HP Photosmart 6520: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the HP Photosmart 6520 right for you?

The Photosmart 6520 was the step-up model with a larger touchscreen, a photo tray and a fifth photo-black cartridge, which gave it noticeably better snapshots than the 5520. Owners who still use one tend to be photo hobbyists who stockpiled HP 564 ink. Like every Photosmart of this era it relies on a permanent printhead that eventually fails, and the photo tray can be knocked out of position and cause mysterious jams.

Best for: Home photo printing with individual ink tanks

Setting up the HP Photosmart 6520

Set up from the touchscreen wizard on a 2.4 GHz network and, on Windows, install HP's legacy full-feature driver for scanning and the photo tray controls. Slide the photo tray fully back after use so plain-paper jobs pull from the main tray. If the printer says a cartridge is missing right after replacing it, remove and reseat the printhead assembly rather than the cartridge.

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 6520 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 Photo Black
• HP 564 Cyan
• HP 564 Magenta
• HP 564 Yellow
• 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