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Having a great printer is a must have, whether you’re an artist, student, remote worker, or simply need to print a random form here or there. If you’ve landed on this page, you’re probably hoping that the HP Envy 5055 will be the answer to all of your printing, scanning, and copying needs. Are your hopes justified?
The HP Envy 5055 is an inexpensive, yet top notch all-in-one printer that is great at printing, copying, and scanning. It is also bluetooth, WiFi, and Alexa enabled, making it a great wireless printer option.
I personally love the HP Envy series and have gotten a lot of years out of them. The HP Envy 5055 takes the Envy series to the next level, while staying at an affordable price. Let’s dive into some of the great features that come with this printer, as well as answer some common questions that might come up before or after you buy.
Is HP Envy 5055 a good printer?
The HP Envy 5055 is a good printer for those looking for a hassle free home office printer at an affordable price. It can print, scan, and copy reliably, all while connecting to your computer or phone via bluetooth and WiFi. It can even be voice enabled through Alexa.
I have used printers in the HP Envy series for many years and love how long they last and consistently they print.
Check out the HP Envy 5055 on Amazon!
Let’s run through the features of the HP Envy 5055 printer so that you can know what to expect and judge whether it’s the right choice for your needs.
- Fast printing speeds: 10 ppm black and 7 ppm color
- Double-sided printing
- 4×6” photo printing and anything up to 8.5×11”
- Envelope printing
- Borderless printing
COPY AND SCAN
- Scan to your computer via WiFi
- Scan to your iPhone with the HP Smart app
- Standard copying abilities
CONNECTIVITY
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- Alexa
- Control wirelessly through your computer
- Control wirelessly through your phone or tablet with the HP Smart app
INK
- Compatible with the HP 65 ink series
- Eligible for the HP Instant Ink program
Ok, now that we’ve gotten an overview of the HP Envy 5055 features, let’s answer some questions that might come up when you’re thinking about buying it.
Is HP Envy 5055 an inkjet printer?
The HP Envy 5055 is an inkjet printer.
Inkjet printers are ideal for printing photos and color documents. They’re also cheaper. Laser printers are great for black and white documents that you need to print in high volume (source).
If you’re looking for a laser printer, the HP LaserJet Pro M404dn Monochrome Laser Printer is a great option. But, if you’re looking for a printer for your photos or art, stick with the Envy series.
Check out the HP LaserJet Pro on Amazon!
What ink do I need for HP Envy 5055?
The HP Envy 5055 is compatible with the HP 65 ink series. The great thing is that HP 65 ink is the standard for a lot of their printers, which makes it really common. You can buy black and tri-color options, as well as normal capacity and XL capacity.
The question of ink brings up something really cool: the HP Instant Ink program.
Check out the HP 65 Ink Cartridge
What is the HP Instant Ink program?
The HP Instant Ink program is a subscription printing program that charges you for how many pages you print a month. No need to remember to buy new cartridges; they’ll send you replacement cartridges when you’re running low.
Ok, so there is something ESPECIALLY neat about the HP Instant Ink program for the neat thing that HP is doing to make your ink buying life easier and cheaper.
If you have a printer under $99 and listed as eligible by HP, you can print 15 pages a month for free.
At the time of this writing, the HP Envy 5055 DOES NOT qualify. That said, this model has been discontinued by HP directly, even though you can still get it on Amazon. Check with HP to see if its eligibility has changed.
At the time of this writing, the only eligible printers are DeskJets like the 3755 you can find here on Amazon.
But, most of us print more than 15 pages a month anyways. At the time of this writing, you can print 50 pages for $2.99 a month, 100 pages for $4.99 a month, and 300 pages for $9.99 a month.
If you don’t use all of your pages, you can roll them over to the next month.
If you go over your quota for the month, you’ll pay an extra $1 for every 10 pages.
If you’re interested, be sure to check the current prices and conditions on the HP site HERE.
It’s a good idea to do the calculations to see how much money you’d be spending with the instant ink program versus standard ink cartridges.
The standard ink cartridges print about 120 pages, depending on how ink-filled your pages are. At somewhere around $15-$20 a pop, that makes the subscription an economical option. That said, if you’re printing well over 300 pages a month, the subscription might not be the best bet.
Just do the math based on your printing needs.
I’ve also heard some mixed reviews about the instant ink program. Some people love it and some people hate it. Do your research before you decide.
Does HP Envy 5055 work with Mac and Windows?
The HP Envy 5055 is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems. This printer works wirelessly, so one of the most important things to confirm about your computer setup is that you have wireless internet. If you use the internet via an ethernet cable, you’ll need to use a USB cable to connect your printer to your computer.
Does HP Envy 5055 have a USB port?
The HP Envy 5055 does not come with a USB cable, but you can easily purchase your own USB cable to use with it.
It’s a good idea to have an extra USB cable lying around in case there’s ever a glitch with your internet connection.
For use with the HP Envy 5055 printer, you’ll specifically want to get a USB 2.0 cable with a male A to male B configuration. Don’t worry; they’re fairly cheap. Here’s a good option that Amazon offers.
Something important to note is that the USB male B end is what connects to the printer. Male A is what you normally find on a USB flash drive. That means that you can’t connect a flash drive to this printer. It’s not a huge downside, but it’s something to be aware of.
Check out this printer cable on Amazon
Does the HP Envy 5055 print well?
The HP Envy series of printers are known for printing color photos and documents really well. They also print quickly, with fast printing speeds of 10 ppm for black and 7 ppm for color. You can also choose to have automatic double-sided printing and print on documents up to 8.5×11”.
What I really love about printing with the HP Envy 5055 is that you can print right from the HP Smart app. This means that you can grab a photo or document off of social media or the cloud and easily print it right from your phone.
Having printing capabilities within your phone is a huge plus, sparing you the hassle of transferring things to your computer before printing. Also, the fact that the app connects with the Cloud means that you don’t have to worry about permanently storing documents on your devices and using unneeded space.
Does the HP Envy 5055 print photos?
The HP Envy 5055 is a great choice if you like to print photos. It has a setting for 4×6 photos and can print any photo up to 8.5×11. This printer also has a borderless printing feature, which will save you the hassle of cutting off white edges.
There are great photo-specific printers as well, but you then get stuck in a box of having a printer that only prints photos. If you print a LOT of photos, I’d definitely suggest it. On the other hand, if you need more versatility and only occasionally print photos, the all-in-one nature of the HP Envy 5055 is great.
Check out the HP Sprocket Studio Photo Printer on Amazon
Does the HP Envy 5055 scan?
The HP Envy 5055 has a great scanner that can send your scanned documents to your computer wireless. It also connects with the HP Smart app. Functionality with the app means that you can scan documents and photos and send them straight to your phone or tablet.
Is the HP Envy 5055 worth it?
Given the good print quality, WiFi and bluetooth capabilities, HP Smart app, and inexpensive price, the HP Envy 5055 is definitely worth it for anyone looking for a reliable all-in-one printer.
If you print infrequently, the fact that the HP Envy 5055 qualifies for the HP free 15 pages a month plan is a HUGE benefit and will save you money on ink cartridges in the future.
I’m personally a big fan of the HP Envy series and have appreciated the quality and reliability of the ones I’ve had in the past. There’s no doubt that the HP Envy 5055 is an economical, yet high quality printer choice that will serve you well for your daily printing needs.
Check out the HP Envy 5055 on Amazon here!
Diana has been an artist for over 26 years and has training in drawing, painting, digital drawing and graphic design. Diana’s latest obsession is digitally drawing with Procreate and creating t-shirt designs with Canva. Diana has experience selling her art across a number of platforms and loves helping other artists learn how to make money from their art as well.