The HP DeskJet 2820e is a compact, low-cost all-in-one that prints, copies and scans. It suits occasional home printing of text documents and the odd color page. It is a weak choice if you print in color often or regularly exceed a few dozen pages a month, because HP’s own workload guidance is modest and an independent German review flagged slow color output and high running costs for frequent printing.
This article draws on HP’s published regional specifications and one independent review. It is not based on our own lab testing, and HP’s speed and yield figures are manufacturer claims.
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Who should buy it, and who should not
- A good fit: households or home offices that print a few documents a week, need occasional copies or scans, and want a small machine with a low purchase price.
- A poor fit: anyone printing color photos or charts regularly, anyone printing more than the recommended monthly volume, or anyone who scans multi-page paperwork often.
- Check first: the ink family, because the same product name is listed with different cartridges in different regions (covered below).
Key specifications
The table below lists the features HP publishes for the DeskJet 2820e. Feature availability is taken from HP’s Sri Lanka specification page for model 588K9B, and the input tray and mobile printing details come from HP’s Philippines product overview. Confirm these against the page for your own country before buying.
| Feature | What HP lists | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Functions | Print, copy, scan | HP specifications (588K9B) |
| Duplex printing | Manual only (you flip pages yourself) | HP specifications (588K9B) |
| Automatic document feeder | Not offered | HP specifications (588K9B) |
| Fax | Not offered | HP specifications (588K9B) |
| Borderless printing | Not offered | HP specifications (588K9B) |
| Standard input tray | 60 sheets | HP Philippines product page |
| Paper types | Plain and photo paper | HP Philippines product page |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi and USB | HP specifications (588K9B) |
| Mobile printing | HP app, Apple AirPrint, Chrome OS, Mopria | HP Philippines product page |
| Warranty | One-year limited hardware warranty; terms vary by country and local requirements | HP specifications (588K9B) |
Print speed and monthly workload
HP rates the 588K9B version at up to 7.5 ISO A4 pages per minute in black and up to 5.5 pages per minute in color. These are manufacturer figures, not results from an independent measurement, so treat them as the best case under HP’s test conditions. In practice, a document with graphics or a color page will take longer than a text page at the same rated speed.
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- 3 MONTH TRIAL OF INSTANT INK INCLUDED – Subscribe to the Instant Ink delivery service to get ink delivered directly to your door before you run out, and you save up to 50% on ink; after 3 months, a monthly fee applies unless cancelled
- KEY FEATURES – Fast color printing, scan, copy, auto 2-sided printing, auto document feeder, and a 225-sheet input tray
- 2.7-INCH TOUCHSCREEN – Quickly navigate your printer with a large color touchscreen and a phone-like user interface
- WIRELESS PRINTING – Stay connected with our most reliable dual-band Wi-Fi, which automatically detects and resolves connection issues
HP’s workload guidance is more useful for planning than the speed figures:
- Recommended monthly volume: 50 to 100 pages, per HP’s specification page for 588K9B.
- Maximum monthly duty cycle: up to 1,000 pages. HP states this is a ceiling, not a recommended ongoing volume.
A household printing around 150 pages a month sits above HP’s recommended band. That is a sign the machine will be worked harder than intended, and it is where ink and wear costs start to matter more.
Which ink the DeskJet 2820e uses
The same product name is listed with different cartridge families in different regions. HP’s Sri Lanka page for SKU 588K9B lists the HP 305 and 305XL family. HP’s Philippines listing for SKU 588L1A lists the HP 67 and 67XL family. Do not assume that one applies to the other market.
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Rank #2
- Wireless Print/Copy/Scan
- Up to 2 years of ink included (2)
- Print up to 6,000 black & white / 7,700 color pages using a single set of inks! (1)
- Save up to $1,000 on ink (1)
- 1.35” Square LCD display
- Find the product number on the printer’s label or packaging and note whether it reads 588K9B or 588L1A.
- If it reads 588K9B, buy HP 305 or 305XL cartridges. If it reads 588L1A, buy HP 67 or 67XL cartridges.
- If the number is not one of these, check HP’s official product page for your country before ordering, because other markets may use their own SKU.
The listed page yields are approximate and are the same for both families. HP cautions that actual yield varies considerably by content and other factors.
| Cartridge family | Standard black | XL black | Standard tri-color | XL tri-color | Listed for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP 305 | 120 pages | 240 pages (305XL) | 100 pages | 200 pages (305XL) | SKU 588K9B, HP Sri Lanka specifications |
| HP 67 | 120 pages | 240 pages (67XL) | 100 pages | 200 pages (67XL) | SKU 588L1A, HP Philippines specifications |
Running cost: how to estimate cost per page
The purchase price is the smallest part of ownership for this machine. To compare cartridge options, divide the price you pay for a cartridge by its listed yield:
cost per page = cartridge price ÷ listed page yield
Rank #3
- PERFECT FOR BASIC PRINTING NEEDS – Print everyday color documents like to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes
- KEY FEATURES – Color print, copy, scan, and a 60-sheet input tray, plus mobile and wireless printing
- OPTIMIZE PRINT FORMATTING WITH HP AI – Print web pages and emails with precision—no wasted pages or awkward layouts; HP AI easily removes unwanted content, so your prints are just the way you want
- ICON LCD – Print your basic documents with ease from the intuitive control panel
- PRINT SPEED – Up to 7.5 ppm black, 5.5 ppm color
Worked through, the XL cartridges are the first thing to test. An XL black with a listed yield of 240 pages costs less per page than a standard 120-page black only if its local price is below twice the standard price. Use your local prices, not assumed ones, and remember that yields measured on text-heavy pages will run higher than yields on photos or dense graphics.
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Color drives costs faster. A tri-color cartridge is listed at 100 pages standard and 200 pages XL, fewer than the black cartridge in each size. A person who prints a handful of color pages each month will exhaust color ink sooner than black, even if black is used more often.
COMPUTER BILD’s review suggests an ink subscription may help some users. That suggestion depends on how much you print, so it is a conditional idea rather than a saving you can count on.
Rank #4
- AFFORDABLE ALL-IN-ONE FOR HOME AND HOME OFFICE: Print, copy, and scan on one compact wireless printer designed for everyday home office printing, schoolwork, documents, and reports. Produce beautiful prints for results that stand out.
- EASY TO USE WITH CLOUD APP CONNECTIONS: Print from and scan to popular Cloud apps(2), including Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, and more from the simple-to-use 1.8” color display on your printer.
- FULL-SIZE FEATURES IN A COMPACT DESIGN: This printer includes automatic duplex (2-sided) printing, a 20-sheet single-sided Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)(3), and a 150-sheet paper tray(3). Engineered to print at fast speeds of up to 16 pages per minute (ppm) in black and up to 9 ppm in color(4).
- MULTIPLE CONNECTION OPTIONS: Connect your way. Interface with your printer on your wireless network or via USB.
- MOBILE PRINTING MADE EASY: Go mobile with the Brother Mobile Connect app(5) that delivers easy onscreen menu navigation for printing, copying, scanning, and device management from your mobile device. Monitor your ink usage with Page Gauge to help ensure you don’t run out(6).
What the independent review found
COMPUTER BILD tested the printer and published its review on 3 March 2024. The reviewer, Sven Schulz, tested model 588K9B and gave it a grade of 3.9, which the publication labels “adequate.” The review lists high print quality, fast text printing and low power consumption as strengths. It calls the printer a poor choice for frequent printing because color output is slow and running costs are high.
The review is in German and is secondary evidence. It does not establish how the printer performs in other regions or with other cartridges. Read the COMPUTER BILD review for its full test notes.
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Cartridge security and third-party ink
HP says the printer uses dynamic security, which it describes as designed to block cartridges that use modified or non-HP circuitry. HP states that periodic firmware updates maintain these measures. HP also says reused HP circuitry can enable reused, remanufactured and refilled cartridges.
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- FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost, high-volume printing—up to 3 years of HP Ink included; get up to 6,000 color or black pages right out of the box
- KEY FEATURES – Print, copy and scan, plus borderless prints, mobile and wireless printing
- MESS-FREE REFILL – Replenish ink with HP's easy-access, mess-free refill system; simply plug the ink bottles into this cartridge-free ink tank and let them drain—no squeezing, no spilling
- BEST PRINT QUALITY, PERIOD – Sharper text, richer colors, only with HP Smart Tank
This means third-party or refilled ink is not guaranteed to work. Compatibility depends on the cartridge’s circuitry and the printer’s current firmware state, so a refill that works on one firmware version may be blocked after an update. If a cartridge is rejected:
- Remove it, reseat it firmly and reprint once.
- Check the printer’s firmware status and install available updates through HP’s support pages for your country.
- Contact HP support for your country if the cartridge still fails, and keep the original cartridge until the issue is resolved.
Setup, connectivity and paper
The printer supports Wi-Fi and USB connections. Its mobile printing options are the HP app, Apple AirPrint, Chrome OS and Mopria. Before you follow setup steps, check your country and operating system against HP’s current support pages, because the listed options and the supported method for each platform can differ by region.
The 60-sheet input tray accepts plain and photo paper. Because borderless printing is not offered, photo prints will have white margins, so plan for that if you want edge-to-edge results.
Where it falls short
- Two-sided documents need manual handling. Each duplex job means reloading the paper yourself, which adds time to longer documents.
- Multi-page scanning and copying means feeding pages one at a time, since there is no automatic document feeder.
- Frequent color work is where the rated color speed and ink costs both work against you, as the independent review found.
- Ink planning has to start with the product number, because the cartridge family differs by region.
How to compare it with other printers
If you are weighing the DeskJet 2820e against another machine, compare these points rather than list price alone:
- Expected pages per month, measured against HP’s recommended 50 to 100 pages.
- Cost per page for both black and color, using local cartridge prices and listed yields.
- Color speed, since the rated color figure is the slower of the two.
- Whether you need automatic duplex or a document feeder.
- Cartridge format, including whether the printer uses cartridges or ink tanks.
For high-volume printing, an ink-tank or laser model may cost less over time than a low-cost cartridge printer. That is an inference from the cartridge design and the independent review’s cost criticism, not a measured head-to-head result.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
