HP Photosmart 5520: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the HP Photosmart 5520 right for you?

The Photosmart 5520 is a 2012 all-in-one that many households kept because the individual HP 564 cartridges were cheap to replace one colour at a time. Its touchscreen and auto-duplex were generous for the price, and print quality on photo paper still holds up. The built-in printhead is the weak point: after years of use it clogs or fails outright and HP no longer sells replacements, so a persistent printhead error usually means retirement.

Best for: Owners nursing an older photo-capable all-in-one along

Setting up the HP Photosmart 5520

Use the printer's touchscreen Wireless Setup Wizard on a 2.4 GHz WPA2 network; HP Smart can add it afterwards but does not always support initial setup on this generation. Windows 10 and 11 supply a basic driver automatically, and HP's legacy full-feature software still installs for scanning. Run the printhead cleaning from Setup, Tools if colours drop out.

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 Photosmart 5520 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• HP 564 Black
• HP 564 Cyan
• HP 564 Magenta
• HP 564 Yellow
• HP 564XL high-yield
• HP 364 (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