HP ENVY 6055e Printer Review: Is This the Best Budget Printer?

Hunting for a budget-friendly all-in-one printer that won’t wreck your wallet? The HP ENVY 6055e is a popular pick for home offices and families who just need something that works—printing, scanning, copying, the basics.

This renewed model comes with HP’s Smart Printing System, which updates itself and lets you print from pretty much anywhere. Wireless setup can be a bit of a headache at first—expect to spend some time fiddling if your Wi-Fi is finicky.

Color output is genuinely nice—photos and docs look crisp and vibrant. Automatic duplex printing is a plus if you hate wasting paper, and the 100-sheet tray is decent for most home needs.

That said, connectivity can be a pain. The control panel is about as basic as it gets, and print speeds are just okay—10 ppm for black, 7 for color.

Since this is a renewed unit, it shows up well-packed with everything you need, including setup cartridges. The three-month ink subscription is a sweetener for anyone watching their budget.

Overview of the HP ENVY 6055e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer

The 6055e is compact and covers the essentials for home offices or small business setups—print, scan, copy. It handles standard letter-sized docs (up to 8.5 x 11 inches) and does automatic double-sided printing, which is handy for saving paper.

Print speeds are what you’d expect: 10 ppm for black and white, 7 ppm for color. Color output is actually impressive for the price, especially with photos and creative stuff at 1200 x 1200 dpi.

Setup can be a bit of a bear, but once you get it going, Wi-Fi and USB connections are solid. Printing from your phone or PC via the HP app is straightforward.

Key Features	Details
Print Technology	Inkjet with automatic duplex
Input Capacity	100 sheets
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, USB 2.0
Compatible Cartridges	HP 67 series

The control panel is nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. As a renewed model, it comes with setup cartridges and decent packaging, though some folks mention that connectivity can get flaky over time.

Wireless Connectivity and Mobile Printing

Getting the wireless connection up and running isn’t always a walk in the park, but once you’re through the initial setup, things generally work as expected. The ENVY 6055e connects via Wi-Fi and USB 2.0, and it’s compatible with Android devices.

Connectivity Features:

• Wi-Fi and USB 2.0
• Cloud print
• Mobile app control
• Android support

Mobile printing through the HP app is convenient—print straight from your phone on the same network. Cloud printing is a nice extra if you need to send jobs remotely.

Some users hit snags during setup, needing a few tries to get a stable connection. Extended use can bring occasional dropouts—annoying, but not always a dealbreaker.

Once it’s working, wireless performance is mostly consistent. Print jobs from mobile devices go through at a reasonable pace, but bigger color jobs will take their time at 7 ppm.

Automatic Two-Sided Printing

Duplex printing works as advertised—no need to flip paper by hand. The ENVY 6055e does double-sided printing and copying, which helps cut down on paper use.

In testing, duplex mode ran smoothly—no jams, no weird alignment issues. The printer cycles the paper through for the second side, but it does slow things down compared to single-sided.

Key duplex capabilities:

• Black and color duplex printing
• Two-sided copying
• Handles standard letter-size paper

It’s reliable for everyday stuff, but expect a slower pace with duplex enabled. At least it’s quiet and the pages come out properly aligned.

Print, Scan, and Copy Functionality

The all-in-one features are a mixed bag. Printing is fine for home use—7 ppm for color, 10 ppm for black and white, with 1200 dpi quality for both.

The flatbed scanner is solid for scanning docs or digitizing photos. Copying keeps up with print speeds, handling up to 500 copies per run at 1200 dpi.

Key Performance Points:

• Printing: Good enough for home, nice color
• Scanning: Flatbed works for most sizes
• Copying: Simple, reasonable speed

It’s not built for marathon print jobs. Copy quality is consistent, though you might see slight color shifts. The 100-sheet tray is fine for most folks but you’ll refill it often if you print a lot.

HP+ Smart Printing System

The HP+ features are easy enough to set up once you’re on Wi-Fi. You’ll need to make an account and register the printer to unlock cloud printing and automatic ink ordering.

The three months of free ink are handy if you don’t print a ton. HP+ lets you print from anywhere—not just your home network—and keeps tabs on your ink so you don’t run dry unexpectedly.

Key Smart Features:

• Print remotely
• Automatic ink monitoring
• Cloud print management

Some users run into connection hiccups after a while. The HP+ registration is a bit controlling, since you’re locked into HP-branded cartridges. Sometimes the system has trouble staying connected to all your devices.

The app is fine for basic jobs, but the interface could use a little polish for more advanced stuff.

Borderless Photo Printing

Photo printing is a mixed experience. The ENVY 6055e can do borderless prints up to 8.5 x 11 inches, even smaller sizes like 3 x 5.

Quality is honestly better than you’d expect—vivid colors at 1200 dpi on glossy paper. Color accuracy is a highlight, especially for family snapshots or creative projects. Gradients look smooth, no obvious banding.

But speed is a drag—color prints at 7 ppm means big photo batches take a while. You’ll need the right photo paper to get true borderless results.

The included cartridges will get you started, but printing photos chews through ink faster than regular docs. The scanner is handy for digitizing old photos before you print them.

Overall, photo quality is a win for a budget all-in-one, but don’t expect speed.

User Experience and Setup Process

Setup can test your patience. Connecting to Wi-Fi sometimes takes a few tries, and the process isn’t exactly plug-and-play.

Setup Requirements:

• Wi-Fi
• HP Smart app
• HP+ account

Packaging is good and instructions are clear. Most users find the physical setup straightforward.

The control panel is a bit clunky. Navigating menus isn’t always obvious, and you’ll probably check the manual more than once.

Connection stability is hit or miss. Some folks get a flawless connection, others end up troubleshooting dropped links. The printer may refuse to reconnect after a while, which is frustrating.

The HP Smart app helps once it’s dialed in. Print quality setup is generally hassle-free, and color calibration is decent right out of the box.

Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact

If there’s one thing that stands out, it’s the ENVY 6055e’s low power draw. Printing pulls just 16 watts, and standby sips only 4 watts—definitely easy on your power bill compared to some rivals.

Power Consumption:

• Active: 16 watts
• Standby: 4 watts

It’s Energy Star certified, and duplex printing helps save on paper. That’s a plus for the environment and your wallet.

On the downside, the HP 67 cartridges run out pretty quick, and the ink subscription nudges you to print more. Still, buying renewed does keep one more device out of the landfill.

Pros and Cons

After living with this renewed all-in-one for a while, here’s where it shines—and where it doesn’t.

Pros

Print quality is a real highlight. Colors are punchy, and photo prints look better than you’d expect for this price. The renewed unit comes in original packaging with everything you need.

Setup is pretty painless after you get past the Wi-Fi hurdle. Wireless works well once it’s up.

The three-month ink deal is great—ink can get expensive, so this helps. You’re getting most of the same features as a new unit, but for less.

Small footprint—fits just about anywhere. Handles basic print/scan/copy jobs for home or light office use.

Cons

Connectivity is the big headache. Lots of users deal with dropped connections or trouble reconnecting after a few months.

The control panel is dated and not especially user-friendly. Getting to specific settings can be a chore.

Setup isn’t always smooth. Expect some trial and error with Wi-Fi.

Long-term reliability is questionable. Some printers work great at first but start acting up after a few months—especially with network connections.

It does the job for basic needs, but if you need rock-solid reliability or heavy-duty printing, you might want to look elsewhere.

Customer Reviews

Feedback is all over the place for the ENVY 6055e, especially around setup and connectivity. Some folks needed a lot of patience to get it connected, and the control panel doesn’t win any awards for usability.

Common Issues:

• Connectivity: Trouble linking to computers and networks
• Setup: More complicated than expected for some
• Reliability: At least a few users saw connection failures after a few months

Positives:

• Print quality: Consistently praised
• Condition: Refurbished units look and feel new
• Value: Most felt they got their money’s worth, even with minor annoyances

The 3.7-star average from nearly 600 reviews sums up the experience: great print quality, but setup and long-term reliability are hit or miss.

Frequently Asked Questions

After using this all-in-one for a bit, you start to notice the same questions popping up from folks considering a refurbished model. The ENVY 6055e gets the usual queries about features, performance, and whether it’s actually worth the price.

What features differentiate the HP ENVY 6055e from its predecessors?

The ENVY 6055e introduces the HP+ Smart Printing System, which keeps itself updated and ready to print from different devices—no more fiddling with manual updates like in older models.

Some standout features:

• Automatic double-sided printing
• Better wireless options
• Sharper scanning and copying
• Borderless photo printing

You also get three months of free ink with HP+. The control panel does its job, though honestly, it’s not the most user-friendly—some folks wish it felt more modern.

How does the HP ENVY 6055e perform in terms of print quality and speed?

Color reproduction is a highlight here. People seem pretty happy with the way both documents and photos turn out—nothing mind-blowing, but definitely solid for a home printer.

Photos, in particular, look great. That borderless feature is a nice touch for school projects or creative stuff.

Print speed is about what you’d expect for this price range. The auto-duplexing is handy for saving paper, and it doesn’t really slow things down much.

What is the cost efficiency of the HP ENVY 6055e regarding ink consumption?

Those first three months of ink are a nice perk. With HP+, the printer keeps tabs on your ink and makes it easy to reorder.

How much you’ll actually save depends on how often you print. HP’s ink subscription can be a good deal if you’re churning out pages regularly, but individual cartridges aren’t exactly cheap.

It’s worth thinking about your own printing habits before deciding if the subscription makes sense. Duplex printing helps stretch your ink and paper a bit further, which is always welcome.

Can the HP ENVY 6055e accommodate various paper sizes and types for printing?

Standard sizes like letter, legal, and photo paper are no problem for the ENVY 6055e. The borderless printing works nicely with photo and specialty papers.

It supports:

• Plain paper
• Photo paper
• Cardstock
• Envelopes
• Labels

The tray handles different sizes without much fuss. Users have had good luck printing on heavier or textured papers, too—it’s pretty flexible for home projects.

How user-friendly is the setup process for the HP ENVY 6055e?

Setup is a mixed bag. Some people breeze right through, while others hit snags with wireless connections. Refurbished units usually come with all the instructions and parts you’ll need.

Getting it on your Wi-Fi might take a couple tries—don’t be surprised if you need to reboot your router or poke around your network settings.

Activating HP+ adds a few extra steps, but it’s not too bad once you get rolling. Just set aside a little time for software downloads and updates at the start.

Things to keep in mind:

• You’ll need a wireless network
• Software setup can take a bit
• HP+ account setup is required
• Calibration isn’t instant

What are the connectivity options available with the HP ENVY 6055e?

The ENVY 6055e leans on wireless connectivity as its main draw. You can print from your computer, phone, or tablet using the HP Smart app or just regular printing protocols—pretty handy, honestly.

WiFi lets you print from almost anywhere at home, as long as you’re in range. There’s also the HP+ system, which opens up remote printing if you’ve got it set up right.

That said, some folks run into hiccups with the connection—especially after a router update or if the printer’s been idle for a while. Sometimes it needs a little nudge to reconnect after network changes.

Mobile printing through the HP Smart app is generally smooth, but it’s worth double-checking that your devices are on the same network. The wireless setup asks for your network password and, not gonna lie, it might take a bit of fiddling to get things stable if your WiFi is quirky.