HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer Review: The Small Office Workhorse We’ve Been Waiting For?

There’s a universal moment of dread in every small office or bustling home workspace. It’s that critical point when you need a multi-page contract scanned, a vibrant presentation printed, or a stack of invoices copied, and your printer decides to throw a tantrum. The paper jams, the ink mysteriously runs dry despite being replaced last week, the Wi-Fi connection drops for the tenth time—it’s a productivity killer. For years, our own office workflow was bottlenecked by a series of consumer-grade printers that simply weren’t built for the demands of a growing business. We needed a machine that could keep up, one that wouldn’t crumble under the pressure of high-volume printing and constant scanning. This search for a reliable, fast, and feature-rich hub for our document management led us directly to the doorstep of HP’s professional line, and specifically, to the machine we’re examining today.

What to Consider Before Buying an All-in-One Printer

An All-in-One Printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for streamlining office operations. It’s the central command for your documents, consolidating the functions of a printer, scanner, copier, and often a fax machine into a single, space-efficient footprint. The main benefit is efficiency—saving not only physical space but also time and energy by having one reliable device handle all your paper-based tasks. It eliminates the need for separate machines, multiple power cords, and different software interfaces, creating a more cohesive and productive environment. For any small business or home office, a robust all-in-one is the bridge between digital and physical workflows.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing a consistent flow of documents. Think small business owners, remote teams, real estate agents, legal professionals, or educators who regularly need to print multi-page reports, scan contracts, copy client files, and digitise receipts. If your daily tasks involve more than just occasional printing, a dedicated office all-in-one is a non-negotiable investment. Conversely, this might not be suitable for those who print a handful of pages per month. For very light, occasional use, a more basic, compact inkjet might suffice. For users who only need to print high-quality photos, a specialised photo printer would be a better alternative.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Business-grade all-in-one printers are substantial pieces of equipment. They require a dedicated, stable surface with enough clearance for paper trays to be pulled out and the scanner lid to be opened fully. Before you buy, measure your intended space carefully, accounting for ventilation and cable access. The HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e, with its dual trays, has a significant footprint, so planning is essential.
• Capacity/Performance: This is where office printers separate themselves from home models. Key metrics include print speed (measured in pages per minute or PPM for both black and colour), paper tray capacity (how many sheets it can hold), and the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) capacity. A large capacity, like the 500-sheet total of the 9135e, means less time spent refilling paper, while a fast, duplexing ADF is a game-changer for scanning multi-page, double-sided documents.
• Materials & Durability: Look for a sturdy build designed to withstand daily use. While many printers are made of plastic, the quality can vary. We appreciate seeing manufacturers use high-quality, recycled plastics, as HP has done with this model. This not only speaks to a commitment to sustainability but often results in a robust frame that doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A printer’s daily usability hinges on its software and connectivity. A responsive touchscreen, intuitive mobile app, and reliable, self-healing Wi-Fi are critical for a frustration-free experience. Also, consider the long-term maintenance, particularly the ink replacement system. Subscription services like HP Instant Ink can simplify this process, but you should understand the terms and costs involved.

Keeping these factors in mind, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer stands out in several areas. You can explore its detailed specifications and features here.

While the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: A Thoughtfully Designed Office Hub

Our experience with the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer began with the unboxing, and we were immediately impressed by the thoughtful packaging. As one user noted, the box includes an “easy pull out packaging sleeve which came with handles,” a small detail that makes a huge difference when you’re trying to extract a sizeable piece of equipment without assistance. Once out of the box, the printer feels substantial and well-built. The two-tone grey and white finish gives it a professional look that fits seamlessly into a modern office environment. While it is larger than a typical home printer, as another user pointed out, the size feels justified by its feature set, especially the dual 250-sheet paper trays that form its base.

The initial setup is guided entirely by the HP Smart app, which you download to your smartphone or computer. This app-based approach saves a significant amount of time, eliminating the need to hunt for drivers on a website. The on-screen instructions are clear, walking you through connecting to your Wi-Fi network, installing the included HP 937 Setup ink cartridges, and performing an initial print head alignment. The colour touchscreen on the printer itself is bright, responsive, and easy to navigate. Right away, it’s clear this machine is designed for connectivity and ease of use in a connected world.

Deep Dive: Putting the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e to the Test

A printer’s true worth is only revealed under pressure. Over several weeks, we subjected the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer to a battery of tests that mimic the demanding environment of a real small office. From high-volume document printing to intricate colour scanning, we pushed its capabilities to understand where it excels and if it has any limitations. Our findings confirm that this is not just a printer; it’s a comprehensive document management powerhouse designed for serious work.

Unleashing Productivity: Speed, Capacity, and Document Handling

The headline features that immediately command attention are the dual 250-sheet paper trays and the 35-sheet single-pass duplexing ADF. In practice, these are transformative for office workflow. With a total capacity of 500 sheets, we loaded one tray with standard plain A4 paper and the other with company letterhead. The ability to switch between media types directly from the print driver without ever having to physically swap paper is a massive time-saver. We printed a 100-page double-sided report, and the machine churned it out without a single pause for reloading. The print speeds are genuinely impressive; HP claims up to 25 ppm for black and white, and our tests came very close to that mark for text-heavy documents. Colour documents, rich with charts and graphics, printed at a brisk pace that never left us waiting.

However, the absolute star of the show for us was the single-pass, 2-sided ADF. If you’ve ever used an older all-in-one with a reversing ADF, you know the slow, clunky process of the machine scanning one side, pulling the paper back in, flipping it, and scanning the other. The 9135e’s single-pass scanner has two scan heads, capturing both sides of a page in a single motion. We scanned a 20-page double-sided contract, and the process was astonishingly fast and quiet, with a significantly lower risk of paper jams. This single feature can reclaim hours of administrative time over the course of a year for any office that deals with frequent double-sided scanning or copying. This level of efficiency is what separates a true office workhorse from a consumer-grade device.

Print and Scan Quality: From Crisp Text to Vibrant Colour

Speed and capacity are meaningless if the output quality is poor. Fortunately, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer delivers exceptional results. Using HP’s thermal inkjet technology, it produces razor-sharp black text that rivals the clarity of a laser printer, even at smaller font sizes. Documents are crisp, professional, and smudge-resistant almost immediately after printing. This is crucial for any client-facing materials or official correspondence.

Colour performance is equally strong. We printed a variety of materials, from internal reports with colour-coded graphs to full-page marketing slicks on glossy paper. The colours were vibrant, accurate, and well-saturated, thanks to the 4800 x 1200 optimised dpi resolution. While it’s not a dedicated photo printer, the quality is more than sufficient for business graphics, presentations, and even casual photo prints. The scanner, with its 24-bit colour depth and flatbed for delicate items, produced high-fidelity digital copies that were true to the original. Whether we were archiving old photos or creating PDFs of signed documents, the detail and colour accuracy were consistently excellent.

The HP+ Ecosystem: Convenience at a Cost

It’s impossible to review this printer without discussing the HP+ ecosystem it’s built around. Activating HP+ during setup is required to get the full suite of features, including the extra year of warranty (for up to 3 years total) and the initial 3 months of Instant Ink. We found the Instant Ink service to be incredibly convenient. The printer monitors its own ink levels and automatically orders new cartridges, which, as one user noted, arrive with “unbelievably quick delivery.” This completely removes the “Oh no, we’re out of magenta!” panic from office life. For predictable, high-volume printing, the monthly subscription plans can offer significant savings over buying cartridges retail.

However, this convenience comes with a commitment. HP+ requires a constant internet connection and an HP account. Furthermore, the printer utilises Dynamic Security, which means it is designed to work only with cartridges that have an HP chip. This effectively locks you into using genuine HP ink for the life of the printer. While this ensures quality and reliability, it removes the option to use third-party or remanufactured cartridges, which is a critical consideration for budget-conscious buyers. You are trading choice for convenience and a seamless, integrated experience. For our busy office, the trade-off felt worthwhile, but it’s something every potential buyer must weigh for themselves. The ease of printing directly from a smartphone from anywhere, a feature praised by users, is a direct benefit of this tightly integrated system. If that level of seamless connectivity is your priority, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e and its HP+ system are expertly designed for you.

What Other Users Are Saying

Our positive experience is largely echoed by the broader user community. Many, like us, praise the “consistently great” print quality and impressive speed. The convenience of the Instant Ink service is a frequently mentioned highlight, with users loving the automatic, fast delivery of new cartridges right when they’re needed. The mobile printing functionality is another standout feature, described by one user as “SO easy,” saving significant time by allowing direct printing from a phone.

However, the feedback also confirms some of our own observations and potential hurdles. One user, while impressed with the print performance, noted that the “set-up was a bit difficult if you’re not ‘techie’,” specifically mentioning trouble configuring the scan function. This highlights that while the app-based setup is designed to be modern and streamlined, it can present a learning curve for those more accustomed to traditional driver installations via a computer. The printer’s physical size was also mentioned as being “larger than expected,” reinforcing our advice to measure your space carefully before purchasing.

How Does the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e Compare to the Alternatives?

No product exists in a vacuum. To give you the full picture, we’ve compared the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer against three notable competitors, each offering a different approach to office and home printing.

1. Epson EcoTank ET-2862 Wi-Fi Printer

The Epson EcoTank’s primary selling point is its revolutionary ink system. Instead of cartridges, it uses large, refillable ink tanks that you fill from bottles. This results in an incredibly low cost-per-page that is very difficult for cartridge-based printers to beat. If your main concern is the long-term running cost of ink and you do a lot of high-volume colour printing, the EcoTank is a compelling alternative. However, it makes sacrifices to achieve this. Its print speeds are significantly slower than the HP 9135e, it lacks an Automatic Document Feeder, and its paper capacity is much smaller. It is best suited for a home or small office that prioritises ink cost above all else and doesn’t require advanced document handling features.

2. Canon PIXMA MG3650 Multifunction Inkjet Printer

The Canon PIXMA MG3650 represents the budget-friendly, home-user segment of the market. It’s a compact, affordable all-in-one that can handle basic printing, scanning, and copying tasks. It offers wireless connectivity and automatic duplex printing, which are great features at its price point. However, it is not in the same league as the HP 9135e for office use. Its print speeds are much slower, the paper tray is small, and most critically, it has no ADF for multi-page scanning or copying. This Canon is an excellent choice for a student or a family with light, infrequent printing needs, but it would quickly become a bottleneck in a busy office environment.

3. HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Wide Format All-in-One Printer

This is an interesting in-brand comparison. The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740’s killer feature is its ability to print, scan, and copy in wide format, up to A3 size (11 x 17 inches). This makes it the go-to choice for businesses that need to produce larger materials in-house, such as architectural drawings, marketing posters, or large spreadsheets. It shares many of the 9135e’s pro-level features, including dual trays and an ADF. The choice between them comes down to one question: do you need to print larger than A4? If not, the newer HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer is the superior choice for standard document workflows, offering a more modern interface, potentially better integration with the latest HP+ features, and a slightly more compact design.

Our Final Verdict: Is the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e Worth It?

After extensive testing, we can confidently say that the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer is a formidable machine that lives up to its “Pro” designation. It directly addresses the most common pain points of a busy small office: it’s fast, it holds a tremendous amount of paper, and its single-pass duplex ADF is a genuine game-changer for productivity. The print quality is excellent for both professional text documents and vibrant colour graphics, and the HP+ ecosystem, while a commitment, adds a layer of convenience and peace of mind through features like Instant Ink and an extended warranty.

This printer isn’t for everyone. If you’re a casual home user, it’s overkill. If your absolute top priority is the lowest possible ink cost, an Epson EcoTank might be a better fit. But for its target audience—small to medium businesses, remote work hubs, and high-demand home offices—the HP 9135e is an outstanding investment. It’s a reliable, feature-packed workhorse that will serve as the powerful core of your document management workflow for years to come.

If you’ve decided the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e All-in-One Printer is the right fit for your productivity needs, you can check its current price and availability here.