The Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Inkjet Photo Printer makes it easy to produce lab-quality photos as large as 13 x 19" right in your home. With this impressive printer, you'll enjoy the versatility of printing from your computer, from a supported memory card, or directly from your PictBridge enabled camera. The built-in 2.4" color LCD display lets you review, select, and enhance photos without the use of your computer.
With five individual Vivera ink cartridges including two black inks, you'll get the best possible output for whatever you print - the pigment based ink provides for general purpose printing that lasts and the photo ink cartridge provides for rich black tones in your photos. Auto Sense technology uses optical sensors to optimize settings based on what type of paper you are using. And when printing begins, dual-drop volume technology means the specialized print head delivers extremely small drops, allowing detailed images to contain smooth transitions.
The main paper tray holds up to 125 sheets from 4 x 6" to 13 x 19", and a specialized photo tray makes it easy to load paper in three common photo sizes (3.5 x 5", 4 x 6" and 5 x 7"). Plus, the printer supports borderless printing for all print sizes from 4 x 6" to all the way up to 13 x 44". The Photosmart B8550 is also a fast printer at up to 32 pages per minute for black-and-white draft-quality text and 31 pages per minute for color draft-quality text. And even photo printing is quick, with a 13 x 19" color photo printed in as little as 95 seconds.
| Printing Method | |
|---|---|
| Printing Technology | HP Thermal Inkjet |
| Maximum Resolution |
1200 x 1200dpi (9600 x 2400-optimized dpi color when printing from a computer on selected HP photo papers and 1200-input dpi) |
| Minimum Ink Droplet Size | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Ink Type | HP Vivera Ink |
| Ink Palette | CMYKK |
| Ink Cartridge Configuration | 5 individual Ink Cartridges |
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Print Speed |
Black (Draft, Letter): 32ppm Color (Draft, Letter): 31ppm 13 x 19" Color Photo: 95 seconds |
| Input Buffer | 128MB |
| Printer Duty Cycle | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Print Archival Life |
50 years (open air); 100+ years (under glass) when using HP Advanced Photo Paper |
| Paper Handling | |
|---|---|
| Maximum Paper Width | 13" |
| Maximum Printable Area | 13 x 44" (borderless) |
| Paper Sizes |
Main Tray: Letter, Legal, Tabloid, Executive, 4 x 6", 4 x 12", 5 x 7", 8 x 10", 11 x 14", 12 x 12", B, 11 x 17", B+, 13 x 19", No. 10 envelopes, Custom media sizes (3.5 x 5" to 13 x 44") Photo Tray: 3.5 x 5", 4 x 6", 5 x 7" |
| Borderless Photo Sizes | 3.5 x 5", 4 x 6", 5 x 7", 8 x 10", Letter, 11 x 14", 12 x 12", Custom (3.5 x 5" to 13 x 44") |
| Paper Types | Paper (plain, inkjet, photo, banner), envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards (index, greeting), iron-on transfers |
| Maximum Paper Thickness | 11.5mil (envelopes up to 26.5 mil) |
| Paper Capacity |
Main Tray: 125-sheets Photo Tray: 20-sheet |
| Special Media Support | No |
| Connectivity | |
|---|---|
| Computer Interface | USB 2.0 (High Speed) |
| Compatible Memory Cards |
Compact Flash Memory Stick/Memory Stick Duo Secure Digital (SD/SDHC)/MultiMediaCard xD-Picture Card |
| Direct Print Capable | Yes (PictBridge) |
| Network Capable | No (optional Bluetooth adapter available) |
| PostScript Support | No |
| System & Software Requirements |
Windows System
Macintosh System
|
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Status Display | 2.4" LCD (color graphics) & indicator LEDs |
| Image Preview Display | 2.4" Color LCD |
| Front Panel Controls | On,Previous, Photosmart Express, OK, Red Eye Removal, Setup, Help, Zoom +, Zoom -, Left arrow, Right arrow, Up arrow, down arrow, Cancel |
| Power Requirements | 100 - 240VAC, 50/60Hz, 12.28 watts (active, printing) |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 22.83 x 15.31 x 7.13" (579.88 x 388.87 x 181.1mm) |
| Weight | 16.7 lbs (7.6kg) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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A Great Printer at an Affordable Price
The HP B8550 printer is used for professional images, in my case - up to 8" x10". It will print up to 13"x19" images. The print quality of p...Read complete review
The HP B8550 printer is used for professional images, in my case - up to 8" x10". It will print up to 13"x19" images. The print quality of photos are excellent for a printer of this level, and rival or are better than prints from most commercial discount printers.
The HP related software installed first try, without problems.
With the separate ink cartridges for photo black, black print, magenta, cyan and yellow, replacement cartridges are reasonably priced as the cartridges do not had to have attached print heads as in some multicolor single cartridge printers.
Images are sent directly to the printer from a computer. Printed colors are bright, sharp and closely reflect the desired image characteristics.
The printer does take some time on start up to prepare itself, and makes noticeable noise while doing so. But, this is not a big issue, just something noticeable.
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Most Liked Negative Review
Brakes easily
I hate this printer. I have had it less than a year and already had to replace it twice, and hp I had to jump threw loops with hp for them to even replace ...Read complete review
I hate this printer. I have had it less than a year and already had to replace it twice, and hp I had to jump threw loops with hp for them to even replace it. I bought the extended warranty and every time I talk to them they make me re-fax in my receipt because they don't believe when I bought it. It has roller issues both times it has broken because it can't grab the paper. When it did actually print it was very slow.
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Reviewed by 22 customers
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I HAVE PRINTED A FEW PICTURES SO FAR, AND THEY ARE JUST LIKE PROFESSIONAL PHOTO LAB.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
i do some photo manipulations as well as just basic photo printing. the B8550 has fantastic quality. with the low prices of the cartridges it really is very economical. i've owned other HP's and although the quality is usually pretty good, they aren't always the most economical. I can't stress how good the quality is, and it is an ok print speed.....but, the software is a load, which with some software drags. Also the back and forth after and before printing by the carriage is annoying.(is this petty of me? maybe, that's why i still give it 4 out of 5 stars)
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I love my Photosmart B8550 printer! It has given quality prints so far and the colors are pretty spot on. And received the printer from BH Photo Video in record time. Great job BH!!!
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I hate this printer. I have had it less than a year and already had to replace it twice, and hp I had to jump threw loops with hp for them to even replace it. I bought the extended warranty and every time I talk to them they make me re-fax in my receipt because they don't believe when I bought it. It has roller issues both times it has broken because it can't grab the paper. When it did actually print it was very slow.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I use this printer for album photos and quick prints for review.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
Do not buy HP Photosmart printers if you want to print anything other then photos. Tried printing 20 business size envelopes. Jammed 14 times. HP support is no help. Recently purchased and now stuck with a piece of junk. Rating should be zero stars.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I am a graphic design student and I use this particular HP printer to print my projects. This printer does a very good job with photo prints. It's way faster than an Epson, which if you've ever used an Epson photo printer, you know it seems to take forever and a day. The only down side to this printer is that if you look closely at your prints, you will notice some fuzziness to the lines. However, I have turned in projects that I have printed on this HP and no one has noticed the difference from the Epson printers my school has.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
The price for this printer is very reasonable. It prints great images, and large 13 x 17" images. It is fast for an ink jet printer. Easy to set up. Ink is a little pricey, and runs out fast.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
Only had it about a week but have printed several 8x10's and they are great. Printed several more 11x14's on light presentation matt paper and they are super, can't wait to try real photo paper, it's on the way. Had a hard time finding anyone at HP that could help me print to 44" but finally did. Printed a 10x25" on the presentation paper by taping two pices together, worked very well. Ordering 13x50 roll paper to make pano photo's from scanned slides from my X-Pan, 12x30". Will cut my own sheets from the roll.
I'd recommend this printer to anyone wanting to do pano's. My old printer, HP D7260 still works great and going to a neice. The D7260 has been another really good printer for me.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I use this printer for home use... I print alot of photos. It is an Ink sucker. HP seems to have some of the cheaper inks available.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
So far so good. I have owned this printer for approx. 3 weeks. My previous printer (still operating) is an HP Photosmart 7660. I loved the quality of its enlargements, but wanted the ability to print larger due to more demand for my photography. The only problem I had was dialing in the color settings to match my edited photos through Photoshop Elements. (I am using this printer through USB with my computer) I did not have this problem with my other HP printer. This may be due to this printer using 5 ink cartridges instead of 2. Other than that, I am very satisfied with the outstanding quality of the enlargements from this printer... especially considering the low cost of the printer itself compared to more expensive models. Like everyone says, inks are expensive and of course never seem to last long enough, my thoughts on this fact have a side note: Why do you think HP printer prints look so good? I don't think you can get outstanding prints WITHOUT using more ink than cheaper printers and inks or printers that use less ink. It makes sense... the little bit more ink used on each photograph, the better the outcome. It's a sacrifice you make for high quality, sellable photographs. People are amazed that I print them myself.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I really like this printer, I bought it because I was so sick of paying for the specialty ink for my hp 8750 photo printer. I print family photos mostly but also print my actual art photography as well. SO far it's great but I haven't used it enough to say for every instance.
This is so much faster than that printer too! Although it seems to print photos faster than documents. So far so good. Really stylish but still big. Fairly easy to set up but there seems to be a small flaw with the photo paper tray, when you lift it up it goes and stays up smoothly but you almost have to break the whole tray to get it back down and then it just comes out and you have to put it back in, I've been trying to figure out if I'm doing something wrong but so far it just seems like a design flaw but that doesn't deter me from loving the printer.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
PROS: This printer is nothing short of EXCELLENT, as far as printing (and being a printer go). I use primarily "glossy" type papers, and it handles printing upon them with unbelieveable quality. Having the option to print MANY (multiple) sizes is an additional "plus", and it does very well at/on ALL sizes. CONS: I have only 3 or 4 - (1) It is BIG, when compared to other (previously & currently owned) printers. (2) It is "heavy" - be sure you check the specs and determine whether or not you, or your computer desk/situation can handle it. (3) It ain't "quick" or fast - expect to spend AT LEAST 1 hour installing the included software CD, and DON'T GO AWAY while installing, because it (the software installation) REQUIRES your interaction at several times. Keep a close eye on the install, as it makes progress, and input as needed. (4) It is SLOW - Do NOT be "fooled" by the so-called "print time(s)" advertised - they are NOWHERE near to being accurate! However, your prints, whether documents or photos, are printed BEAUTIFULLY, though somewhat slowly.My only other comment has to do with the availability of INK - The cost of ink is not only reasonable, and comparable to any other inkjet printer, but the availability of said ink cartridges is a whole different story.Other than on your "initial" or "set up" running, I rather STRONGLY SUGGEST that you seek out sources for the "XL" type ink cartridges, and IMMEDIATELY ORDER THEM (finances permitting), so that you will NOT end up with "unprintable" documents or photos due to lack of ink! [...] Fortunately (or unfortunately), depending upon your viewpoint, included in the INSTALL CD is the "option" of buying DIRECT from HP, including ink. While I do NOT care for branded "add-ons", I had no choice but to use the HP site to order ink that B&H did not have in stock.ENJOY YOUR PRINTER - YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY ! Order it, receive it, and IMMEDIATELY order spare/extra ink cartridges, to have on hand, and YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED !
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
Like the versatility it offers. Prints well. Like the separate ink cartridges too. Love that it can print my 12x12 or 11x14 scrapbook pages. Prints a little dark but hoping to find out how to adjust that. Great price too!!
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I bought this printer for scrapbooking purposes and I love it. I've only been playing around with it for about a week now but so far so good. I got the printer at a great price (half off) so I couldn't go wrong. It actually has a lot more functionality on it than I thought and didn't quite need but maybe some day I'll learn about it all! I love being able to print 12x12 paper and even some pictures. I didn't buy it just to print out pictures...that's just an added bonus. B&H was grea to work with and sent the printer fast and like I said, I got a great price!
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
Advanced Photographer. Excellent quality. Good value for the purchase price.
Software could be more user friendly. Too much time in the machine going into start-up mode.
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
Works great with general printing and Photo printing. Had a Canon S9000 before this one, and the HP blows it away. 4x6 photos print out awesome. Did a couple 10 x 13's on Super B Photo paper which also looked great. Ink is reasonable. Overall Great Product, B&H great as well!
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
I have tried 4-11x17 HP printers. All of them, something went wrong. Loud noises, refusal to accept paper, Lines in the print. Always something. These huge, bulking printers were hundreds of dollars. Then I found the B8550. It is actually smaller than every other HP 11x17 printer. It prints beautiful photos. It has a 4x6 separate photo tray. You can keep 4x6 paper in it while 11x17 is in the big tray. which is really awesome. It is light. The trays all come apart and detach from the main body. unlike all other printers. It is white and discrete looking. It looks modern and slim. My last two HP printers were so loud. This is whisper quiet compared to all other HP 11x17 Printers. My only con is ink. I mean any 11x17 printer uses ink more. But I just bought the XL cartridges. No longer a problem. Buy this printer, you will be happy!
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Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
The instruction book is not very helpful, and an HP technician had to talk me through the installation by having me download and install a driver from the internet. If you're not careful, the photo tray could lift completely off the printer when you go to raise it to put paper into the main tray (no warning about this). Finally, the printer seems to be constantly doing something, whether it's printing or not. Lots of strange noises come from the printer. Now that it's up and running, I'm very happy with the results. I use it to print glossy photos of every size, from 4 X 6 and 5 X 7, up to the largest size, and glossy banner paper as well. One last note, it took me forever to learn how to add an odd size of paper to the paper size list-- just remember to change the name "custom" to something else, like "custom-1," and make sure that you always select "Apply" whenever you're done with all the printer preferences/setups.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about HP / Hewlett-Packard Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer:
The HP B8550 printer is used for professional images, in my case - up to 8" x10". It will print up to 13"x19" images. The print quality of photos are excellent for a printer of this level, and rival or are better than prints from most commercial discount printers.
The HP related software installed first try, without problems.
With the separate ink cartridges for photo black, black print, magenta, cyan and yellow, replacement cartridges are reasonably priced as the cartridges do not had to have attached print heads as in some multicolor single cartridge printers.
Images are sent directly to the printer from a computer. Printed colors are bright, sharp and closely reflect the desired image characteristics.
The printer does take some time on start up to prepare itself, and makes noticeable noise while doing so. But, this is not a big issue, just something noticeable.
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