HP PhotoSmart 7550 Inkjet Printer (HP-Q1605A)

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- Spec Navigator
- Printer Type
- Core Components
- Media Handling
- Vendor Rated Speeds
- Platform Support
- Dimensions
- General Features
- Resolutions
- Warranty & Support
Media Handling
| Maximum sheet capacity with standard tray | 100 sheets |
| Media sizes accepted |
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| Paper handling support |
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| Standard input sheet capacity | 100 |
General Features
| Functions | Printer |
| Interface connection | USB - 4-pin Universal Serial Bus |
| Printer languages supported | HP PCL 3 |

Bottom Line
The 7550 supports your camera's flash card format--whatever it is--and offers the versatility of both great photos and text.
Hewlett-Packard Photosmart 7550
PhotoSmart 7550 Inkjet Printer (HP-Q1605A) Review, by Dan Littman December 3, 2002

WHAT'S HOT: With the Photosmart 7550 you don't need a PC to print photos from a digital camera. Instead, you can connect an HP camera with direct-printing capability, such as the HP Photosmart 320, to the USB 1.1 port on the printer's face, or you can slip any camera's flash media into one of the printer's four card readers, which together can accommodate all widely used flash-memory card formats. An on-board control panel with a flip-up LCD screen provides menus for selecting the images; setting the number of copies to print; zooming in and rotating images; stamping the date and time on photos; grouping images into albums with decorative frames; and even modifying the colors. Despite the plethora of features, the menus are easy to use. If your PC happens to be hooked up and running, you can also zap an image from the printer to your e-mail program. That's a lot of functionality for a $299 printer.
The Photosmart 7550 prints glossy photos with intense color saturation; we found that bright parts of its images were sharp, though in darker areas the details tended to be obscured. Thanks in part to a design that uses two black inks, the 7550 prints clean black text that preserves fine detail such as serifs; on coated paper it prints text superbly. It also prints narrow parallel lines almost perfectly.
WHAT'S NOT: The 7550's color and black ink cartridges cost $35 each. Monochrome prints run 28 cents each, while color pages run a pricey 56 cents apiece--much more than any other ink jet we reviewed in our January 2003 roundup. HP's printed documentation gives short shrift to the control-panel menus and could provide more information on how to attach a camera directly; it gives good basic information on setting up and using the printer, however.
WHAT ELSE: The 7550's print speeds are middle-of-the-road compared to other photo printers we've tested: 4.2 ppm for text--fast enough for an occasional home-office job--and 0.8 ppm for graphics. Photos scroll out at a pokey 0.3 ppm. Its paper path provides a kangaroo pouch under the main tray for 4-inch-by-6-inch snapshot-size media. HP sells an $80 duplexer attachment to automate printing on both sides of the page, and bundles several pieces of software, including Memories Disc Creator, for making albums or slide shows.
UPSHOT: The 7550 supports your camera's flash card format--whatever it is--and offers the versatility of both great photos and text.
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: sidflorida
Strengths: The print quality is wonderful. Has never jammed. LCD screen is great.
Weaknesses: I have found none. Highly recommended.
Overall: I love printing pictures, flyers and much more on this printer. It is great. I purchased 4 and gave them as presents last year for Christmas and everyone loves them. They are all still working great.
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Reviewed by: barhar
Strengths: Very good Photo quality
Weaknesses: Regular & Photo printing is too slow
Overall: Excellent printers, I have always used HP Products, but this is the slowest one I have ever eccountered. Quality printing in both Photo and regular printing. I would purchase other HP printers.
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Reviewed by: JKrobin
Strengths: *Superior photo quality and true to life skin tones and colors!
Weaknesses: A little slow compared to some other photo printers but not terribly. Mine isn't loud & fits snuggly into my cabinet. Ink cartridges should be see through because ink level indicator suggests changing the cartridge sooner than needed (see below).
Overall: STUNNING PHOTO PRINTER! No trouble with text either as I make photo scrapbook pages. Ink cartridges tell when ink is low and I have found that I can print several more pages of photo's before changing that cartridge and still not go into reserve mode! I made notes of how many photo's & sizes I could print from a particular cartridge AFTER THE FIRST LOW INK NOTICE because when I FINALLY get the "2nd LOW INK" notice box, I can only "squeze out" 3 additional pics in wallet size using Windows Picture & Fax Viewer before actually seeing ink fade on paper. I print in all different sizes so had to test cartridge longevity by trial and error. This means I don't change my cartridge on the first low ink notice just because the printer indicates it!! Also, because my printer came with a defective photo cartridge, HP sent a free replacement (received excellent customer service) so now I never replace all cartridges at same times and have (for my usage) 3+ weeks in between photo & tri color cartridge purchases! One cartridge empties first and printer also tells which cartridge is low on ink so I never change a cartridge till just after the "2nd notice". My ink lasts much longer now!! What a shame that HP doesn't make see through cartridges... Printer features w/o PC (printer as a stand alone) are quite nice and fun to use! I have used several different photo paper brands and find that I can use many different brands in both glossy & matte and still get great results! I find that the higher quality papers when using glossy are best and all brands of matte papers have been great. Of course, the brighter the white, the better the quality of prints. I ONLY use my 7550 for photos. Have another HP for all around printing. For me, it worked with Windows98 and now works with XP. Tried it and CAN copy from internet but wouldn't want to "waste" my costly cartridges for everyday internet printing! For the pages that cut off the right side, just chose to print in "Landscape" instead of portrait. No problems with that or envelopes either. I print from 4 and 5 MP digital cameras and 35mm photo lab CD's as well as photo scans.
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Reviewed by: Beacher
Strengths: Good Pictures
Weaknesses: TAKES FOREVER! It could wake the dead!
Overall: I bought this printer based on reviews here but I'm on my way out the door 10 days later to buy something that really works as reviewed! This printer is so noisy it could wake the dead! Seriously I can't print in my home office and talk on the phone at the same time....the person on the other end of the phone wants to know "what the heck is all that noise?" Also it prints great pictures if you have ALL DAY!
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Reviewed by: donldsn
Strengths: Quiet, Smooth, Media card slots, ease of use. Quality of photo is the best I have ever seen
Weaknesses: Cartridge latches poor design, plastic body has cheap feeling to it
Overall: This printer is far superior to any printer I have tested. I have owned nothing but Epson in the past and this is better than any of those, much more quiet, unbelievable pictures. The paper tray up is difficult to load but not a major deterent. After reading other reviews I am worried about the ink usage costs???We will see. I love it.
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