Review writing on hold - too much school work and coursework to do at the moment. Don't think I'll b...
Review writing on hold - too much school work and coursework to do at the moment. Don't think I'll be writing until after my exams in late June :(
Member since:09.10.2006
Reviews:23
Members who trust:27
Our HP DeskJet 5550 has been serving us well for quite a few number of years now. It is reasonably priced (at just over £100), delivers good quality printouts, is easy to use and is quite good looking. If you are looking for a printer just for home use, to print out school or business work or information from the internet, then this printer is ideal for you! It is quite wide so you need a fairly large space to store it and sometimes it can be quite temperamental and annoying to use (or maybe that's just me!)
Looks and Size
The printer looks very stylish, with a slick space-age curve. It is very aesthetically pleasing and is definitely a printer that you would like to show off. It measures about 18" wide, 14" deep and 8" high. It is quite wide and therefore needs a lot of room to be stored. Ours fits quite nicely into our computer desk but if you don't have much room (horizontally) then you would probably be best ensuring that it will fit in before you buy it!
Printing Speed
The HP DeskJet 5550 prints at a steady pace. It is not exactly going to win the Grand Print Speed National. However, on the other hand it won't win the slow bike race. It is obviously depends on what you are printing off and the colour levels and detail involved. Printing word documents is fast and you can expect somewhere in the region of 15 pages a minute.
Colour Sensitivity and Picture Quality
The output from the HP DeskJet 5550 is of a high standard and makes for nice quality printouts. The colours are sharp and there is quite a lot of sensitivity and range of colours. This is obviously dependent on you having enough ink in the printer! It can handle most complex images and is decent at printing off digital camera photographs. The images come out very realistically and are surprisingly good. In one photo that my Mum recently printed out of me, you can see the flashes' reflection on my sweaty forehead (lovely!). It is not as good as getting your photos printed out at a Kodak machine, but the with the correct photo paper and a full ink cartridge, the HP DeskJet 5550 can deliver some stunning printed photos.
Ease of Installation and Use
Setting up the HP DeskJet 5550 is easy. It is connected to the PC via USB, and the installation disk and manual are very helpful. Unfortunately, this does not take into consideration my Dad, who decided to install the printer with the language set as Spanish. This left us rather puzzled initially, but after tinkering a bit, we managed to get it to English! Within a few minutes we were up and running smoothly. Using the printer is very simple and is operated by three buttons on the side - all clearly explained in the manual. Changing cartridges is also straightforward, even if it is a burden on the wallet!
Reliability
Our printer is still working well and we have not had any major problems with it. Occasionally I find that it does play up and pages can get stuck in the printer, but I'm probably to blame for being impatient. The rest of my family don't seem to have a problem and therefore as long as you treat it nicely, it will do the same back to you!
Conclusion
Overall this is a very good quality printer offering good value for money. It can deliver good performance, both in picture quality and colour sensitivity, but you may find it slow at printing colour images. It is ideal for general home use and offers good quality digital photo printouts (although I'd still get them done at a machine!). Easy to install and very reliable - the HP DeskJet 5550 is a great home printer!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Pay less printing cost - with Inkrite it's easy. The dyes and pigments used in ... more
Inkrite inks are specifically tailored to each printer to ensure the highest quality print with the maximum longevity possible. Ongoing research constantly improves the quality of printing. - Easy Open Blister Packs - Image ID for easy recognition - Higher Page Yield (up to 3x) than OEM - EcoSaver Design reduces costs and waste - Recyclable PET packaging - Long lasting colour with high UV resistance
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours......
Pay less printing cost - with Inkrite it's easy. The dyes and pigments used in ... more
Inkrite inks are specifically tailored to each printer to ensure the highest quality print with the maximum longevity possible. Ongoing research constantly improves the quality of printing. - Easy Open Blister Packs - Image ID for easy recognition - Higher Page Yield (up to 3x) than OEM - EcoSaver Design reduces costs and waste - Recyclable PET packaging - Long lasting colour with high UV resistance
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Pay less printing cost - with Inkrite it's easy. The dyes and pigments used in ... more
Inkrite inks are specifically tailored to each printer to ensure the highest quality print with the maximum longevity possible. Ongoing research constantly improves the quality of printing. - Easy Open Blister Packs - Image ID for easy recognition - Higher Page Yield (up to 3x) than OEM - EcoSaver Design reduces costs and waste - Recyclable PET packaging - Long lasting colour with high UV resistance
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Mar 31st, 2007
very helpful by (100%):
