HP Envy 5642, we've tested it

The HP Envy 5642 is a simple multifunction printer for the home environment. A versatile ink machine with print, copy and scan functions . This model achieves speeds of up to 12 pages per minute in black and white and 8 pages per minute in color. It should be noted the ability to print double-sided automatically, which will allow us to save on paper costs. In addition, we have WiFi connectivity to place it in any corner and several mobile printing options such as Mopria certification, which facilitates printing from Android smartphones and tablets without the need to install any dedicated app. All with a sleek black design with a small touch screen of 6.75 centimeters for easier access to the characteristics of the equipment. You can already find this printer on the market for a price of 100 euros. We have had the opportunity to test this equipment, we tell you our impressions.

Printing within everyone's reach

One of the main keys behind this printer is its simplicity. The HP Envy 5642 is designed to be easy to start up, place it in any corner of the house and print from any device at home, be it the computer, a mobile or a tablet. This simplicity is found in its own design, thanks to the inclusion of a small 6.75-centimeter touch screen on the front of its panel. On this screen we can see a cover with the options for copying, scanning and various HP printable documents such as Dreamworks materials (responsible for films such as "How to train your dragon" or "Madagascar", Google calendars or even Sudokus .

At the bottom we have several shortcuts. For example, we can see the email address to use HP ePrint (we will talk about this technology later), the details of WiFi Direct , the connection to the network, the ECO settings and the ink levels of the cartridges. In short, a very easy to use and quite intuitive portal. Of course, we have noticed that sometimes it gets caught for a few seconds although later it works without problems.

Common impressions at home

The HP Envy 5642 is designed for the usual prints we do at home. It is not the HP OfficejetPro X576dw , but it holds the type. This device achieves speeds of up to 12 pages per minute in black and white and 8 pages in color. Maximum resolution for prints reaches 4,800 x 1,200 dots per inch (using HP photo paper). As for the times for the first impression, they are placed in 18 seconds in black and white and 22 seconds in color. One of the cool features of the Envy 5642 is its ability to automatically double-sided.. Although we will see how the printing speed is greatly reduced, if we are not in a hurry it is a feature that will save us a lot of paper.

As we said, this equipment is designed for regular impressions at home so its maximum monthly cycle only reaches 1,000 impressions per month. To ensure good performance throughout its life cycle it is recommended to maintain between 300 and 400 prints . This printer is compatible with standard cartridges for 200 black and white prints and 165 color pages, but we would recommend purchasing higher capacity supplies with up to 600 black and white prints and 415 color prints.

Good wireless and mobile printing options

Despite the fact that we are facing a cheaper team, HP has not wanted to leave anything in the inkwell in terms of wireless printing. And it is appreciated. The HP Envy 5642 includes WiFi and WiFi Direct connectivity. This feature allows us to directly connect a device such as a computer or a mobile device to a "network" created by the printer and print from there. We can't forget the usefulness of HP ePrint either. This pioneering remote printing technology associates a unique email address with the printer. To print from anywhere in the world, just send an email with the document attached to that address and printing will take place as soon as the equipment is turned on.

Direct printing through mobile devices has also been very careful. In addition to the option to use a dedicated HP app , this device includes Mopria certification for Android smartphones and tablets starting with Android 4.4 KitKat . Thanks to this, you can print from the same WiFi network directly from the Android app menus without the need to install a dedicated app. It also supports Apple's AirPrint technology .

Copy and scan

Along with the printing capacity, this model also includes copy and scan functions. In the first case, we have a simple panel with the option to choose the number of copies to be made and the possibility of copying on one side or on two sides (first one side and then we will be asked to turn the sheet over) . On the other hand, the scanner offers us three options: scan the document directly to a computer (the HP software will have to be installed), to a memory device that we have connected through the USB port or via email. Among the digitization formats we have PDF documents and  BMP, JPG, GIF, TIF, and PNG images.

Layout and paper tray

HP has opted for the more classic black color for its HP Envy 5642 . This equipment has a flatter design with a good background that must be taken into account when installing it indoors (it can be very bulky to place it on a small desk). We found the shiny touches on the edges and the transparent covering that surrounds the touchscreen to be elegant . In addition, a surprising detail is the use of a motorized output tray , with the end that comes out automatically every time we are going to print a document. This peculiarity is very useful to avoid that the prints end up on the ground when we forget to remove the stop.

The input paper tray holds up to 125 sheets , while the output tray offers space for 25 prints. This last point can be somewhat annoying if we want to print longer documents.

Price and reviews

The HP Envy 5642 is available in the market for a price of 100 euros . In short, this is a very balanced printing team that offers us everything we need for regular printing at home. In addition, it is necessary to highlight its versatility both in its functions ( copying, scanning ) and especially in the wide range of technologies for printing remotely and via mobile.

HP Envy 5642

performance

Design

Other functions

Paper handling

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Consumption and consumables 

+ info

Price 100 euros