HP LaserJet P2055x Laser Printer

The LaserJet P2055x is both roomy and fast. It has three input trays: The two letter/legal trays accept 250 sheets and 500 sheets, respectively, and a foldout multipurpose tray can accommodate 50 sheets. The unit also has an automatic duplexer. In our tests, plain-text pages exited at a rate of 33.4 pages per minute--very close to HP's rated engine speed of 35 ppm, and faster than average for the monochrome laser printers we've tested. It was also faster than most at printing graphics (about 8 ppm), but output quality was subpar: muddy, rough-textured, and lacking the fine detail and depth of field needed to make images pop. We also noticed horizontal banding, especially in solid areas. Stick to text (which looked fine) and pie charts with this printer.

The LaserJet P2055x is fairly well-designed and easy to operate, and installation was painless and fast: We were online via ethernet in 10 minutes. The operation panel has a two-line, monochrome LCD and control buttons that, for the most part, make sense. An exception is the button marked 'OK', which has two purposes: bringing up the menus, and allowing you to select options. Why not call it 'Menu' or 'Menu/Select'? The on/off switch is conveniently located on the front of the printer, which for some reason is not the norm.