Buy the Canon PIXMA TS6520.
It prints both sides on its own and does not punish you every time one color cartridge runs dry.
What was compared
- Canon PIXMA TS6520 Wireless Color Inkjet Printer Duplex Printing, White – Home Printer wit... — $79.99
- HP DeskJet 4255e Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer, Scanner, Copier, Best-for-Home,... — $109.99
Five reasons
1. You will not throw out ink you never used
The TS6520 runs a 2-cartridge hybrid system, so a dead black cartridge does not force you to bin working color ink. The DeskJet 4255e uses one tri-color cartridge that gets replaced whole the moment a single color runs low, which is wasted money every refill.
2. Auto duplex beats flipping pages by hand
Canon lists automatic duplex printing on the TS6520 out of the box. The DeskJet 4255e relies on manual duplex, meaning you physically flip and refeed every sheet, which gets old fast if you print anything longer than a page.
3. HP+ locks you into HP's own ink forever
The 4255e is an HP+ model, and those units are documented to refuse remanufactured or refilled cartridges, only genuine HP supplies work. Canon carries no such lock, so third-party ink stays an option and keeps your real cost per page down.
4. Reviewers trust the Canon more day to day
Owners describe the TS6520 as reliable, easy to set up, with clean prints from phone and laptop alike. The 4255e gets called 'nothing fancy' and 'basic' with complaints about a small paper tray and a confusing document feeder.
5. Yes, HP throws in free ink. Ignore it.
The 4255e's 3-month Instant Ink trial looks generous, but it just delays the HP+ subscription bill and the cartridge lock-in kicks in right after. The Canon costs $30 less upfront at $79.99 and keeps cheap, unrestricted refills for its whole life.
Run your own decision on Pickerooo