We reviewed the base model of HP's 2550 series, which includes only a 125-sheet multipurpose tray that flips open from the front panel of the printer. You can add either a 250-sheet input tray for $149 or a 500-sheet input tray for $299. (Both are available from HP.) The back panel of the HP 2550L also flips open to create a straight paper path for printing heavier paper stocks.
For connectivity, the HP 2550L provides only a parallel port or a USB 2.0 connection (cables not included). If you want internal networking, you should buy either the HP 2550Ln or HP 2550n models. If you don't need networking now but suspect you might in the future, the 2550L is compatible with several HP Jetdirect external print servers that range in price from $129 to $269 from HP. The printer comes with HP PCL 6 and HP PostScript 3 emulation built in, so documents print looking the same way they do on your computer monitor.
The HP 2550L's printing costs are quite reasonable. New 4,000-sheet cyan, magenta, and yellow toner cartridges cost $100. A 4,000-sheet black cartridge costs $83. Estimating 5 percent coverage, this works out to 2 cents per page for black ink and about 2.5 cents per page for color--about average for a color laser printer.
For monochrome printing, the HP Color LaserJet 2550L performed well, averaging 12.1 pages per minute (ppm) for text and 9.8ppm for graphics. These scores are above average for a bargain color laser printer. In color printing, on the other hand, the HP was rather disappointing. It averaged only 3.9ppm for text and 3.1ppm for graphics, making the HP Color LaserJet 2550 the slowest in our charts--a surprise, since one of our fastest color laser printers is the HP LaserJet 3500, with a score of 7ppm for color text and 8.8ppm for color graphics.
Making up for its not-so-great speed, however, the HP Color LaserJet 2550L offers excellent monochrome print quality. Both text and graphics looked perfect in our tests, with nary a flaw. The color print quality, though not perfect, was very good as well. Our only nitpick was the contrast, which was a little too soft in color text and a little too harsh in color graphics.
The printer was tested at the factory default settings, which you can adjust to improve the output and performance. Learn more about how CNET Labs tests printers.
Performance analysis written by CNET Labs project leader Dong Van Ngo.
HP's Web site offers top-of-the-line customer service and support options targeted to your specific product, including instant chat with a tech-support representative, e-mail support, an extensive database of FAQs, documentation, and tutorials on graphics troubleshooting, how-tos, and maintenance.
Product Specifications:
Product Description:
HP Color LaserJet 2550L - Workgroup printer - Color - Laser
Printer Type:
Workgroup printer - Laser - Color
Dimensions (WxDxH):
19 in x 17.8 in x 12.8 in
Weight:
48.1 lbs
Localization:
English / United States
Max Media Size (Standard):
A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in)
,
Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
Max Media Size (Custom):
8.5 in x 14 in
Print Speed:
up to 20 pages/min - B/W
,
up to 4 pages/min - Color
Max Resolution ( B&W ):
600 dpi x 600 dpi
Max Resolution ( Color ):
600 dpi x 600 dpi
Image Enhancement Technology:
HP ImageREt 2400
Interface:
USB
,
Parallel
Processor:
Motorola 264 MHz
RAM Installed ( Max ):
64 MB ( 192 MB ) - SDRAM - DIMM 100-pin
Language Simulation:
PCL 6
,
PostScript 3
Media Type:
Cards
,
Labels
,
Envelopes
,
Bond paper
,
Plain paper
,
Glossy paper
,
Recycled paper
,
Transparencies
Total Media Capacity:
125 sheets
Monthly Duty Cycle:
30000 pages
Modem:
None
Networking:
None
Type:
None
Copier Type:
None
System Requirements:
Apple MacOS 9.1
,
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
,
Apple MacOS X 10.1 or later
,
Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP
,
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Manufacturer Warranty:
1 year warranty
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