Finally, An Inexpensive Printer with High Resolution Photo Printing Abilities
Written: Nov 29 '02 (Updated Nov 29 '02)
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Pros: Excellent High Quality, 6 color Photo Printing, reasonably priced.
Cons: Ink cartridges small and slightly expensive.
The Bottom Line: The HP Deskjet 5550 Ink-jet Printer has been a very enjoyable experience. I use it for photo printing and have not been disappointed. Reasonably priced.
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| rfish's Full Review: Hewlett Packard DeskJet 5550 Inkjet Printer |
When you use a digital still camera instead of your 35mm SLR, to take your keepsake photos, you have to make some decisions. You can either e-mail your photo files to a photo developing company such as Mystic Photo Labs or you can print them yourself. Both options are not exactly cheap but there are some clear advantages to both. I decided that I would use the photo lab for the best ones and I would print the others myself. When I made this decision I was using an HP Deskjet 932C and the resolution just was not up to what I wanted for a permanent record of the family vacation. Then I found the HP Deskjet 5550 Ink-jet Printer and my options changed.
What Sold Me on the HP 5550
1. Price:
---- The standard price in the store was $149 but after shopping I finally purchased mine at the local Sam's Club where it was $139 and they gave you a $20 gift card too.
2. Resolution:
---- Up to 4800x1200 when optimized dpi is selected
3. Black Text Printing:
---- Fastdraft - up to 17 pages per minute
---- Everyday - up to 8 pages per minute
---- Normal - up to 6 pages per minute
---- Inkjet Paper/Best/1200 dpi text - up to 2 pages per minute.
4. Mixed Text & Color Graphics:
---- Fastdraft - up to 12 pager per minute
---- Everyday - Up to 6 pager per minute
---- Normal - Up to 4 pages per minute
---- Inkjet Paper/Best/1200 dpi text - up to .5 page per minute.
5. Memory:
----8 MB built-in RAM
6. 6-Ink Color Printing:
---- The printer comes with a tricolor cartridge and a black cartridge (4 color standard printing). HP also makes available a 3 color black cartridge which should be used for the best contrast when photo printing. This ink cartridge also comes with a holder for the standard black ink cartridge to be used while you are using the tricolor black. The holder keeps the unused black cartridge from drying out. A nice idea.
7. Compact style:
---- I really like the fact that is takes up a lot less space than my old printer. It is only one half as high but about as wide as the HP 932C. It has a slightly lightweight paper tray but it does not present any problems.
8. Connectivity:
--- Has Network, Parallel cable and USB cable connections. As with most printers the cable does not come with the printer and must be purchased separately. For USB (which I use) you will need a Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 full speed compliant cable. This can cost from $9.99 to over $30 depending on the make and style you choose. The one I purchased cost $16.99 and works very well.
Negatives
There are really no negatives with the printer itself but the ink cartridges are a bit expensive. I have been printing a lot of photos lately from a Sci-Fi convention I went to and after about thirty 8 1/2 x 11 sheets on Kodak photo paper I got a warning that the ink was starting to run low. Since this warning I have printed 8 more pages and not run out yet. I think I learned a lesson which was that when they warn you, go buy the replacement cartridge but do not replace it in the printer right away.
The price for HP replacement cartridges? The black photo tricolor, HP 58, is $24.99. The color tricolor, HP 57, is $31.99. The standard black, HP 58, is $21.99. These cartridges are shorter and slightly wider that the older HP 45 black style that I currently use on the HP 932C. I also think there is less ink in them but when you are printing photos you use a lot of ink.
Setup & Warranty
The instructions for setup are very clear and easy to follow. It only took me 20 minutes from the time I came into the house until I printed my first page. The printer has a limited warranty of 90 days on the software and 1 year on the printer itself. The manual gives you numbers and directions on how to have the printer repaired if a problem occurs. The manual also contains detailed troubleshooting instructions if you have a installation problem.
Misc. Thoughts
To help reduce the cost of ink replacements, I have connected both the new HP 5550 and the old HP 932c and switch back and forth depending on what I'm printing. I only use the HP 5550 for photo printing and I still use the older HP 932C for other printing chores.
I said in the beginning that I had to rethink my original options when it came to photo printing. I now print all of my own photos. Since I've purchased the HP Deskjet 5550 Ink-jet Printer I have not sent any out to the photo lab for processing. I am not saying that it is any cheaper printing them at home but I have been very happy with the quality of the photos the 5550 creates and you will be too.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 139.00
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
rfish
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 in Magazine Subscriptions, Home and Garden |
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Location: East Hartford, Connecticut
Reviews written: 341
Trusted by: 581 members
About Me:
Enjoys Star Trek, Science Fiction conventions/collecting, gardening(flowers and vegetable), working with the Boy Scouts.
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