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HP Envy 6055e Review

A compact pick that is good for occasional home use, although we didn't find it the easiest to use
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HP Envy 6055e Review
Credit: HP
Price:  $130 List
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Manufacturer:   HP
By Lesley Robinson and Benjamin Hickok  ⋅  Mar 1, 2024
53
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#7 of 9
  • Text Quality - 25% 6.5
  • Graphics and Photos - 25% 7.0
  • Operating Cost - 25% 2.2
  • Ease of Use - 15% 5.3
  • Printing Speed - 10% 5.4

Our Verdict

The HP Envy 6055e is a compact printer that does everything well but suffers from expensive replacement ink cartridges. As one of the least expensive printers that we have tested, we were particularly impressed with its vibrant color display when printing photos and graphics, including high-resolution photos. Unfortunately, its overall score is hit hard by high operating costs making it one of the more expensive printers to own and operate relative to our other top-ranked printers. HP does offer an “Instant Ink Plan” that can help bring down cartridge costs; however, we think this is a pretty tacky solution to such a glaring issue. Ink replacement issues aside, if you want a small, all-in-one printer that produces high-quality photos and does everything else pretty well, this isn't a bad option.
REASONS TO BUY
Good photo quality
Lots of connectivity options
Compact design
REASONS TO AVOID
Confusing user interface
High long-term operating costs

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Price $130 List
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line An initially affordable printer that can do it all, but the lifetime operating costs add upA good document printer for home office useA great budget-friendly printer that performs well in every metric and excels at affordable, high quality photo printingThis capable printer has low upfront costs, but its long-term operational costs might upset those initial savingsAn inexpensive printer that does the job, but is costly to operate
Rating Categories HP Envy 6055e HP OfficeJet 8015e... Epson Workforce Pro... HP DeskJet 2755e Canon Pixma MG3620
Text Quality (25%)
6.5
7.0
7.5
5.3
3.5
Graphics and Photos (25%)
7.0
7.5
6.3
6.9
7.6
Operating Cost (25%)
2.2
7.3
7.6
2.2
4.2
Ease of Use (15%)
5.3
7.8
7.3
7.8
5.9
Printing Speed (10%)
5.4
7.6
6.8
5.8
1.8
Specs HP Envy 6055e HP OfficeJet 8015e... Epson Workforce Pro... HP DeskJet 2755e Canon Pixma MG3620
Type All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet
Capabilities Print, scan, copy Print, scan, copy Print, scan, copy, fax Print, scan, copy Print, scan, copy
Estimated Lifetime Cost of Ownership $1,314 $646 $634 $1,269 $963
Resolution (Black) 1200 x 1200 dpi 1200 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 1200 x 1200 dpi 600 x 600 dpi
Resolution (Color) 4800 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi
Supported Paper Sizes Letter, 4 x 6", 5 x 7", 8 x 10", No. 10 envelopes Letter; Legal; Government Legal; Executive; Statement; 4 x 6 in; 5 x 7 in; 13 x 18 cm; 8 x 10 in; 10 x 15 cm; L; Photo 2L; Envelope( #10, Monarch, 5.5 bar); Card (4 x 6 in, 5 x 8 in) 3.5 x 5", 4 x 6", 5 x 7", 8 x 10",8.5 x 11", 8.5 x 14", A4, A6, half letter, executive Letter; legal; 4 x 6 in; 5 x 7 in; 8 x 10 in; No. 10 envelopes 4 x 6", 5 x 7", Letter, Legal, U.S. #10 Envelopes
Measured Dimensions (excludes extensions) 17" x 14.2" x 5.2" 18.1" x 13.4" x 9.2" 14.8" x 13.7" x 9.1" 16.7" x 12" x 6" 17.7" x 12.0" x 6.0"
Measured Weight 11.5 lb 18 lb 15.0 lb 7.7 Ib 11.9 Ib
Paper Handling Input 100 Sheets 225 Sheets 250 Sheets 60 Sheets 100 Sheets plain paper or 20 sheet 4 x 6″ photo paper
Monthly Duty Cycle 1,000 Pages 20,000 Pages 5,000 Pages 1,000 Pages Light-duty use (does not specify beyond this)
Auto 2-Sided Printing Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Ink Cost per Ream: B/W $74.96 $34.98 $28.56 $74.96 $55.53
Ink Cost per Ream: Color $94.95 $22.21 $23.94 $94.95 $72.19
Claimed Pages Per Minute 10 24 15 8 (black)
6 (color)
8
Measured Pages per Minute: Single-Sided B/W 13 15 24 11 9
Connectivity 1 Hi-Speed USB 2.0; 1 Wi-Fi 802.11ac (dual band) with Bluetooth 4.2 1 Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n 100Mbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0 Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n; 1 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Hi-Speed USB PictBridge (Wireless LAN)10 Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b/g/n)
Operating System Compatibility Windows 11; Windows 10; Windows 7; macOS 10.12 Sierra; macOS 10.14 Mojave; macOS 10.15 Catalina; macOS 11 Big Sur; Chrome OS Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7,Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit, Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit (SP1), Windows Server 2012 64-bit, Windows Server 2012 R2 64-bit, Windows Server 2016, Chrome OS Windows XP and Windows Vista not supported Windows 10
Windows 8, 8.1 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Mac OS X 10.6 — macOS 10.13.x11
Windows 11; Windows 10; Windows 7; macOS 10.12 Sierra; macOS 10.14 Mojave; macOS 10.15 Catalina; macOS 11 Big Sur; Chrome OS Windows:19 Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP1, Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3 32-bit
Mac:20 Mac OS X v10.7.5 - 10.10

Our Analysis and Test Results

The HP Envy 6055e is one of the lower-cost printers in our lineup, and all things considered, it is not a bad choice for those looking for a very compact, low initial cost, high-quality photo printer. It does have fairly high operational costs, but if you only print every now and then, the 6055e is not a bad option.

Performance Comparison


hp envy 6055e - you can use the hp app to print or adjust settings.
You can use the HP app to print or adjust settings.
Credit: Laura Casner

Text Quality


The HP Envy 6055e did pretty well for its price point here. The text quality was generally decent, with some apparent faintness for lighter shades in the grayscale. Otherwise, the resolution was quite clear, and the characters were legible. The performance of the 6055e is nothing stellar, but is better than you'd expect from a small, inexpensive machine.

hp envy 6055e - not perfect, but better than the majority of the bunch.
Not perfect, but better than the majority of the bunch.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Graphics and Photos


The HP Envy 6055e performs surprisingly well for its low initial purchase price. It does a great job with the textures and details. Business graphics have vibrant colors and sharp text, which is impressive because even more expensive printers in our lineup struggled to print business graphics well. The overall resolution of photo prints is sharp, and the color display is awesome. The entire range of colors in the image shows up in print, even subtle colors.

hp envy 6055e - another decent print from this model.
Another decent print from this model.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

However, there is some striping and color banding in the darker parts of images and inconsistency with some lighter or slightly washed out colors quality across photos, which docked the 6055e's score slightly. We were impressed with what this modest printer was able to do in this metric against more premium but less capable models in the test lineup.

hp envy 6055e - hp envy 6055e can produce attractive prints that hold up to some...
HP Envy 6055e can produce attractive prints that hold up to some serious scrutiny.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Operating Cost


This is the biggest downside of the HP Envy 6055e. Its price per monochrome ream is about $18, and color reams will cost about $18.99. That's about $95 for every 500 photos that you print. Compared to the best printers in our lineup, that's an exceptionally high operating cost. The 6055e's edge is that it has a low initial purchase price; however, it becomes more expensive the longer you own and use it. At 15 cent and 19 cent costs per page, its print costs are nearly double the average for the entire test group.


It's fortunate that ink cartridges are easy to replace, as you'll burn through quite a few of them if you are doing a large volume of printing.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Ease of Use


The HP Envy 6055e started strong in our testing but had some interface issues that led to a reduced score. The setup is super straightforward, and we connected the printer to a network without issues.

The HP lacks a proper screen display.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Once connected, the rest of the setup was very easy, and the HP website was simple and intuitive. However, our printer was not up to date and required updating before we were able to print normally. The HP Envy 6055e does not have a display screen, which hinders the navigability of its settings. Instead, the printer communicates what's happening via sounds that it plays for different functions. Otherwise, a couple of lights indicate activity and change hue depending on what's happening.

The light and sound indicators that the HP Envy 6055e uses are a little confusing, but the lack of screen and buttons may appeal to those looking for a more streamlined, sleek, low-profile printer.

hp envy 6055e - the interface of the hp envy 6055e is a little lacking.
The interface of the HP Envy 6055e is a little lacking.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Printing Speed


The HP Envy 6055e had a strong performance here and would've scored better, but it had some unusually slow speeds when printing mixed text and photo documents. This model completed our 10-page mixed media test in a painfully slow 4 minutes and 37 seconds and our full-page high-res photo test in 5 minutes and 40 seconds.

While it is painfully slow at mixed media and photo printing, it does a close to average job of printing 10-page duplex and simplex documents. It was able to finish our 10-page duplex document test in 1 minute and 17 seconds and our simplex document in 45 seconds.

This model is capable of high quality graphic prints, but it sure takes its time.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Should You Buy the HP Envy 6055e?


The HP Envy 6055e has a low upfront cost, which will attract buyers whose priority is budget. However, its value over time is quite low due to its high operating costs — the more you use the 6055e, the more expensive it becomes. Although this compact, low-cost printer can produce high-quality photos, its high operating costs make it a poor option for anyone who needs to print frequently.

What Other Printers Should You Consider?


If you plan on printing a lot, the HP Envy 6055e is not as “affordable” as it appears at first glance. If your priority is affordability, consider an option like the Epson Workforce Pro WF-4820, which has low operating costs at around $24 and $29 per black and white and color print reams. Also, if you still want an overall affordable printer with faster print speeds and a better display, take a look at the HP OfficeJet 8015e Wireless Color.

Lesley Robinson and Benjamin Hickok