How to Load Paper in HP DeskJet 2855e Printer

Reviewed by

Scott Ayres

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I Couldn’t Figure Out the Paper Tray at First

Here’s the short version of how to load paper in the HP DeskJet 2855e. You pull this top piece up. That reveals the paper loading tray, which was kind of interesting to me, because on most home printers you’re pulling a tray out toward you, not lifting a lid. Then you set your paper in just like so. There’s a little guide in there, and you need to move that little guide first so the stack actually fits. Then your paper is loaded.

That’s it. Four steps. But the order matters, and the guide step is the one I skipped.

60 Sheets, 5.5 ppm Color, 2.4 GHz Only

60 sheets per load: that’s an eighth of a ream, fine for home use, not for a small business. That’s a home number. A ream is 500 sheets, so you’re loading roughly an eighth of a ream at a time. For to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes, that’s fine. For a small business cranking invoices, you’d be refilling this all day.

Print speed is rated up to 7.5 pages per minute in black and 5.5 ppm in color. Copy speed in black is the same 7.5 ppm figure. Max copies per run is 9, so if you need 30 of something you’re hitting the button multiple times. The print resolution is 4800 × 1200 dpi in color and 600 dpi in black, and there’s a small LCD on the front rather than a touchscreen.

The connectivity spec is the one I’d flag before you buy. This printer is only 2.4 GHz capable. If your router broadcasts a single 5 GHz-only network, or if you’ve turned off the 2.4 GHz band, you’ve got a setup problem before you even open the paper lid. Worth checking your router first. Everything else is standard all-in-one stuff: color printing, copy, flatbed scan, and the HP app for printing and scanning from a phone, PC or tablet.

Cartridges are HP 67, in black plus cyan, magenta and yellow. The listing includes a 3-month Instant Ink trial with HP+ activation, and after those 3 months a monthly fee applies unless you cancel. So that’s a calendar reminder, not a freebie you forget about.

The Color Copy Came Out Cockeyed

My first color copy came out crooked, and that was my fault, not the printer’s. I had this thing in loaded cockad, so it came out cockeyed. Paper stack sitting at an angle in the tray, page feeds at an angle, image lands at an angle. Simple cause and effect, and a useful demonstration of exactly why that little guide exists.

The speed was the actual surprise. I hit copy on a color original and the page was already feeding out before I finished the sentence I was mid-way through narrating. For a printer rated 5.5 ppm in color, that first-page delivery felt sharp, no spin-up delay, no mechanical throat-clearing, just feed and go. The 5.5 ppm number undersells how snappy a single-page copy feels in practice.

Color fidelity on the copy was better than I expected at this price point. The original had a saturated red graphic on it, and the copy kept that red distinct, not muddy, not blown out. At 4800 × 1200 dpi, the HP 67 cartridges have the resolution headroom to handle it, and on plain paper the result was clean enough that I wouldn’t hesitate handing it to someone as a working copy.

Once the guide was moved and the stack was square, the crooked problem went away. That’s the takeaway I’d hand anyone who searched for how to load paper in the HP DeskJet 2855e: the printer isn’t misfeeding. You just didn’t square the stack.

Scan and copy both live on a flatbed, so you’re lifting the lid and laying the original face down. Nine copies max per run. For a home desk that’s rarely a limit. If you’re copying a 20-page packet, you’re doing it in batches.

That Little Guide Is the Step You’ll Forget

The paper guide is the one real papercut here, and it’s a design thing more than a user thing. You lift the top lid, and the tray is down in there. The guide sits inside that space, and it isn’t in an obvious spot where your hand naturally goes. I needed to move that little guide first so the paper would fit in there properly, and on my first pass I just dropped the stack in and assumed the printer would sort it out.

It didn’t sort it out. It printed the page exactly as crooked as I’d loaded it.

There’s no warning, no on-screen nudge, nothing that says your stack is off. The LCD stays quiet and the page comes out wrong. So if your first copy from this printer looks tilted and you’re about to write a one-star review about misalignment, open the lid and check the guide. That’s almost certainly it.

The lift-up lid design also means the tray is partly hidden while you work. You’re loading into a space you can’t fully see from a standing position. Not a deal-breaker, but it’s why this took me a couple of tries instead of one.

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Who the 2855e Actually Fits

This is a household printer, and the 60-sheet tray tells you that outright. Think the kitchen desk, the spare bedroom, the corner of a dining room where the router lives. Someone prints a shipping label, a recipe, a school form, a tax document. Someone else copies an insurance card. That’s the job, and the 2855e does that job in a 16.7 by 11.97 inch footprint that fits on a shelf.

If your household has ditched the desktop entirely, the HP app is the whole setup story here, print, scan, copy and fax from a phone, no computer required. That’s not a bonus feature; for a lot of buyers it’s the primary use case, and the 2855e is built around it.

At 10 pounds it’s light enough to move with one hand, so if you only print twice a month and you’d rather keep it in a closet, that’s workable. Just remember the lid has to be able to swing up for loading, so don’t shove it under a shelf with two inches of clearance.

Who it doesn’t fit: anyone printing in volume, anyone who needs duplex stacks of documents fast, and anyone whose Wi-Fi doesn’t hand out a 2.4 GHz band. Those three cover most of the disappointed buyers I’d expect.

Load It Right the First Time

Move the guide before you drop the paper in, not after. That’s the single tip that would have saved my first copy. Slide it out of the way, set the stack down flat, then bring the guide back snug against the edge of the paper so the stack can’t shift while it feeds.

Tap the stack square on the desk before it goes in. Loose sheets fan out, and a fanned stack is how you get a skewed page even with the guide set correctly.

Don’t overfill it. Sixty sheets is the rated capacity and there’s no prize for cramming in more. A tray packed past its limit is a jam waiting for the worst possible moment.

One thing I’d do before the printer even leaves the box: log into your router and confirm the 2.4 GHz band is on and broadcasting. This printer is only 2.4 GHz capable, so getting that sorted up front turns a frustrating setup into a short one.

And put a note in your calendar for the Instant Ink trial. Three months goes by quickly, and after that a monthly fee applies unless you cancel. If you print rarely, you may be better off just buying HP 67 cartridges when you need them. That’s a math problem only you can solve, based on how many pages your household really goes through. Current pricing on both the printer and the cartridges is on the product page.

Pros

• The color copy came out quick. Faster in feel than the 5.5 ppm color rating suggests.
• Copy quality held up well on a plain color original.
• Print, copy and flatbed scan in one 10 lb, 16.7-inch-wide white box.
• Loading is simple once you know the lid-up sequence. Four steps, no tools.
• Pretty neat little printer for a home desk that prints lists, letters and recipes.

Cons

• The paper path isn’t obvious. I couldn’t figure it out quite at first, and that’s the whole reason I filmed it.
• The inside guide is easy to miss, and skipping it gave me a cockeyed copy with zero warning on the LCD.
• 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, which is a hard stop on some newer router setups.
• 60-sheet tray and 9 copies per run are both home-use ceilings, not office ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

What devices can I print from with the 2855e?

Smartphones, tablets and PCs, all through the HP app. The listing also names iOS as a controller type, so iPhone and iPad users are covered. Everything goes over your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, so all of it depends on that band being available.

Do I need the HP app or an account to use it?

You need the HP app for phone and tablet printing, scanning and faxing, and HP+ activation is what unlocks the 3-month Instant Ink trial. Copying on the flatbed works from the printer’s own buttons without touching an app. So the basic copier function stands alone.

Is there a monthly fee after the free ink trial?

Yes, once the 3-month Instant Ink trial ends a monthly fee applies unless you cancel. HP ships cartridges to your door before you run out under that plan. If you print a handful of pages a month, buying HP 67 cartridges outright will likely make more sense.

Can I load envelopes or photo paper in the same tray?

Yes. The supported media list covers plain paper, glossy photo paper and envelopes, all through that single 60-sheet tray. Move the guide to match the narrower width so envelopes don’t feed at an angle, same as with paper.

What’s the warranty on the HP DeskJet 2855e?

The listing shows an extended warranty type, so check the exact terms on the Amazon product page before you buy since they vary by seller and region. HP also pushes firmware updates to these printers through the app and your network connection. Keep the printer online if you want those to land.

Will this replace an office laser printer?

No. A 60-sheet tray, 7.5 ppm black and a 9-copy run limit are home specs, not office ones. If you’re printing multi-hundred-page jobs weekly, a laser is the right tool. The 2855e is aimed at households printing to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes.

How do I clean the flatbed scanner glass?

Lift the lid and wipe the glass with a soft dry microfiber cloth, spraying glass cleaner on the cloth rather than the glass itself so nothing runs into the seam. Streaks and dust on the glass show up as lines on every copy. It’s usually the first thing to check when scan quality drops.

Can two people in the house print to it at once?

Multiple devices can be set up on the same networked printer and jobs queue up in order. It’s one paper path and one tray, though, so two big jobs back to back will mean somebody’s waiting and somebody’s reloading. With 60 sheets in the tray, keep an eye on the stack if the whole household is sending pages.

Does the printer still work if the Wi-Fi goes down?

Copying and scanning at the machine don’t need the internet, so you can still put an original on the glass and press copy. Wireless printing from a phone or PC does need the network. That’s another argument for confirming your 2.4 GHz band is stable before you rely on it.

Get it now

HP DeskJet 2855e All-in-One Printer

Get the best price on Amazon →

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About the reviewer

Scott Ayres

Welcome to the Product Demo lab where I (Scott) demo products so you can make an educated buying decision. I keep it real, honest and laid back.