HP LaserJet P2055d Laser Printer

The HP LaserJet P2055d doesn't do more than print in black and white; but it does it exceedingly fast and with excellent output. While it doesn't come as cheaply as some other laser and LED printers, speed and quality counts for a lot--particularly for home and small businesses. Still, if your needs go beyond monochrome printing, there are other good choices in this price range.

Some minor paper-curling aside, it's hard to find anything negative to say about the HP LaserJet P2055d, a monochrome laser printer. There are no bells and whistles (for networking and other multifunction capability, you'll need to go further up the LaserJet line) except a few well-chosen ones; instant-on technology and automatic duplex printing. Instant-on means no more long waits as the laser printer comes out of its sleep mode and gets warmed up. I let the printer rest for a while, then sent a six-page duplex job at it. It took about 12 seconds for the first page to come out, and the entire job was done in 32 seconds--that's four seconds a page once it starts going. And that was a duplex job!

As befits a laser printer, black fonts were sharp and crisp, and there was only a bit of paper curling when using cheap copy paper. Of course if you want your print jobs to look their best, splurge on laser paper.

The printer doesn't come with any paper documentation except a very simple set-up guide (which did the trick admirably). There's a digital user's guide included on the accompanying CD, however, should you need to know anything additional (though since the printer doesn't do much except print, it's hard to imagine what else you'd need to know). There's a print notification window that pops up whenever you print that's a bit irritating in that it doesn't automatically disappear when a job finishes (you need to close the box yourself), but that can be disabled. Still, it's a handy feature to have, so I wish it closed itself after a few seconds.

Those quibbles aside, the only question to ask yourself is whether monochrome laser printing is all you need. At this price range--about $350--there are multifunction and even some color laser printers available. If you're a small office and need a fast printer with excellent quality, this is a good buy; if you need anything else, there are other choices to consider.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.