10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
So far the most durable printer I have owned yet.
Date of Review: Jun 29, 2009
The Bottom Line: Good quality and I haven't destroyed it yet makes it a top pick in my durability rating. Inks can be costly.
My brother bought me a Deskjet 5550 for my birthday about 4 years ago after he watched me struggle with an old Cannon printer that I rebuilt several times. It has lasted me the four years so it has my rating of very durable due to the fact I print a lot of documents for work on it. I will admit a chisel , hammer and a stone tablet would have gotten my home printing needs done much faster than my last printer so comparisons were kinda slanted. However I am in the IT industry and work with many printers and I have to say for an inexpensive device its pretty good.
I'll start off with initial setup and included software. Setup was a breeze. Besides unpacking there was little to no exertion on my part to get this printer to function. Setup consisted of unpacking plugging in power and input ( your choice of USB or serial printer) and loading paper and the supplied ink cartridges. My XP equipped PC recognised the device right off and with in seconds I was printing a test page.
After some usage the inks did need replacing . The cartridges (Quantity of 2 black and color) are very easy to replace. Open the front cover and they automatically slide to the center of the rail. Unclasp the cartridge lock,slide out the old cartridge and slide in the new cartridge. The locks are clearly marked with the prospective cartridge. Remember to peal off the shipping seal from the jet of the new cartridge.
Ink cartridges are sold almost everywhere computer supplies are sold how ever I did find the prices to be a little on the high side compared other models from other brands. I have tried the refilling services at a few local stores but I have little to no success with them. On the bright side the factory inks may be a little costly however they have the ability to print quite a few sheets before they need to be replaced.
Paper is loaded from the front. Simply lift the front paper cover and load the paper. To prevent jams I have found it easier to load a maximum of 60 sheets at any one time. Also I have found when loading paper in humid conditions it is best to thumb through the sheets before loading. This prevents sticking.
Print quality is very good. I do some digital photography as a hobby and I have printed several beautiful prints that are suitable for framing. You can print to regular paper or photo paper using regular ink however it is recommended that you use photo ink when using photograph paper due to the fact the ink doesn't dry as fast and it has a tendency to fade in sunlight. Simply open front cover and replace the color ink with photo ink (HP #58 ink) and you are ready for photo quality.
There are no memory chip slots or camera docks on this printer. This is a plain basic printer. In my opinion this is good due to the fact I download all of my digital photography to the PC for editing before I print. To me the docking stations on the printer and memory slots are just added things to break that I do not use. Some folks like them I do not personally. If you are a fan of these gadgets and options , this printer may not be for you.
In closing I would have to say it is a good durable printer. Inks are a little expensive but you get a decent amount of printing done with them. Software and installation is a breeze. But you have to expect this from what has become one of the most widely owned printers on the market. HP has showed us the way again.
