HP DeskJet 2955: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
This review measures the HP DeskJet 2955 against the full 24-spec sheet we track for printers, comparing it like for like with the 50 other models in our database. It earns a VS Score of 28 out of 100 — the weighted result of every verified specification measured against the class average.
On the spec sheet it is strongest in design and weakest in paper handling. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a much lighter build — 3.4 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg). Street prices currently start at $ 59.99 for the HP DeskJet 2955.
Category strengths
Where the HP DeskJet 2955 beats the average
- A much lighter build ?3.4 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg)
- Has color printing ?
- Has all-in-one ?
- A higher print resolution ?4,800 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg)
- Has Apple AirPrint ?
- Has Wi-Fi ?
Where the HP DeskJet 2955 trails the average
- A much lower print speed (black) ?7.5 ppm vs 17.21 ppm (avg)
- No automatic duplex printing ?
- A much lower input tray capacity ?60 sheets vs 182.02 sheets (avg)
- A much lower print speed (color) ?5.5 ppm vs 12.51 ppm (avg)
- No automatic document feeder ?
- A much lower monthly duty cycle ?1,000 pages vs 19,346.15 pages (avg)
- No Wi-Fi Direct ?
- No ethernet ?
- No touchscreen display ?
- A much lower output tray capacity ?25 sheets vs 68.95 sheets (avg)
Editor’s note
The DeskJet 2955 is the best-selling inkjet on Amazon at the time of writing, and the reason is the sticker: around sixty dollars for a printer, scanner and copier from the biggest name in printing. It is worth being clear-eyed about what that sixty dollars buys and what it commits you to.
The hardware is honest entry-level. Print speeds of 7.5 ppm black and 5.5 colour, a 60-sheet tray, dual-band Wi-Fi that reconnects itself, and a good mobile app. There is no automatic duplex – every two-sided page means reinserting paper by hand – no document feeder, no fax, and copying maxes out at nine copies per run. For homework, returns labels and the occasional recipe, all of that is fine.
The commitment is the ink. HP's 68 Black cartridge is rated at about 160 pages and streets around twenty dollars-plus, which puts a black page at roughly 13 to 17 cents. A single full cartridge set costs a meaningful fraction of the printer itself. HP's datasheet also documents its dynamic security system: cartridges without HP circuitry are blocked, and firmware updates keep them blocked, so bargain third-party ink is off the table.
HP's intended answer is Instant Ink – this bundle includes a three-month trial that converts to a paid monthly plan unless you cancel it, which is worth putting in your calendar on day one. On a light plan the economics genuinely work; forget to cancel and you have a subscription you never chose.
Owners rate it 3.3 stars across 139 reviews – the weakest score in HP's current entry line-up. I would buy it for genuinely light, occasional printing on a tight budget. If you print weekly, the arithmetic points at a tank printer within a year.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 50 other printers.
Printing
Laser prints crisp text fast; inkjet handles photos and colour better.
Prints in colour, not just black and white.
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
Colour pages per minute; higher is faster.
A higher dot density produces sharper prints.
Prints both sides of the page without manual flipping.
Refillable ink tanks cut the cost per page dramatically.
The maximum recommended pages per month.
Scanning & copying
Scans and copies as well as prints.
Feeds multi-page documents through the scanner unattended.
How many pages the document feeder holds at once.
Scans both sides of a page automatically.
Sends and receives faxes.
Paper handling
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
The largest paper format supported (e.g. Letter, Legal, A3).
Connectivity
Print wirelessly over the home network.
Connect devices directly without a router.
A wired network port for reliable office use.
A direct USB connection to a computer.
Print from iPhone, iPad and Mac without extra drivers.
Print and manage the printer from a phone app.
Design
An onboard touchscreen makes standalone tasks easier.
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
How the VS Score works — and what it can’t tell you
Every measurable spec is scored against the average of all the printers we track: matching the class average scores 50, clearly beating it climbs towards 100, and each spec counts according to an editorial weight that reflects real-world impact — a battery-capacity gap moves the score far more than a colour-options list. The quality bars on the spec cards above show where this model sits inside the full range for its class, and the overall VS Score rolls every weighted result into one number.
Unknown values are never estimated. A spec this product doesn’t report simply drops out of its scoring — it isn’t penalised with a guess — but a thinner spec sheet does mean a score built on fewer data points, which is why completeness is disclosed under About this data.
Most importantly: a spec-sheet lead is not the same as a better product. Megapixels, gigahertz and benchmark points describe capacity, not experience — image processing, software optimisation, thermals, haptics and ergonomics decide how a device actually feels, and no table captures reliability or long-term support quality. Treat the VS Score as a structured summary of what can be measured, not a substitute for your own priorities.
About this data
- Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically.
- Specifications last verified August 19, 2026.
- Data completeness: 23 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (96%). Anything we could not verify is shown as Unknown — never estimated — and is excluded from the score.
- Prices and availability come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day; a missing price means no partner currently lists the product, not that it is discontinued.
- Want the full picture? Our editorial guidelines explain how we research products, weight the scores and stay independent.
- Spotted an error in a spec? Tell us and we will correct the sheet.
Where to buy
Prices and availability may change. Check the retailer before buying. We may earn a commission on purchases.
Price history
Printers with similar specs to the HP DeskJet 2955
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The bottom line
The HP DeskJet 2955 earns a VS Score of 28, trailing most of the 51 printers we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- Genuinely light printing on a tight budget – a few pages a week, mostly school and household paperwork, managed happily from a phone.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who prints regularly. At 13-17 cents a black page with third-party cartridges firmware-blocked, steady use costs more per year than a tank printer's whole price gap.
- The trade-off that matters
- The $60 sticker is a down payment: the printer is cheap because the 160-page cartridges and the Instant Ink subscription are where HP earns it back.
- The main alternative
- Epson EcoTank ET-2903 costs more up front and roughly a tenth as much per page – the better buy the moment printing becomes routine.
The VS Score is generated automatically from the weighted specifications above, measured against all other printers in our database. Treat it as a shortlisting guide — not a substitute for your own priorities.
