Your needs, this model
Does it fit your priorities?
With the computer connection flexible, can the base parallel arrangement print color Legal documents with 400 sheets loaded?
Yes with a compatible native parallel host, the correct IEEE 1284C cable and driver. Both base trays support suitable Legal ordinary stock, for 400 sheets on the 75 gsm basis. This does not establish a USB converter or included network interface.
Explore this need in the finder →Does this base model provide a native USB print connection?
No native USB arrangement is established. Its documented standard interface is parallel; a cable adapter would need separate exact compatibility evidence.
Explore this need in the finder →Can I use the base printer as an included Ethernet device simply because the family guide has network instructions?
No. The JetDirect network card is included on N and DN, while the base needs the relevant expansion. The ordinary base arrangement does not meet an Ethernet requirement.
Explore this need in the finder →Choose the base 4500 only with its actual computer path in mind
The HP Color LaserJet 4500 is an earlier color laser printer whose base connection is a native bidirectional parallel interface. HP identifies the reviewed US product as C4084A#ABA and marks it discontinued. It needs a compatible computer, the correct printer-side connector and working software before its printing features become useful.
The distinction from 4500N and 4500DN is important. A JetDirect network card is included on those network configurations, while the base model requires the appropriate expansion. A network setup chapter in the shared guide cannot turn a parallel-only base arrangement into an included Ethernet printer.
Verify the cable and driver before the paper specifications
The original guide calls for an IEEE 1284C-compliant bidirectional cable with a C connector at the printer. The cable and host software must support the required communication. The presence of a computer USB socket does not demonstrate that a generic converter can reproduce that original arrangement.
USB, Wi-Fi and native mobile printing are not established for this standard configuration. If a particular machine has a network card, verify the installed hardware and its configured queue separately. Do not assume an old optional accessory accompanies a used unit.
The base supports PCL5c and PostScript emulation and has 32 MB of standard memory. Additional memory may help process complicated graphics, but the guide explains that it does not increase the engine's maximum printing rate. Check actual driver compatibility rather than treating an older operating-system list as current support.
Two standard trays provide 400 ordinary sheets
The included paper paths are a 150-sheet multipurpose tray and 250-sheet cassette. Both original media tables support suitable Letter, Legal and A4 ordinary paper on a 75 gsm basis, giving 400 sheets before an expansion feeder is added.
The 500-sheet drawer and automatic duplex accessory are separate options for the base. The guide's illustrated printer sometimes includes both. That image and the presence of duplex paper limits do not establish that the ordinary 4500 configuration automatically turns paper.
Configure the tray guides, actual size and media type together with the driver. The multipurpose tray's First mode can pull media without respecting its type in the same way as Cassette mode. For letterhead or envelopes, deliberate type selection helps prevent another job from consuming the wrong material.
Special media need their own loading routine
Envelopes belong in the multipurpose tray, up to 10 suitable envelopes and no more than 90 gsm. They should lie flat and avoid windows, clasps or unsuitable construction. Load the back flaps away from the printer, center the stack and close the guides gently.
Set the corresponding envelope size at the panel and in the application or driver. The original instructions give a landscape layout when the software does not format the envelope automatically. Ordinary tray capacity should not be used as an envelope capacity.
Labels, glossy paper and heavy stock have further feed and heat restrictions. The guide specifically warns against refeeding label sheets. An optional duplex unit's plain-paper capability is separate from permission to turn every specialty medium automatically.
Inspect maintenance and power as part of the arrangement
The guide headlines 16 black and 4 color pages per minute, with separate slower declarations for glossy stock and transparencies. The reviewed sections do not explicitly state a one-sided Letter basis, and these declarations are not measured job throughput. Monthly workload and a maximum duty figure are also unestablished here.
The printer has separate toner and imaging, transfer and fusing maintenance concerns. Check actual messages and consumable condition, leave access around the cabinet and verify the electrical rating. Control-panel locking prevents unwanted setting changes; it is not proof of individual documents waiting for a release PIN.
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 |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 400 sheets |
| 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
The original feature page headlines 16 black and 4 color pages/min, and separately 8 black/2 color for transparencies and glossy media. It does not explicitly identify a one-sided Letter basis in the section read, so strict Letter-speed fields remain unestablished. Download time, graphics, driver language, memory and media affect completion. Recommended monthly volume and a maximum duty figure are not established from the reviewed sections.
Paper handling
The base machine includes a 150-sheet multipurpose Tray 1 and 250-sheet Tray 2, supporting suitable Letter, Legal and A4 ordinary paper on a 75 gsm basis. The optional 500-sheet feeder is included on DN, not this base model. Its automatic duplex accessory is also optional, so standard automatic print duplex is false. Envelopes use Tray 1 only, up to 10 and no more than 90 gsm, with flaps away from the printer. Match tray size/type and driver settings. A supported special-medium list is not permission to duplex it.
Scanning arrangement
The exact base product is a color laser printer, with no scanner, copier, fax modem, glass or automatic original feeder. These absent functions are not created by optional networking or generic software names.
Computer and mobile connections
The base connection is native bidirectional IEEE 1284C parallel with the correct printer-side C connector, suitable cable and compatible computer/driver. The guide explicitly says to use this when no network card is configured. JetDirect is an EIO expansion and is included on N/DN, rather than on base 4500. Native USB, included Ethernet and Wi-Fi are not assigned to this standard arrangement. No USB-to-parallel conversion behavior is assumed. The native parallel plan can be considered only when the computer connection is flexible; selecting a named USB, Ethernet or Wi-Fi requirement excludes it.
Supplies and declared yields
Toner, imaging drum, transfer and fuser maintenance are separate concerns. The reviewed original consumable chapter requires adequate access and directs users to actual replacement prompts and item-specific instructions. It does not establish the remaining condition or full initial contents of a particular earlier unit. Supply declarations from a related printer are not substituted here, and no price or per-page cost is inferred.
Software and support
The original base supports PCL5c and PostScript emulation with 32 MB standard RAM. More memory can help process complex graphics but does not increase the engine's declared maximum rate. The guide's control-panel lock prevents unauthorized setting changes; it is not evidence that individual documents wait for a release PIN. An included private-job arrangement, AirPrint and Mopria are unestablished. Historical operating-system lists and old driver instructions require a compatibility check for the actual host.
Electrical edition and setup
HP identifies C4084A#ABA as a discontinued US product. The guide specifies 102 mm side ventilation clearance plus sufficient front/rear room for consumable replacement; optional paper or duplex units change the installed arrangement. Body dimensions and weight are unestablished in the read sections. Separate low- and high-voltage editions are listed: the 110 V class uses 100/127 V at 50–60 Hz and the 220 V class uses 220/240 V. Verify the actual label and circuit requirements; the generic family table does not by itself prove the edition of a particular machine.
Sources for this assessment
Find a printer for your routine.
Match color output, scanning, connections and paper handling, then compare the exact models.