray differ. A broad “3800 series” description can conceal the very features that decide whether a particular earlier machine will work for you.
Check whether a local connection fits the office
The original base package includes a USB computer connection. Networking is optional, so an Ethernet requirement is not satisfied by the assessed base configuration. The expansion slot and accessory list show possibilities, not hardware already supplied.
Before choosing it for a present computer, confirm a suitable driver and the print controls your documents require. The original Windows and Mac lists describe a historical environment. A familiar USB connector does not establish support for every current operating system, mobile protocol or document workflow.
This is print-only equipment. It has no scanner, copier, feeder for originals or fax. A host socket used by accessories is not evidence that paper can be captured into a computer file.
The base package’s original memory is also smaller than the network variants. A native direct-PDF feature has its own memory requirement in the brochure; ordinary driver-based PDF printing and sending a PDF directly to the printer are different workflows.
Manual two-sided output requires user handling
The base 3800 does not include the automatic duplexer supplied on dn and dtn. Two-sided documents therefore involve the documented manual procedure and correct refeeding. An application’s generic two-sided setting does not add the missing hardware.
Consider how often that matters. A routine consisting mainly of short, single-sided color documents is different from frequent long duplex reports. If automatic two-sided printing is essential, choose the exact configuration that includes it rather than planning around a suffix-free family listing.
Three hundred fifty ordinary sheets are supplied
The inputs comprise a 100-sheet multipurpose tray and a 250-sheet main cassette. The optional 500-sheet feeder is not part of that 350-sheet starting capacity. Confirm any claimed extra tray on an earlier offer by checking the actual package.
The original size table supports Letter, Legal and A4 in the ordinary inputs. Select the correct size and media type in the driver, and adjust the guides without bending the stack. Capacity and handling differ for special materials.
Envelopes use the multipurpose tray with a separate ten-envelope limit and the specified orientation. Do not infer that the entire ordinary-paper capacity is available for envelopes or that all special materials follow the same manual refeeding rules.
Stored private jobs are another accessory-dependent feature
HP documents PIN-protected stored jobs for the family but expressly requires an installed hard disk. That disk is optional. The base assessment therefore excludes held-print PIN release rather than treating the presence of a security menu in the manual as proof of included storage.
The original control-panel configuration page can identify installed accessories, while a supplies page gives a separate view of consumables. These are useful checks when a machine’s package differs from its original sales configuration.
Choose around an earlier printer’s complete condition
The recurring print recommendation is 1,500–5,000 pages monthly, separate from maximum duty. Four toner cartridges mean that an ownership decision includes color supplies even when many documents are mainly black text. Published yields are not remaining toner in a particular unit.
Check the electrical plate, present software route and access space for trays and service doors. The base 3800 suits compatible local color printing when manual duplex is acceptable. Built-in network sharing or automatic two-sided output calls for a different documented package.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | Yes |
|---|---|
| Scanner | No |
| Copying | No |
| Fax | No |
| Flatbed scanner | No |
| Automatic document feeder | No |
| Automatic two-sided printing | No |
| Automatic two-sided scanning | No |
| Single-pass two-sided scanning | No |
| Color scanning | No |
| Instructed envelope handling | Yes |
| Supported PIN-release printing | No |
| Recommended monthly minimum | 1500 pages |
| Recommended monthly maximum | 5000 pages |
| Maximum monthly duty | 65000 pages |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 350 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 22 pages/min |
| Declared one-sided color Letter rate | 22 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 15.7 in |
| Unit-body depth | 17.7 in |
| Unit-body height | 15.7 in |
| Unit weight | 59.6 lb |
| Imaging engine | laser |
Use the exact model’s instructions for operating limits, supplied equipment and version differences.
Paper, software and setup details
Print-rate conditions
Original exact 3800 table specifies up to 22 Letter or 21 A4 ppm. Recommended recurring printing is 1,500–5,000 pages, distinct from 65,000 maximum duty. Shared guide also covers slower 3600 models, whose rates are not borrowed.
Paper handling
Included inputs total 350 ordinary sheets: 100 plus 250. The 500-sheet third feeder is optional and excluded. Actual original table marks Letter/Legal/A4 in supplied ordinary inputs. Envelopes use Tray 1 only, up to ten, face down with specified orientation. This configuration has manual two-sided printing; the automatic duplex feature belongs to dn/dtn, not this package.
Scanning arrangement
Print-only configuration without scanner, copying or fax. Host/accessory USB does not establish capture.
Computer and mobile connections
Computer USB supplied; embedded networking absent and network/parallel/wireless accessories optional. AirPrint, Mopria and standard Wi-Fi Direct are unestablished; optional accessories are not counted.
Supplies and declared yields
Four original cartridges Q6470A black, Q7581A cyan, Q7582A yellow and Q7583A magenta; original full-cartridge declaration and approximately 6,000-page yields at stated coverage do not establish remaining supplies or measured output.
Software and support
Compatible computer driver and actual installed options required. Original menu and stored-job instructions explicitly require installed optional hard disk for private PIN jobs; base package has no such disk. Management passwords and network protocols do not establish job-release hardware. Historical OS lists and software availability need checking.
Electrical edition and setup
Original North American Letter configuration, with separate low/high regional voltage editions; actual unit plate unconfirmed, so US mains unknown. Earlier original references do not prove exact model official-discontinuation status or stock. Check condition, driver and surviving accessories.
Sources for this assessment
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