Rating: 
Summary: Photo fade factor.
Review: One of the most important features in a photo printer is how long the photos will last before they fade. According to PC World magazine the 5550 is among the best, lasting 73 years if you use HP photo paper. Among the worst is Epson and Canon lasting but a few years before they fade. So cost of printer ink may not be all that expensive if one considers the "Fade Factor"....
Rating:
Summary: Well worth it!
Review: I've had my HP5550 printer for 4 months and couldn't be happier. This printer is the best I have used, and I have used a variety. The text printing as well as the graphics are sharp, crisp and colorful, add to this the speed of printing jobs and I am one happy camper! I recommend this printer to anyone for all jobs. I print brochures, business forms, letters and pictures and all jobs are done very well.
Rating: 
Summary: Great harware, annoying software.
Review: Great hardware, but I didn't like the icon it runs on my taskbar's tray area. Why do I need a software running 100% of the time if I don't use the printer that much? If I exit the program, it will be back the next time I log in, and since I share the computer with another user, I log in all the time. I tried to contact HP, but the first thing they ask is the serial number of the product. Why do I need to track the serial number for such a simple question? Why don't they solve my problem before I have to solve theirs? Well, I already spent more in time with this than what the printer costed me in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: This printer is AWESOME!
Review: As a self proclaimed technophile, I'm usually disappointed with a high-tech purchase because I know there's something better out there. This is NOT the case with this printer! And I couldn't believe the price!This thing is sharp! The graphics are amazing and even though it doesn't have blazing speed it's definitely fast enough. Having to change cartridges to print photos is at most a minor inconvenience. HP got it right with this one!
Rating:
Summary: HP Perfection
Review: Well... HP really out did themselves with the Deskjet 5550. I have always used an HP printer- up until about a month ago, I was still using a Deskjet 672c. Well, I realized that it was time to put the 672 out to pasture, so I set out to research a new printer. I knew right away that I wanted an HP. HP's are basically all I have ever used, so I wanted to stay with what I knew. I went online and saw the 5550. It was new, and well priced. I thgought it was too good to be true. So, just to be sure, I went out the the local electronics store to scope it out. I found it fast enough and looked at it- sizing it up. I saw that it came with both a USB and parallel hookup- which was good because not all people have a USB. Finally, it was time for the real test. I lifted the top cover that houses the print cartridges. I did not hear the squeeking and groaning of my 672c- or for that matter some of the lower priced printers- but a smooth gliding sound that was indicative of a good print job. I have now had my Deskjet 5550 for about a month- and I have no complaints or regrets. The 5550 always prints smoothly and never losses communication with the computer. It does a great job on text and can pritn borderless photos as well as 8x10's. An all-around A+!
Rating: 
Summary: Will make you pine for your old dot-matrix printer
Review: This is simply the most awful, cheaply-made and unreliable product I have bought in quite a while. It misfeeds, mangles pages, and jams constantly . . . and this is my second one! The first one was replaced by HP (whose tech support people ARE knowledgeable and friendly) after several calls, but with a refurbished model. ("But it's only a month old!" "Sorry, we're exchanging YOUR defective model with another one that someone ELSE had a problem with!") This model replaced a PhotoSmart P-1000 that had been pretty solid and reliable, but was water damaged and had to be replaced. This thing is a HUGE let-down.
Rating:
Summary: REVIEW OF HP 5550 PRINTER
Review: This printer looks fantastic. Clean lines and very modern. Speed really surprised me; it is very fast and I enjoy being able to print out articles quickly. In addition, the quietness of the printer is a pleasure. In general, a wonderful product which I would highly recommend to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: This printer is the worst ever!
Review: I once owned an old HP 300 printer where I had to swap print cartridges between black and color. What a pain. Well although I thought those times were long gone, they are back. this pritner can only hold two cartridges, but uses three. So to use the photo cartridge, you must change out the black cartridge with the photo cartridge, triggering a 'test' page to print.
It uses way too much ink, and the cartridges are small and expensive.
Try something else, although I have always owned HP in the past, I will not buy from them again.
Rating:
Summary: If you like glacial printing speeds this one is for you
Review: I cannot believe how slow the HP is, even if you are only printing a black and white page! Occasionally if you print a lot of text it speeds up to about three pages per minute, but most of the time it just chonks out pages at about one page every minute or so. And what a consumer of ink cartridges! This is my first and last HP. Their printing algorithms and memory in the printer makes my whole pc freeze up...
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: I purchased this printer as a 'step up' from my HP895 CXi... I wish I still had my previous printer! The 5550 is marketed as the top of the line... it uses MUCH more ink, the ink cartridges are much smaller and cost more than the 895's cartridges, and HP now has added a third cartridge, just for photo quality prints. There are only two cartridge holders in the printer, so to use the photo cartridge, you must change out the black cartridge with the photo cartridge, triggering a 'test' page to print. I've contacted HP and there is NO 'fix', NO WAY TO PREVENT THE PRINTING OF THE TEST PAGE - even if you try to cancel (by hitting the cancel print button on the printer), it will still force the test page. I've wasted a lot of ... photo paper and lots of ... ink. It is horrible. Then, if that's not bad enough, the quality is bad. The bottoms of some my prints become purple (especially on HP's 'best' photo paper). HP has no explanation for this. I would not buy this machine again, and would probably think twice about another HP printer (even though this was my fouth HP).
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