Editing Apple LaserWriter 8500

{{Infobox computer peripheral
| name         = Apple LaserWriter 8500
| image        = [[File:Apple LaserWriter 8500 (Apple Service Source).jpg|260px|frameless]]
| caption      = The LaserWriter 8500 in its basic configuration, from Apple's Service Source
| manufacturer = Apple Computer, Inc.
| type         = Laser printer
| release_date = August 1997
| interface    = LocalTalk, IEEE 1284 bidirectional parallel, Ethernet (AAUI and twisted pair)
| compatible   = Mac OS, Windows 3.1, 95 and NT, UNIX
| dimensions   = 41.1 &times; 58.9 &times; 45.5 cm (16.2 &times; 23.2 &times; 17.9 in) with the A4 cassette
| weight       = 32 kg (70.4 lb) with toner cartridge
| power        = 90-132 V or 198-264 V AC, 47-63 Hz; about 840 W maximum at 120 V
}}
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The '''Apple LaserWriter 8500''' is a 600 dpi, 20 page per minute workgroup laser printer that prints on paper up to 13 &times; 20 in. Apple introduced it on 5 August 1997 as the first LaserWriter based on Adobe PostScript 3, and its sales material called it the fastest LaserWriter Apple had made.<ref name="spec">Apple, [https://support.apple.com/en-us/112280 "LaserWriter 8500: Technical Specifications"], Apple Support. Retrieved 2026-10-02.</ref><ref name="npo">Apple Computer, Inc., ''New Product Overview: LaserWriter 8500'', July 1997, pp. 1-4. Hosted as [[:File:Apple LaserWriter 8500 New Product Overview (1997).pdf]].</ref> The engine is a Fuji Xerox P880. The controller uses an AMD Am29040 RISC processor at 30/60 MHz with an 80C186 I/O processor, 8 MB of ROM holding 136 fonts and 16 MB of RAM soldered to the board, expandable to 48 MB.<ref name="ss">Apple Computer, Inc., ''LaserWriter 8500'' (''Service Source''), 282 pp., hosted as [[:File:LaserWriter 8500 Service Source.pdf]] (see [[Apple LaserWriter 8500 Documentation]]). Overview pp. 1-17 (PDF pp. 3-19); Specifications pp. 1-16 (PDF pp. 38-53); Take Apart, Sheet Feeder (PDF p. 199).</ref>

Maintenance and fault-finding are on [[Apple LaserWriter 8500 General Maintenance]] and [[Apple LaserWriter 8500 Troubleshooting Guide]].

== Specifications ==
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%;"
|+'''LaserWriter 8500 specifications (Service Source)'''
! Item !! Value
|-
| Engine || Fuji Xerox P880; semiconductor laser diode, 780 nm, 5 mW maximum
|-
| Speed || 20 pages per minute one-sided and 13 duplex (letter or A4, long-edge feed); 9.7 envelopes per minute
|-
| Controller || AMD Am29040 at 30/60 MHz; 80C186 I/O processor; 8 MB ROM with 136 fonts; 16 MB RAM on the board plus one SIMM slot, up to 48 MB; 8 KB parameter EEPROM
|-
| Language || PostScript 3
|-
| Ports || LocalTalk, parallel and Ethernet (EtherTalk, NetWare IPX, TCP/IP lpd), all active at once with one Ethernet connector; two-position communication switch
|-
| Paper || 500-sheet cassette and 150-sheet multipurpose tray; up to 13 &times; 20 in from the multipurpose tray; 60-105 g/m&sup2; (16-28 lb) bond, up to 135 g/m&sup2; (36 lb) through the multipurpose tray
|-
| Life || Average 180,000 impressions between failures; toner cartridge up to 14,000 pages at 5% coverage
|-
| Mains || 90-132 V AC, 47-63 Hz (US); 198-264 V AC, 47-63 Hz (Europe and Australia)
|-
| Power || 26 W energy saving; about 125 W standby and 390 W printing at 110/120 V; 840 W (6.3 A) maximum at 120 V and 860 W (3.2 A) at 240 V
|-
| Environment || 5-35 &deg;C, 15-85% RH, up to 2,500 m altitude
|}
<ref name="ss" />

Apple's June 1997 data sheet adds a duty cycle of 50,000 pages a month, an engine life of 650,000 pages and a speed of 11 pages per minute on ledger, A3 or larger paper. It also lists a SCSI port for an external hard disk, and the user's guide describes an external SCSI disk for downloaded fonts. The Service Source's port list leaves SCSI out, although its EPOST codes include a SCSI disk error.<ref name="ug1">''LaserWriter 8500'' user's guide, Chapter 1, Main features of the printer p. 1 (PDF p. 1).</ref><ref name="ds">Apple Computer, Inc., ''Apple LaserWriter 8500'' data sheet, L02389A, June 1997, p. 2. Hosted as [[:File:Apple LaserWriter 8500 Data Sheet (1997).pdf]].</ref><ref name="sst">''LaserWriter 8500'' Service Source, Troubleshooting, EPOST Error Codes p. 7 (PDF p. 253).</ref>

Apple's weights disagree. The data sheet gives 70.4 lb (32 kg) with the toner cartridge, as does Apple's specification page. The user's guide says the printer weighs about 60.5 lb (27.5 kg) and should not be lifted by one person. The Service Source and the user's guide's technical appendix both give about 30 lb (14 kg), the figure Apple gives for the 12/640 PS, but the Service Source's take-apart chapter warns that the printer is heavy and to ask for help lifting it.<ref name="ds" /><ref name="spec" /><ref name="ug">Apple Computer, Inc., ''LaserWriter 8500'' user's guide, 034-0210-A. Hosted as [[:File:LaserWriter 8500 User's Guide.pdf]]. Chapter 1, Unpacking the printer p. 4 (PDF p. 4); Appendix D, Technical Information pp. 261-274 (PDF pp. 261-274).</ref><ref name="ss" />

== Design ==
* To keep the printer compact, the tail of the cassette sticks out of the back and the pickup rollers feed from the insertion end, as on the [[Apple LaserWriter II NT|LaserWriter II]]. The paper path is a simple C shape, and the drive is one gear assembly from one central motor along the rear.<ref name="ss" />
* The cassette's bottom plate stays down while the cassette goes in. A latch on each side releases it against the pickup rollers once the cassette is fully home.<ref name="ss" />
* The cassette senses whether paper is loaded long edge or short edge first; the multipurpose tray does not. Long-edge feed gives the full 20 pages per minute.<ref name="ss" />
* A full-stack sensor above the delivery rollers stops the printer accepting jobs when the output tray is full.<ref name="ss" />
* Opening the top cover mechanically disengages the fuser drive, to make jams easier to clear.<ref name="ss" />
* The Ready light is also a button. Holding it at start-up enters or leaves a point-of-sale demonstration mode, in which the light flashes two shades of green and a press prints a demonstration page.<ref name="ss" />
* Four parts come in 110 V and 220 V versions: the power supply, the fuser assembly, the transport chute assembly and the DC controller board. Apple notes that earlier printers used one DC controller board for both voltages.<ref name="ss" />
* A service test page, held in firmware on the DC controller, prints from a button reached with a paper clip through an unmarked hole at the top of the I/O bracket, or with the I/O board out by jumpering connector P23 on the DC controller board.<ref name="ss" />

== Options ==
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%;"
|+'''Options and supplies (data sheet, June 1997)'''
! Item !! Order number
|-
| Apple LaserWriter 8500 || M5571LL/A
|-
| LaserWriter 8500 Plus Upgrade Kit (500-sheet ledger/A3 cassette and feeder, duplex printing unit, 8 MB of RAM) || M6102G/A
|-
| Duplex Printing Unit || M5896G/A
|-
| 500-Sheet Ledger/A3 Cassette and Feeder || M5894G/A
|-
| 500-Sheet Letter/A4 Cassette and Feeder || M5895G/A
|-
| 75-Envelope Cassette || M5897G/A
|-
| High-Capacity Toner Cartridge (up to 14,000 pages) || M5893G/A
|}
<ref name="ds" />

Up to two sheet feeders stack under the printer, for 1,650 sheets in all; unlike the 16/600 PS and 12/640 PS, the feeder and the printer use the same cassettes.<ref name="ss" /><ref name="npo" />

The duplexer is an inverted L that mounts on the upper rear of the printer; once it is fitted, every sheet, one-sided or not, goes out through it. Fitting it locks the exchange chute in the fuser assembly. The duplexer takes power from the printer but has its own drive motor, and a separate offset motor staggers jobs left and right in the output tray (set in the Apple Printer Utility). Its full-stack sensor takes over from the printer's, and the two actuators are not interchangeable.<ref name="ss" />

== Memory ==
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Memory needed for duplex printing and PhotoGrade'''
! Memory !! Duplex printing !! PhotoGrade !! Both at once
|-
| 16 MB || Letter, A4, B4, legal || Letter, A4, B5 || No
|-
| 20 MB || Letter, A3, A4, B4, legal, ledger || Up to ledger and A3 || Up to letter and A4
|-
| 24 MB || As 20 MB || Up to Japan Standard || Up to legal and Japan Larger
|-
| 32 MB || As 20 MB || All supported sizes || Up to B4
|-
| 48 MB || As 20 MB || All supported sizes || All supported sizes
|}
<ref name="ss" />

The SIMM slot takes 72-pin SIMMs of 70 ns or faster: 4, 8, 16 or 32 MB. 16 MB and 32 MB SIMMs must use 2K (11-bit by 11-bit) row refresh; 16 MB SIMMs with 4K refresh do not work in this printer.<ref name="ss" /> With too little memory for a duplex job, the printer prints it one-sided.<ref name="ss13">''LaserWriter 8500'' Service Source, Troubleshooting, Image Defects 13, No Duplexing p. 30 (PDF p. 276).</ref>

== Documentation ==
* [[Apple LaserWriter 8500 Documentation]]: the Service Source, the user's guide (034-0210-A), the June 1997 data sheet and the July 1997 New Product Overview.

== Related pages ==
* [[Apple LaserWriter 8500 General Maintenance]]
* [[Apple LaserWriter 8500 Troubleshooting Guide]]
* [[Apple LaserWriter 12/640 PS]], [[Apple LaserWriter 16/600 PS]]

== References ==
<references />

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