HP ENVY 4520: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the HP ENVY 4520 right for you?

The ENVY 4520 is the printer many people bought for a home office in the late 2010s: quiet, slim, with a small touchscreen, auto-duplex and reliable HP 63 ink. It has aged reasonably well, though the colour cartridge clogs if the printer sits unused and the touchscreen can become unresponsive after a firmware update. It was one of the first Instant Ink printers, and owners who cancelled the plan sometimes find the enrolled cartridges stop working once the subscription lapses.

Best for: Quiet home printing with automatic two-sided output

Setting up the HP ENVY 4520

Use the Wireless Setup Wizard on the printer's touchscreen or HP Smart on a phone; both need a 2.4 GHz network. If the display is frozen, hold the power button for ten seconds with the USB disconnected to force a restart. For Windows scanning, install HP's full driver rather than the automatic basic driver.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use HP's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The HP ENVY 4520 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• HP 63 Black
• HP 63 Tri-color
• HP 63XL high-yield
• HP 302 (UK/EU)

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications