HP DeskJet 2855e/2852e Printer Review

The HP DeskJet 2855e is entirely plastic and feels reasonably solid overall. However, some parts feel a little more flimsy, like the scanner lid, which, with pressure applied, causes the plastic around the back of the scanner to lift from the body. There's no paper tray; instead, it has a rear feeder that holds 60 sheets of paper. You can only access the ink cartridges and paper jams through the front panel, which is quite small, so maintenance can be hard if you have large hands. On the upside, the power cord is removable, making it easy to replace if damaged.

This printer requires a fair amount of maintenance. Like all inkjet printers, the printheads can clog if you don't print for an extended period. A few maintenance functions are available to resolve print quality issues, like printhead cleaning, printhead alignment, and Clean Smear. The black and tri-color cartridges run out quickly, so you'll have to replace them often. The upside with these cartridges is that they contain the printheads, meaning you can simply replace the cartridges if you can't resolve print quality issues using the built-in maintenance functions. Accessing the ink cartridges isn't easy, as you can only access them through a narrow opening above the output tray. The printer must be on when changing the cartridges. Paper jams are accessible through the same front panel. The input tray (rear feeder) only holds 60 sheets of paper and will likely require frequent refills. Get the user guide here.

The HP DeskJet 2855e has a small monochrome LCD screen that can only show the number of copies, ink levels, Wi-Fi status, and error codes. Its horizontal viewing angle isn't bad, so it's relatively easy to see from the sides. However, its limited vertical viewing angle makes it much harder to see when seated, and there's no way to tilt the screen to improve visibility. There are seven physical buttons: Power, Cancel, Resume, Info, Wi-Fi, Black Copy, and Color Copy. The LED lights show low ink levels or cartridge problems.

The HP DeskJet 2855e yields a low number of prints, so you need to replace the ink cartridges regularly. Also, since it uses a tri-color cartridge, you must replace the entire cartridge even if only one color runs out. High-yield cartridges are available; the HP 67XL Black cartridge has an advertised yield of 240 prints, while the HP 67XL Color cartridge has an advertised yield of 200 prints. The LED light beside the display lights up when ink levels are low, and you also get a notification in the HP Smart app.

Note that while you can use third-party ink cartridges, it likely won't work if you accept the three-month supply of free ink via HP Instant Ink and subscribe to the ink replenishment service. This restriction remains even if you cancel your subscription. Enrolling in this service will also require an uninterrupted internet connection to use the printer, as HP continuously updates the firmware to block the use of third-party cartridges.

The scan quality is mediocre. The image processing (when using the 'Document' preset) is overly aggressive, removing a lot of fine details, like the lines in the sample graph and watermarks. Scans look more detailed when using the 'Photo' preset, but fine elements are still faint.

• Power cord
• Documentation
• Set of HP 67 starter ink cartridges:
• 1x Black
• 1x Tri-Color

While the print quality of black-and-white documents isn't bad, the prints look softer and fuzzier than color prints. Also, the printhead's printing direction is clearly visible when printing in the 'Standard Quality' mode. Switching to the 'High-Quality' mode makes the printing direction less visible but reduces the contrast. There's also a 'High-Quality Grayscale' option, which uses the cyan, magenta, and yellow colors to produce the document (handy when you run out of black ink). This mode gives a smoother, crisper-looking document; however, fine elements appear more faint.

The print quality of color documents is decent. The text looks clear, and colors appear vibrant and saturated; however, finer elements, like the lines in the sample graph, are faint and hard to see.

Although the ink cartridges are relatively cheap, the cost-per-print is very high because the cartridges run out quickly, resulting in more frequent replacement. This printer comes with three months of free ink via HP's ink replenishment service, offsetting the cost a bit. However, subscribing to the service will block you from using third-party cartridges, which are typically cheaper.

The HP DeskJet 2855e only supports manual double-sided printing. It prompts you to flip the pages when it finishes printing one side. The output tray holds up to 25 sheets of regular paper. If you want a similar printer that supports automatic duplex printing, check out the HP ENVY 6555e.

You can set custom paper sizes from 3.5" x 5" (88.9 mm x 127 mm) to 8.5" x 14" (215.9 mm x 355.6 mm).

The HP DeskJet 2855e has a poor color gamut. Its narrow color range makes pictures look flat and unnatural. It also causes significant loss of fine details, like the parrot's feathers in the sample photo, which look almost like a single solid color with no texture or definition. There's only a little bit of banding in some color transitions; however, the printer's printing pattern is clearly visible. If you want a cheap printer with much better color gamut, consider the Canon PIXMA TS302a.

This printer has poor color accuracy. Most colors are visibly inaccurate, especially blues and skin tones. Consider the Canon PIXMA TS3720/TS3722 if you want a cheaper printer with better color accuracy. Or, if you want a simple print-only unit with better photo printing, consider the Canon PIXMA TS202.

This printer is okay at reproducing small details. Fine and distant elements are relatively easy to recognize, but there's a softness to the edges that makes everything look a little fuzzy.

The HP DeskJet 2855e is compatible with the HP Smart mobile app. The app lets you print, scan (with a printer or smartphone camera), and perform maintenance tasks like printhead cleaning and alignment. You can also manage your ink subscription, buy supplies, and access pre-made 'printables,' like calendars and drawing sheets. A mobile fax feature is available; however, you must have an HP account and an HP+ subscription to use it.

You must manually install drivers to use the printer on Windows devices. Printing works straight out of the box for Macs—you only have to install drivers if you want to scan. There's no need to do anything on Chrome OS devices. Installing the HP Smart app from the Google Play Store will simply give you the same functionality as Android smartphones and tablets. Get the drivers here.