HP Envy 5540 All-in-One Printer review

A cheap and cheerful colour inkjet for low volume printing

HP Envy 5540
HP Envy 5540

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We liked

We've come to expect simple setup and operation from Envy printers, and this one is no exception. It's quiet, packs in a lot of features and delivers excellent print quality, especially on photo paper. We particularly like the ability to use smartphones as well as computers, and to connect wirelessly without a router.

We disliked

The paper trays are too small and the lack of an automatic document feeder is a pain if you're copying or scanning. Performance is modest, and while Instant Ink delivers significant savings, the non-XL cartridges are a little pricey. The device also lacks USB drive and camera card slots.

Final verdict

There will always be compromises at this price, and the trade-off for the Envy's impressive list of features comes in the form of its fairly slow performance, lack of ADF and overly small paper trays.

It's a little pricey for mono but Instant Ink delivers cost-effective colour printing, and it's a good choice for relatively low volume environments where photo printing or spot colours are required. It's best suited to low monthly print volumes, however, and for busier offices the Officejet Pro range has more capacity and lower running costs.

Carrie Marshall
Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall (Twitter) has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band HAVR.