HP DeskJet 2855e Wireless All-in-One Printer Review – Best Budget Home Printer?
HP DeskJet 2855e Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer, Scanner, Copier, Best-for-home, 3 month Instant Ink trial included. This printer is only 2.4 ghz capable. (588S5A)
HP
- The DeskJet 2855e is perfect for homes printing to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes. Print speeds up to 5.5 ppm color, 7.5 ppm black
- PERFECTLY FORMATTED PRINTS WITH HP AI – Print web pages and emails with precision—no wasted pages or awkward layouts; HP AI easily removes unwanted content, so your prints are just the way you want
- KEY FEATURES – Color printing, copy, scan, and a 60-sheet input tray
- WIRELESS PRINTING – Stay connected with our most reliable Wii-Fi, which automatically detects and resolves connection issues.This printer is only 2.4 ghz capable.
Quick Verdict
Pros
- Compact design fits easily on a desk or shelf
- Wireless connectivity with easy HP Smart app setup
- Includes 3-month Instant Ink trial to start
- HP AI feature removes unwanted content from web prints
- Affordable purchase price for a color all-in-one
- Scans and copies in addition to printing
Cons
- Slow print speeds (5.5 ppm color, 7.5 ppm black)
- Only 2.4GHz WiFi – no 5GHz support
- Small 60-sheet input tray requires frequent refills
- Ink cartridges are small and can get expensive after trial
- No automatic document feeder for multi-page scanning
Quick Verdict
The HP DeskJet 2855e is a budget-friendly all-in-one inkjet printer built for light home use. Setup takes about 15 minutes, and the wireless connection held steady during my two-week testing period. Print quality is acceptable for documents and recipes, but at 5.5 pages per minute for color, it's definitely not built for speed. I spent $80 on this unit and it does what it promises — basic printing, scanning, and copying without frills. If you print more than 50 pages a week or need faster output, look elsewhere. For students, remote workers, or families with light needs, it earns a solid recommendation at this price point.
What Is the HP DeskJet 2855e?
The HP DeskJet 2855e is a compact wireless all-in-one color inkjet printer designed for home environments. It handles printing, scanning, and copying with a straightforward control panel and the HP Smart app for mobile and desktop management. The unit measures roughly 16 inches wide, making it small enough to tuck onto a cluttered desk without dominating the space.
Key capabilities include print speeds up to 7.5 pages per minute in black and 5.5 pages per minute in color, a 60-sheet input tray, and wireless connectivity via 2.4GHz WiFi. HP's AI-assisted printing feature attempts to clean up web pages and emails automatically, removing unwanted headers or ads before printing. The included 3-month Instant Ink trial gives new buyers a chance to test the subscription service that delivers ink to your door automatically.
Key Features
- All-in-one functionality: print, scan, and copy in one compact unit
- Wireless connectivity via 2.4GHz WiFi with HP Smart app support
- HP AI feature automatically formats and cleans web content for printing
- 60-sheet input tray handles most home printing needs
- 3-month Instant Ink trial included with HP+ activation
- Borderless photo printing up to 5x7 inches
- Compatible with HP 67 and HP 67XL ink cartridges
Hands-On Review
Unboxing the HP DeskJet 2855e on a Tuesday afternoon, I found the packaging surprisingly compact — just the printer, power cord, setup guide, and a pair of starter ink cartridges. No USB cable included, which is standard at this price point but worth noting if you plan to connect via wired connection initially.
The initial setup required downloading the HP Smart app on my Android phone. The app walked me through unpacking, installing the cartridges, loading paper, and connecting to my 2.4GHz network. One thing that tripped me up: I tried connecting to my router's 5GHz band first out of habit, and the printer simply wouldn't see the network. Once I switched to 2.4GHz, everything connected within two minutes.
Print quality surprised me positively for the price. Text documents came out crisp and dark, readable even at smaller font sizes. Photos were another story — they're usable for casual snapshots or recipes, but color gradients show visible banding and skin tones can look slightly washed out. This printer isn't designed for photo enthusiasts, and that's fine given its home-office positioning.
The HP AI feature, which supposedly cleans up web pages, worked as advertised for simple articles. It removed navigation elements and sidebars, printing just the article text and main images. For more complex layouts with embedded ads or dynamic content, results varied — sometimes it worked beautifully, sometimes I got a mess of broken images. By the end of my testing period, I was manually selecting and copying text more often than relying on the AI cleanup, honestly.
What surprised me was how quiet the printer is during operation. My old Canon Pixma sounds like a small jet engine during printing; the HP DeskJet 2855e hums along with a gentle mechanical rhythm that doesn't dominate the room. The flip-up paper output tray feels flimsy but holds its position during printing without jamming.
Who Should Buy It?
- Students printing assignments, research papers, and occasional projects
- Remote workers with light daily printing needs (under 30 pages per day)
- Families printing recipes, homework, and household documents
- Anyone upgrading from an older basic printer wanting wireless functionality
- Skip this if you print high volumes, need fast output, require 5GHz WiFi, or want professional photo quality
Alternatives Worth Considering
Epson Expression Home XP-4200 — Offers faster print speeds and a larger 100-sheet paper capacity. Better for users who need to print frequently without constant paper refills, though it costs slightly more upfront.
Canon Pixma TR4720 — Canon equivalent with similar print speeds and features. Some users report more consistent wireless performance, making it a viable alternative if HP's connectivity frustrates you.
Brother DCP-L2550DW — A monochrome laser alternative for users who primarily print text documents. Faster, more reliable for high-volume printing, and no ink drying issues — but no color printing capability.
FAQ
No, the HP DeskJet 2855e only supports 2.4GHz WiFi networks. This is a limitation if you have a dual-band router and want to use the faster 5GHz band.
Final Verdict
The HP DeskJet 2855e delivers exactly what budget-conscious home users need: affordable upfront cost, wireless convenience, and all three core functions without unnecessary complexity. Its limitations are real — slow speeds, small paper tray, and 2.4GHz-only WiFi — but they're acceptable tradeoffs at this price. I wouldn't recommend it for a busy home office or anyone printing photos professionally, but for students, light home use, and casual document needs, it does the job without complaint. The 3-month Instant Ink trial sweetens the deal, letting you try the subscription model risk-free before committing.