HP OfficeJet G55

This is another release in the range of Multi-function

devices (MFDs) from HP. Like the OfficeJet 725, this one was put through the

same series of intensive tests.

As a printer, the G55 gave good quality printouts for both

text and graphics. Both were smooth without any jaggedness or pixelation. For

checking out print speeds, we used both our own and HP’s standard test files.

Print rates with our files were around 8 ppm, but with HP’s standard files we

could get 12 ppm, which is the speed claimed for Fast black printing. Print

speeds depend on the amount of ink coverage on paper, so more ink coverage–which

was the case with our documents–would result in a slower speed.

The maximum resolutions available are 2,400 x 1,200 dpi on

photo paper and 600 x 600 dpi on plain paper. These are good resolutions, and

are comparable to some of the high-end printers.

We observed a strange problem with the G55’s print

function. When setting the print modes–Fast, Normal or Best–the MFD’s LCD

control gained precedence over the software controls. So, even if you’re

printing your document in Fast mode in the software settings, the printer might

print in Normal mode if the front console is set to that.

The G55 also has push-button scanning, apart from the

software-controlled one. Unlike conventional scanners, it doesn’t do a preview

scan, but does the complete scan at one go. Its scan quality and speed were both

pretty good. We scanned a host of text, monochrome, graphics, and

color-intensive pages. It gave an average of 19 seconds per scan for text and

light graphics and 21 seconds for heavy graphics. The scan resolutions are 600 x

3,600 dpi with 24-bit color depth. It also gives the "Scan to" option,

which can directly send the scanned data to particular applications, like your

e-mail client or graphics applications. The G55 also has Readiris OCR software

for converting text images into editable documents. The "Scan to

E-mail" option has been kept in a prominent position on the software

interface, so that you can send scanned documents to your e-mail application.

The copying function in the OfficeJet is a bit slow. Average

rates we could achieve for text and graphics copies were around 7 cpm in the

Normal mode as against its rated 12 cpm. Achievable resolutions were 600 x 2,400

dpi with 36-bit color depth. Copies can be enlarged up to 400 percent or reduced

up to 25 percent. Brightness and color intensities can also be controlled. It

has special copy options like clone, mirror, two pages on one, fit-to-page etc.

You can set the type of paper like photo paper, plain paper or transparencies.

All in all, though not meant to be a workhorse, the G55 is a

great device to have for a small office. It comes with a warranty of one year

and one can easily do away with the hassles of putting up separate devices for

different requirements.

Ashish Sharma at PCQ Labs