HP Deskjet 5550 Specs

• The HP Deskjet 5550 is a standard one-function device capable of black-and-white and color printing. The tri-color cartridge and photo cartridge combine to provide the option of six-ink printing. The device also comes equipped with an auto-off feature and a reserve mode to save on power and ink. This printer is designed for those who print up to 3,000 documents per month.

Printer Speed and Resolution

• The 5550 prints black text at speeds of up to 17 pages per minute and text with colored graphics at speeds of up to 12 pages per minute in the "FastDraft" mode. The printer features a resolution of up to 1200x1200 for inkjet paper and a resolution of up to 4800x1200 dpi for premium photo paper.

Supported Operating Systems

• This printer requires Microsoft Windows 95 or newer to operate. In a server environment, it is supported on Windows NT 4.0 and later. It also runs on Mac OS from 8.6 and on. Windows Vista users will not find the drivers on the included disk but can install this printer automatically using the built-in drivers in Windows Vista.

Minimum System Requirements

• The minimum supported amount of RAM for Microsoft Windows computers is 32 MB on 95, 98 and Me. For Windows NT and 2000, 64 MB of RAM is required. Windows XP requires 128 MB. Mac OS 8.6-9x users need 64 MB of RAM, while OS X users need 128 MB.

Printer Connections

• The printer can be directly connected to a computer using a USB or parallel cable. The printer also supports network connectivity using the HP JetDirect print server.

Paper Handling

• The paper tray's capacity depends on the type of paper used. Standard blank paper can be loaded up to 100 sheets at a time. The out tray, which holds papers that have been printed, has a maximum capacity of 50 sheets. The printer supports standard paper sizes, as well as envelopes, index cards and labels.

Ink Cartridges

• The HP Deskjet 5550 is compatible with three different print cartridges: HP 56 for black ink, HP 57 for color and HP 58 for photo. These cartridges can be purchased through Hewlett-Packard or through most office supply retailers. The use of non-HP-branded cartridges does not void the warranty on HP printers, though it may lead to support charges if the ink cartridge is determined to be the problem.