Buying a multi-function printer is a tough decision as there are so many products and features to consider before making your final choice. However, there is a reliability factor associated with reputed printer brands which makes them more appealing to consumers. HP is one of the most reputed printer manufacturers that is still creating an incredible range of all-in-one printers for home users.
The HP Envy 5055 is one such all-in-one which claims to deliver high-quality prints while maintaining low operational costs. However, such claims are made by all printer manufacturers for their every product. Therefore, in this HP Envy 5055 printer review, we will do a thorough analysis of this multi-function device and objectively assess the reality of these claims.
Advertisement
Technical Specification
Functions: Print, Scan, Copy
Print technology: HP Thermal inkjet
Printing speed: 10 ppm (monochrome), 7 ppm (color)
Duplex printing: Automatic
Standard paper size: A4
Display: 2.2-inch monochrome touchscreen
Connectivity: USB 2.0, Wi-Fi
Design
Since the HP Envy 5055 all-in-one has been made for home users its design is compact and it’s completely made out of black plastic to make it lightweight. The cover of its scanner has no loose parts, offers nice resistance while operating and feels solid. Paper tray is also well-placed and looks suitable for long-term use. The monochrome touchscreen on this all-in-one enhances the ease of use of this device by providing easy access to most of its functions.
To save space this printer uses standard horizontal paper input tray instead of a top-loading option. Therefore, this MFP is fitted with rubber rollers to pull the paper from the tray, which makes it difficult to use this printer with types of media which are difficult to bend. The Envy 5055 is fitted with 258 MB standard memory, which means you can execute large print jobs without any breaks.
Connectivity Options
The HP Envy 5055 MFP offers multiple connectivity options, thus, allowing you to operate this device from various platforms. The Wireless Direct from HP, is equivalent to Wi-Fi direct and allows dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity with your PC and other mobile devices. You don’t need to connect this printer through a router as it is capable of direct wireless communication.
Although, HP provides its own wireless connectivity app, known as The HP Smart App, but this printer supports other third-party apps, such as Mopria and Apple AirPrint. All these apps allow you to print directly from email and attachments. You can also use these apps to send scanned documents as email attachments. If you want to go for wired connection, then this printer supports USB 2.0 cable connectivity.
Features
The Automatic document feeder (ADF) feature of this all-in-one is useful when you want to send multiple documents to its scanner. Another important feature is automatic duplex printing, which reduces the time, effort and cost of printing documents and photos. The maximum throughput of this MFP is kept at 400 pages per month or less than 15 pages per day, which may seem low, but is enough for home users.
Most home users prefer print quality over print speed, but this HP printer delivers a decent speed of 10ppm for monochrome and 7ppm for color prints. This is an above-average speed for most color printers of this price range. Also, the speed of the copier is 8ppm for black & white and 4ppm for color. Some more useful features of the HP Envy 5055 wireless printer are its ID-card copy feature and 2-sided copy orientation change.
Performance
Although, at first glance, the looks of this printer are like most other HP all-in-one’s, but its performance stands out among its range of printers. Needless to say, the output print quality matches the HP quality standards of vivid photo coloring and crisp text prints.
The HP Envy series printers are primarily designed for good quality photo printing. And the Envy 5055 lives up to that standard as it can print great photos, which in quality exceed the standard of photo prints you get from any online service. Also, this printer can print perfect borderless photos on a variety of papers, such as A4 paper, small legal stationary, photo paper and envelopes.
The peak resolution for color prints is 4800 × 1200 dpi and for monochrome prints, it’s 1200 × 1200 dpi. For copiers, the peak resolution for both monochrome and color documents is 600 × 300 dpi, which is low. Although, the print resolution is not impressive, but for printing text documents it can deliver clear and crisp output. Scan resolution offered by this device is 1200 × 1200 dpi using its 8-bit grey-scale depth.
Running Costs
This inkjet printer uses one Black and one Tricolour (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow) ink cartridge. These cartridges are available in two sizes, one standard and one XL size. The print yield of XL-sized cartridges is nearly 300 pages per cartridge. Considering the cost of cartridges, this is not a high page yield and might be slightly expensive for some home users, but you can considerably reduce printing costs by opting for HP Instant Ink service.
Since it’s an HP printer you can be assured that there will be no hidden maintenance costs and the only running cost will be of cartridges. Just makes sure that the cartridges you use are compatible with the HP Envy 5055 printer model. This printer comes with an HP warranty of 1 year.
Ease of Use
Setting up this printer is easy and can be done in just 5 minutes. All you need to do is to follow the steps mentioned in the setup guide. The lightweight and compact design of this all-in-one further make it easier for you to set up this device. If you work in a low workspace environment, then this printer is suitable for your needs.
The options such as scanning, settings, and copying are clearly displayed in the front touchscreen panel of this printer. This makes it easier for users to navigate through multiple functions of this all-in-one. The responsiveness of this touch panel is not impressive, but one must remember it’s a low-cost printer.
Pros
- Low upfront cost
- Attractive design and durable built
- Supports multiple media types and sizes
- Low running cost if you opt for HP Instant Ink
- Compatible with multiple wireless devices
- Great photo print quality
Cons
- Running cost is high if you don’t take HP Instant Ink
- Touchscreen is not very responsive
- No support for SD card or Ethernet cable
Conclusion
The HP Envy 5055 wireless printer is for home users who need an all-in-one for casual use. This MFP has no next level premium features, such as SD card support or scan loading tray. However, its touchscreen design, a wide variety of connectivity options and high yield cartridges add a lot of value to this product. In short, the HP Envy 5055 is a low cost, user-friendly, solid performing inkjet all-in-one that does match up to its claims. Therefore, if it fulfils your requirements, then this printer is definitely worth your money.
