New York, NY -- Reviewed by PC Magazine in March 2010, the LaserJet P2055dn is one of HP’s latest
offerings aimed at small businesses and workgroups as well as home offices. The reviewer points out from the
beginning though that while it is a good printer, it offers many of the same features that can be found in
some less expensive models. It is not a larger printer by any means, measuring 10.6” x 14.4” x 14.5” (H x W
x D) and it weighs less than 24lbs. It is a fast printer with the ability to print pages at a maximum of
35ppm. This projected rating was tested by the reviewer and found to be true.
In terms of paper handling, the P2055dn has a 250-sheet input tray and a 50-sheet multipurpose tray for
input. For an additional $125, you can purchase a 500-sheet capacity tray bringing the total to 800 sheets.
The machine also features a built-in duplex unit, but does not have an ADF.
The overall print quality is good for a printer of this ilk. Text printing was better than average, the
photo printing was as good as you can get for a monochrome laser, and the graphics were slightly worse than
you’d expect. The reviewer also noted that strangely enough the graphics and photos looked better at the
default resolution than at the higher resolution, an uncommon occurrence in printers. Given the level of
graphics, they are likely good enough for internal use, but definitely nothing more.
The P2055dn can be connected to a PC or Mac (also Linux and Unix drivers are available from HP’s site) via
USB cable (not included) or networked via Ethernet. A wireless print server can be purchased from HP for
$249, if you need that flexibility. The ink costs are relatively low with a standard yield 05A (2,300 page)
cartridge selling for $88.89, or 3.9 cents per page. The HP site seems to indicate that you can also
purchase a set of two high-yield 05X (6,500 page) cartridges for $162.99, which calculates to 1.3 cents per
page.
Overall, this printer is a good choice if you can afford its initial purchase price and need the
flexibility of the multipurpose tray. If you can not, you could consider the Lexmark E260dn or Samsung
ML2851-ND which are both recommended by the reviewer.
