HP DeskJet 4255e/4252e Printer Review

The build quality of the HP DeskJet 4255e/4252e is poor. Though the plastic body feels solid, and the power cord is removable (making it easy to replace if it gets damaged), the way the scanner lid connects to the printer feels fragile. If you apply any pressure with the lid open, the plastic on the back of the printer body lifts. Also, the scanner hinges aren't height adjustable, so you can't easily scan thicker documents without putting pressure on the hinges.

Design-wise, it's difficult to access the internals as there's only a small opening in the front. The lack of space may particularly be an issue for anyone with larger hands, as the front opening is the only access you have for replacing ink cartridges (which you will need to do frequently if you print with any regularity) or for dealing with paper jams. Also, the printer must be on to access the ink cartridges. There's only a rear paper feeder with a small 60-page capacity, so you will need to add sheets often. Finally, there's no menu on the printer itself; if you need to access the settings or perform maintenance tasks, using your PC or mobile device is your only option.

The HP 4255e requires frequent maintenance. Most of the maintenance involves changing the ink cartridges, which have a very low yield and will need frequent replacement. Accessing the ink cartridges is rather difficult, as you can only get to them via a narrow front door. Similarly, you can only access the sheet rollers via the same narrow door on the front, with no other access anywhere on the printer. You'll have to refill the paper tray often since it only holds 60 sheets. Beyond this, as an inkjet printer, there's a risk of clogging if the printer sits unused for extended periods of time. If you experience clogging or other print quality issues, there are a few maintenance functions that can help resolve them, like printhead cleaning, printhead alignment, and smear cleaning.

See the user manual here.

The HP 4255e has a bad display. It's a small LCD with seven physical buttons for managing printer functions. There are also two ink alert lights to indicate low ink levels or cartridge problems. There's no tilt or swivel adjustment for the display, and viewing angles are poor as you need to stand directly over the display to view it clearly.

The HP DeskJet 4255e has an awful ink cartridge system. Both the black and color page yields are low, so you need to replace the cartridges very frequently, even if you have moderate print loads. Also, since this printer uses a tri-color cartridge, you need to replace the whole cartridge even when one color runs out. You can increase the yield slightly with high-yield cartridges (67XL) to around 240 black and 200 color prints, but it still won't match other budget all-in-one printers with a better cartridge system. There's an LED light that illuminates when ink is low, and you also receive a message on your computer or mobile device.

While you can use third-party cartridges with this printer, this is only the case if you don't subscribe to HP's ink subscription service, HP Instant Ink. Once you enroll in Instant Ink, the printer receives continuous firmware updates, blocking third-party cartridge use; as a result, you also need to have a constant internet connection to use the printer.

Unlike its predecessor, the HP DeskJet 4155e, you can't save a scan on the HP 4255e as a text-searchable PDF directly from the printer or app.

The scan quality is mediocre. While text and larger images are clear, the colors are overexposed. Moreover, the image processing removes almost all fine details and background elements, resulting in scans appearing noticeably different from their source materials. Using the Photo preset restores some of these elements, but they're still quite faint, and using the ADF doesn't improve the quality but introduces the risk of crooked scans.

• Documentation
• Power cable
• Set of HP 67 starter cartridges
• 1x Black
• 1x Tri-Color

This printer produces mediocre black-and-white documents. While text is relatively clear, the print quality is quite fuzzy, and you can visibly see the direction of the printhead on the page; this results in bars or graphics looking like a freshly mowed lawn. Printing in high quality alleviates some of the issues. You can also print in high-quality grayscale if you run out of black ink. Check out the HP OfficeJet 8015e if you want a printer with better print quality.

This printer produces decent-quality color documents. The text is clear and easy to read, but fine details appear faint.

This printer has a bad cost per print. Each cartridge has a low page yield, so you'll have to change them frequently. There are three months of ink included with the printer through HP's subscription service, HP Instant Ink. However, once you use this service, you can no longer use cartridges from third-party manufacturers. If you need to print more than once in a blue moon, you can find other printers in the budget all-in-one printer category with much lower operating costs, like the Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W.

When duplex printing, the printer completes all pages on one side first and then sends a prompt instructing you how to reinsert the paper to complete printing the other side. Finally, the output tray has a 25-sheet capacity.

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

This printer has a poor, narrow color gamut, which results in a significant loss of fine details; for example, the feathers in the parrot photo appear indistinguishable. There's also visible graining and banding in the transitions from one color to another.

This printer has bad color accuracy. Printed colors appear noticeably different from their original, and the temperature is overly cool, making skin tones appear unnatural. While you may be content to print a photo now and again, anyone needing a printer for professional photo printing should look elsewhere. Consider the Canon PIXMA TS3720/TS3722 if you want a cheaper printer with better color accuracy.

This printer is decent at reproducing small details. Fine elements are clear enough in the foreground, but the printing pattern produces a textured appearance that significantly obscures background elements.

This printer is compatible with the HP Smart app. You can use this app to order ink or manage your ink subscription, access 'printables' (templates for crafts, calendars, etc.), send mobile faxes (with a paid HP+ subscription), scan documents with the camera on your device, initiate scans, and run various maintenance tasks. However, you can only print Microsoft Office, TXT, and HTML files directly from the iOS version of the app.

While you need to install drivers on Windows devices to use the printer, you can print without drivers on both macOS and Chrome OS. On macOS, you need to install drivers if you want to scan, whereas you can scan without drivers on Chrome OS. The HP Smart App is available on Chrome OS with the same compatibility as if you were using an Android device.

You can get the drivers here.