HP 3550: earlier USB color printing with manual duplex review

A color printer for an existing USB setup

The HP Color LaserJet 3550 fits a narrow but understandable job: printing color documents from a genuinely compatible computer, with a useful standard paper supply and someone available to reload two-sided work. It is a print-only machine with USB. The base package does not include the external network server supplied with the 3550n, and it cannot turn paper over automatically.

HP identifies this US reference as Q5990A#ABA and explicitly marks it discontinued. That establishes an earlier model, not a current offer or a judgment about the condition of any surviving unit. Before relying on one, verify the computer software, actual electrical plate, cartridges and normal operation of the particular printer.

USB compatibility is the first decision

The original Windows installation puts the software first and connects USB when prompted. Its direct Mac instructions use a different sequence, connecting the cable before running the supplied installation. These historical procedures explain the intended arrangement; they do not promise support on a present operating system. Confirm a compatible driver and a successful ordinary document job before making this printer part of an essential workflow.

The engine uses HP JetReady 4.1 host-based printing. Do not assume that a generic driver for the neighboring 3700 is interchangeable. That separate series has different language and connectivity features. In particular, the 3700's parallel port and internal network-card configuration are not features of the base 3550.

Ethernet needs another arrangement. The 3550n includes an external en3700 server connected to the printer by USB and powered separately. That hardware is not included here. No built-in wireless route is established, and AirPrint, Mopria and print-job PIN release remain unconfirmed. A color print engine also adds no scanner, copier or fax.

Two standard inputs cover ordinary Legal paper

The supplied configuration has a 100-sheet multipurpose input and a 250-sheet cassette, rated on ordinary 75 g/m² paper. Both accommodate Letter, Legal and A4, giving 350 included sheets for any of those ordinary sizes. This is more useful than quoting a maximum expanded capacity that assumes an accessory is already present.

The optional 500-sheet feeder is separate and adds Letter or A4 capacity. It should not be counted as standard or treated as another Legal cassette. The finished-paper bins are output destinations, not additional input. For envelopes, the original multipurpose-tray specification allows up to ten in a separate loading job; choose suitable laser media and its correct driver setting.

Two-sided reports require an attended routine

The original guide explicitly says the 3550 does not support automatic duplex. Its manual procedure prints one side, removes unused stock and returns the stack through Tray 1 with the blank side up and top edge first. The operator then continues at the printer. Larger stacks are handled in batches of no more than 100 sheets for that return pass.

That can be acceptable for occasional reports when someone is close by. It is a poor fit for unattended two-sided work or a shared queue where the next person may disturb the waiting stack. A printer with documented automatic duplex is the more sensible alternative when that requirement is routine.

HP's original conditions identify 16 pages per minute for Letter and A4, while the engine specification rates both black and color at 16 ppm. Those declarations are not our measurements. The published 45,000-page monthly maximum is a duty figure; the read material does not establish a recommended monthly working range, so it cannot justify a particular sustained workload.

Supplies, space and the final choice

The exact replacement table lists Q2670A black at 6,000 declared pages and Q2671A, Q2672A and Q2673A color cartridges at 4,000 each, using an A4 5-percent-coverage basis. Those figures neither establish introductory toner quantities nor predict the remaining life of an earlier cartridge. They are not a current running-cost calculation.

The original printer body is about 19.67 by 17.6 by 18.39 inches without the optional feeder. Leave additional room for loading, rear output and service access. Conflicting published mass figures keep weight unknown here, and separate regional electrical editions require checking the actual plate. Keep the 3550 when compatible USB color printing is already proven; choose a documented network, automatic-duplex or multifunction alternative when those capabilities are essential.