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HP Envy Photo 7155 All in One Review

This mediocre machine struggles with printing consistency and has a high operating cost
HP Envy Photo 7155 All in One
Credit: Jason Peters
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Price:   $180 List | $180 at Amazon
Pros:  Decent print options, LCD touchscreen, decent resolution
Cons:  High operating costs, over-saturated colors, blue cast in black and white
Manufacturer:   HP
By Nick Miley, Jason Peters and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Apr 6, 2020
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47
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#8 of 13
  • Color - 35% 5
  • Black and White - 35% 5
  • Print Capabilities - 15% 5
  • Operating Cost - 10% 2
  • Set-Up - 5% 5

Our Verdict

While this machine offers users an easy set-up with its intuitive app and LCD touchscreen, it lacks in follow through. The prints have color casts tinting the entire image, the colors are oversaturated and the resolution falls off as the size of the print increases. To make matters worse, this model's estimated cost per print is among the highest in the class.

Compare to Similar Products

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Awards  Editors' Choice Award  Best Buy Award Best Buy Award 
Price $180 List
$179.89 at Amazon		$800 List$500 List$350 List$100 List
Overall Score Sort Icon
47
84
79
67
58
Star Rating
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Pros Decent print options, LCD touchscreen, decent resolutionBroad print dimensions, vast print mediums, low print costs, fantastic image fidelityHigh resolution, vivid colors, great dynamic rangeConsistent color, easy set-up, broad format optionsEasy to use, decent resolution, prints common sizes
Cons High operating costs, over-saturated colors, blue cast in black and whiteHuge footprint, expensiveHard to set-up, big footprintMicrobanding in grayscale, relatively low definition in dark areasMicrobanding in larger formats, off skin tones, over saturation
Bottom Line This machine’s inconsistent and expensive prints outweigh its ease of useThis near-professional quality machine leaves little to be desiredThis is a top-tier, professional level printer at a reasonable priceThis printer yields high-quality images at a reasonable priceA quality mid-size machine that will appeal to the casual user
Rating Categories HP Envy Photo 7155... Epson SureColor P600 Canon PIXMA Pro-100 Expression Photo... Canon PIXMA TR4520
Color (35%)
5
8
8
6
6
Black And White (35%)
5
9
9
7
6
Print Capabilities (15%)
5
9
7
8
5
Operating Cost (10%)
2
8
7
7
5
Set Up (5%)
5
6
4
5
6
Specs HP Envy Photo 7155... Epson SureColor P600 Canon PIXMA Pro-100 Expression Photo... Canon PIXMA TR4520
Resolutioin (dots per inch) 4800 x 1200 (color)
1200 x 1200 (b&w)		 5760 x 1440 4800 x 2400 5760 x 1440 4800 x 1200
Max photo deminsions (inches) 8.5" x 11.7" 13" x 129" 13" x 19" 13" x 44" 8" x 10"
Cost per print (4" x 6" or mini print) $0.94 $0.36 $0.40 $0.45 $0.58
Machine deminsions (HxWxD inches) 6.3" x 17.9" x 16.1" 9" x 24.2" x 14.5" 8.5" x 27.2" x 15.2" 6.3" x 18.7" x 14.5" 7.5" x 17.2" x 11.7"
Printing technology Inkjet (Theromal DOD) Inkjet (Piezo DOD) Inkjet (Theromal DOD) Inkjet (Piezo DOD) Inkjet (Theromal DOD)
Print time per 4" x 6" (or mini print) 82 seconds 63 seconds 55 seconds 34 seconds 128 seconds
Color palette (ink cartridges) Black, Tri-color Matte Black, Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Vivid Light Magenta, Light Black, Light Light Black Black, Gray, Light Gray, Cyan, Photo Cyan, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Yellow Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Gray, Red Black plus color cartridge
LCD screen Yes Yes No Yes No
Touch Screen Yes Yes No No No
Battery No No No No No
Memory cards supported SD
SDHC
SDXC		 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Ink type Pigment-based (black); dye-based (color) Pigment-based Dye-based Dye-based Pigment (black) and dye-based (color)
Roller paper No Yes No No No
Connectivity USB 2.0
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth LE
Wi-Fi Direct
HP ePrint
Apple AirPrint
Mopria		 Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print support; USB 2.0, Wireless n1, Wi-Fi Direct1 and 100Mbit Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (1 port), 100Base-T Ethernet (1 port), Wi-Fi CERTIFIED (802.11n only), Wi-Fi Direct
Epson Connect 4: Epson iPrint Mobile App, Apple Airprint, Google Cloud Print		 Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n), Ethernet
Hi-Speed USB, PictBridge (Cable not included)		 iPad, iPhone and Android tablets, Alexa and smartphones; Ethernet networking, andard Connectivity:
Hi-Speed USB, USB Host, Wireless 802.11 b/g/n5, Wi-Fi Direct 5, Ethernet 10/100		 Hi-Speed USB
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n wireless networking, 2.4 GHz)
Operating system requirements Windows
macOS/OS X
Linux		 Apple macOS 10.13.x-10.12.x, OS X: 10.11x-10.7x
&
Microsoft Windows®: 10, 8.1, 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)		 Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP1, Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3 32-bit Intel processor
Mac OS X v10.5.8 - 10.9.x7		 Windows 10 8/8.1/Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Windows Vista (32-bit , 64-bit)
Mac OS X 10.6.8 — macOS 10.12.x6		 Windows:20 Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 SP1, Mac:21
Mac OS X v10.10.5 - macOS v10.13 (High Sierra)
Mobile Operating Systems:22 iOS, Android, Windows 10 Mobile, and Fire OS (Amazon Fire) devices
Scanner Yes (bed) No No No Yes (bed and feed)
Touch Screen Yes Yes No No No

Our Analysis and Test Results

While this machine is marketed as a photo printer, as its name suggests, it is more of an all-in-one office printer. The machine has a scanning bed, fax and, yes, it also prints photos. However, it does not print photos well. To its credit, this model is easy to set-up and operate. Yet, the cost of that operation is quite high and the outcomes are poor.

Performance Comparison


Credit: Laura Casner

Likes


The HP ENVY has decent resolution, particularly in the smaller print sizes. It accommodates a variety of photo formats such as 4' x 6", 5" x 7", maxing out in the 8" x 10" dimensions. It will also print on a variety of paper types ranging from plain printer paper to matte and glossy photo paper.

The HP Envy uses thermal DOD technology.
The HP Envy uses thermal DOD technology.
Credit: Laura Casner

Additionally, we always like a printer that has an on-machine LCD touchscreen as it is easy to operate and confirms that the printer is communicating with the computer.

Dislikes


There's a lot to dislike about this machine. First off, it was hard to set-up despite the aid of the LCD screen. We also noticed a decrease in the quality of the prints as the print size increased. Specifically, colors were off, resolution tapered, tonal transitions became stepped.


While the upfront cost of this machine isn't outrageous, it's not what we'd call economical considering the questionable quality of the prints it rolls out. Moreover, the long-run operating costs of the machine — expressed in cost per 4" x 6" color print — are quite high at 94 cents per photo.

Value


Put simply, we did not find the HP Envy to be a very good value. Its cost to performance ratio is way out of balance. Add to this assessment the high long-term operating cost and we have little doubt that one can find a better performing machine at or below the cost of this printer.

Conclusion


By our reckoning, the HP ENVY is an office printer masquerading as a photo printer. The range of features — such as a fax and scanning bed — as well as the poor photo outcomes support this assessment. In an attempt to tackle all these applications, the photo outcomes were less than successful. Further hurting our assessment of the ENVY is its high operating cost.

— Nick Miley, Jason Peters and Austin Palmer