HP Color LaserJet 5550

The HP Color LaserJet 5550 is a high speed wide format laser printer. With A4 paper throughput can be 27 pages per minute, A3 is 12ppm.

The CLJ 5550 was introduced in 2004 as a direct successor to the CLJ 5500

The general design is similar to the CLJ 4600. Speed is achieved using a set of four inline cartridges. Print media are carried vertically across the stack of cartridges using a transfer belt and directly printed - that is toner goes straight onto the page without needing a secondary transfer station.

The print path can handle 312x470mm media somewhat larger than A3 and - just over 12 x 18 inches.

Models are:

  • Color LaserJet 5550 Printer Q3713A - Base model
  • Color LaserJet 5550n Printer Q3714A - adds network input ability
  • Color LaserJet 5550dn Printer Q3715A - duplex and network
  • Color LaserJet 5550dtn Printer Q3716A - duplex, extra tray, network +288MB RAM and printer stand.
  • Color LaserJet 5550hdn Printer Q3717A -duplex, 5 trays, network, 160MB RAM + hard disk.

The CLJ 5550 is no longer made but was sold through to 2007. Spares are generally available. The CLJ 5550 is very similar to its predecessor the CLJ 5500 but has a faster processor, more memory, ImageREt 3600 etc. The duty cycle figure is higher as well.

There is no direct successor. HP changed design and the CP6015 (CM6030 / CM6040) are considerably faster. The CP5225 prints at about the same speed and has a recommended volume to 5,000 pages per month so it is roughly equivalent. These later printers do use a secondary transfer station presumably to get some advantage over what machines like the CLJ 5500 series can provide.

Control:

LCD graphical control panel with up to 4 lines of text and animated graphics. HP Embedded Web Servers and HP Web Jetad

Duty Cycle:

HP claim a duty cycle up to 160,000 pages per month, indicating that it's a robust printer. These printers are well suited to operating as production machines for things like catalogs and newsletters.

Up to 27 pages per minute on US-letter and A4 sized media. A3 at about 12 ppm. Transparencies 4 ppm. Not dramatically faster than the CLJ 5500 but improved figures.

From the engine 600x600dpi. Enhanced using HP ImageREt 3600 gives improved photo handling over the CLJ 5500. Supports colour management systems based on ICC profiles.

Paper Handling:

Base model has tray 1 + 2, options support tray 3, tray 4 and a duplexer.

  • Tray 1:Multipurpose tray 1: fold-down tray for up to 100 sheets of paper or 20 envelopes. Sizes from 77x127mm (3x5 in) to 312x470mm (12.5x18.5 in) Weight 60 to 200 g/m
  • Tray 2:Tray 2 built into the base: 500 sheets 148x210mm (5.8x8.3 in) up to 297x432mm (11.6x17 inches)
  • Tray 3,4, & 5:Optional Trays 3, 4 & 5 install under the printer: 148x210mm to 297x432mm - specifications as for tray 2
  • Optional Paper Handling:The printer can take up to 3 optional trays.

Face Down:

Default paper output is to a face-down tray recessed into the top of the printer.

Duplex:

Duplex capability built in on the "D" models

Processor:

533 MHz RISC processor

Memory:

96MB RAM basic, 544MB maximum. (achived using 32MB on board and a 512MB DIMM). 2x 200 pin SDRAM DIMM slots (one open). 3 Compact Flash cards - 2 open. Optional 20GB disk.

Interface:

Interfaces 3 x EIO slots, USB1.1 port. IEEE-1284 Parallel, Fast Infrared (FIR) connection.

Network: JetDirect 620n network card gives 6MB per second throughput. Jetlink port for 3rd parts paper handling devices.

Network:

Network versions are normally fitted with an HP JetDirect 615N. JetDirects 660n, 610n, 615n and 680n are compatible.

Network Protocols:

DLC/LLC, IP Direct Mode, LPD, IPP, NDPS, FTP Printing, iPrint.

HP PCL 6, HP PCL 5c (downloadable), PostSrcipt Level 3, Native PDF Printing (v1.3) XHTML Printing from an optional Bluetooth adapter. Automatic language switching.

System Compatability:

Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP. Apple Mac OS 8.6 and OS X

Power:

110 and 220 Volt models

Power Consumption:

For the basic 5550n:

Off 0.3 watts max, Powersave 24 watts max, Standby 93 watts, Active Printing 614 watts max.

Most of the figures improve on the CLJ 5500 except active printing uses more power (its faster) and curiously the "off" condition now consumes 0.3 watts.

Printers with more options consume fractionally more power - mainly to run the processor on the network adapter and the hard disk.

Typical Electricity Consumption (TEC): 7.567 kWh/Week, 8.222 kWh/Week (555hdn)

Dimension:

Base Model 22.7 x 27.7 x 25.2 in (577x704x640mm)

Weight:

About 60Kg (as for the CLJ 5500?)

Consumables:

Consumables are the same as for the CLJ 5500 except that the fuser is uprated to deal with the higher speed. Easily installable front loading cartridges for ease of use. The toner cartridges are designed for long lives, 13,000 pages for black C9730A and 12,000 pages each for the Cyan C9731A, Magenta C9733A and Yellow C9732A.

C9730A Black Print Cartridge for CLJ 5500/5550, Yield 13000 - C9730A

C9731A Cyan Print Cartridge for CLJ 5500/5550, Yield 12000 - C9731A

C9733A Magenta Print Cartridge for CLJ 5500/5550, Yield 12000 - C9733A

C9732A Yellow Print Cartridge for CLJ 5500/5550, Yield 12000 - C9732A

Refurbished cartridges are available for these printers as well. Using refurbished cartridges reduces costs but may raise issues of print quality particularly where photographs are a requirement.

SI5046 Silver Reed Black Print Cartridge with Chip SI5046 Replaces OEM Code Q3960A.

SI5047 Silver Reed Cyan Print Cartridge with Chip SI5047 Replaces OEM Code C9731A.

SI5049 Silver Reed Magenta Toner Cartridge With Chip SI5049 Replaces OEM Code C9733A.

SI5048 Silver Reed Yellow Toner Cartridge With Chip SI5048 Replaces OEM Code C9732A.


Fuser:

Q3985A Fusers come in two variants to suit the local mains power. The 120 Volt version is C9735A and the 220 Volt version is C9736A. Fuser life is estimated at 150,000 pages- Q3985A

  • Fuser 220 Volts Q3985A
  • Fuser 110 Volts Q3984A

Spares:

The main spares required (other than the fuser) are the paper feed rollers:

RF5-3865MP Tray 1 Separation Pad for HP 5500 - RF5-3865-020CN

RF5-3338 Feed / Separation Pad - RF5-3338

RG9-1529 MP Tray 1 Paper Pickup roller for HP 5500 - RG9-1529

RG5-6748 Tray 3 - 4 Paper Pick Up Assy - RG5-6748

RF5-3340 Pick Up Roller (used 2 )RF5-3340

RY7-5097 Tray 2-3-4 Roller Kit - RY7-5097

RG5-7709 Tray 2 Paper Pick Up Assy - RG5-7709

RG5-6780 Tray 1 MP Tray Assy - RG5-6780

RG5-7681 Laser Scanner Assy - RG5-7681

RG5-6809 LV Power Supply - RG5-6809

C9656-69022 HV Power Supply - C9656-69022

RG5-6647 Standard 500-sheet paper cassette tray - RG5-6647

RG5-6770 Paper Cassette Tray 3-4 500 sheets - RG5-6770

Service:

We offer repair in North East England.

We do not currently offer service contracts for these printers.

Options and Accessories:

Q7721A 128MB DDR SDRAM

Q7722A 256MB DDR SDRAM

Q7723A 512 MB DDR SDRAM

HP Jetdirect 630n IPv6 Gigabit Ethernet Print Server - J7997G