Color Laser Roundup: HP Color LaserJet 2550L

Affordability is a big factor in printers, especially when you're considering a color laser printer. The HP Color LaserJet 2550L is a winner in this regard. It is also a winner, according to many reviewers, in the quality of its color printing, which is unusual in a low-cost color laser. Some reviewers complained about its slow speeds, and several noted that the cost to replace its black toner was high, but for a small- or home-office printer, this could be a good deal.

Price: $499.99
Type: Color laser printer
Max. Print Speed: Black: 20ppm. Color: 4ppm
Max. Print Resolution: 600 x 600 dpi
Special Feature(s): Easily upgradeable

CNET Review

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Liked: Affordable; very good print quality; no-nonsense design and interface; highly expandable.

Disliked: Slow color print speeds; base model has low paper capacity; no LCD on control panel.

In Short: This color printer has a bare-bones configuration and slow color print speeds, but it is extremely affordable, offers great print quality, and can be upgraded as your printing needs change.

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Hardware Central Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

Liked: It's a color laser printer; it's $499. Above-average color graphics as well as typically handsome text quality.

Disliked: The printer's bulky; the paper tray's tiny. Slow performance.

In Short: The new HP isn't (and doesn't claim to be) a cost-effective choice for an office that prints thousands of color pages, but it's a truly tempting -- if not very speedy -- one for an office that prints hundreds. If anything could make inkjet printer manufacturers cut their profit-gouging cartridge prices, this is it.

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PC Magazine Review

Rating: 3 out of 5

Liked: Better output quality than most color lasers of any price. Paper tray options for up to 875 sheets.

Disliked: Slow. Relatively high monochrome cost per page.

In Short: With the HP Color LaserJet 2550L, Hewlett-Packard has delivered an inexpensive color laser with better output quality than most color lasers at any price. Unfortunately, along with high-quality output, it runs slower than some ink jets and has a high cost per monochrome page.

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