The HP OfficeJet 250 mobile all-in-one printer is designed to be very portable so you can bring it around with you when traveling for business. It has a removable, rechargeable battery for when you don't have a power outlet near you, and it has great connectivity options. While it doesn't have a flatbed scanner, it does have an automatic document feeder, and it can copy at a higher resolution than other options. However, it yields a very small number of pages, so you may need to replace the cartridges often, which can get expensive very quickly if you print a lot. Unfortunately, it's very slow at printing documents, whether you're printing when it's plugged in or over battery.
Our Verdict
The HP OfficeJet 250 is okay for family use. It prints decently-detailed photos, though images look a little grainy. It has an automatic document feeder and a copy function with high resolution, but unfortunately, it doesn't have a flatbed scanner. It can't automatically scan or print double-sided pages, and since it has a low page yield, the cost of replacing the cartridges can quickly exceed the price of the printer itself.
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Decent photo quality.
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Great connectivity options.
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Prints many pages on full battery.
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Disappointing color accuracy.
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Low page yield.
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No flatbed scanner.
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Slow printing speed.
The HP OfficeJet 250 is bad for small or home offices. It's very slow at printing documents, and it has a disappointing page yield for both black and color documents. While it has an automatic document feeder, it can't perform duplex scanning or printing, which isn't ideal if you deal with double-sided documents often.
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Automatic document feeder.
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Great connectivity options.
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Prints many pages on full battery.
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Low page yield.
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No flatbed scanner.
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Slow printing speed.
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No duplex printing or scanning.
The HP OfficeJet 250 is decent for students. It's very slow at printing, whether you print via battery or when plugged in. It has a sheetfed scanner, but unfortunately, there's no flatbed scanner, so you can't scan pages from a textbook or notebook.
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Automatic document feeder.
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Great connectivity options.
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Prints many pages on full battery.
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Low page yield.
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No flatbed scanner.
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Slow printing speed.
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No duplex printing or scanning.
The HP OfficeJet 250 is bad for black and white printing. It's very slow at printing black-only text documents, and it can't print or scan double-sided documents. It isn't very affordable to print in black due to the very low page yield, so the cost of replacing the cartridges can quickly surpass the price of the printer itself. On the plus side, high-yield cartridges are available and should last longer.
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Automatic document feeder.
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Great connectivity options.
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Low page yield.
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No flatbed scanner.
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Slow printing speed.
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No duplex printing or scanning.
The HP OfficeJet 250 is okay for casual photos. Produced images have a decent amount of detail, though there's some graininess in lighter areas. It's decently affordable to print photos, but replacing the color cartridge can get expensive, especially if you plan on printing in color a lot. Its input tray supports 4" x 6" and 5" x 7" photo sizes, but sadly it can't print 2" x 3" photos. Unfortunately, most printed colors look inaccurate, but it should be fine for casual use.
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Decent photo quality.
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Can print 4" x 6" and 5" x 7" photo sizes.
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Disappointing color accuracy.
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Low page yield.
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No flatbed scanner.
- 6.8 Family
- 4.4 Small/Home Office
- 7.0 Student
- 4.8 Black & White
- 6.6 Photo
- Updated Feb 01, 2023: We've updated the text in the Connectivity section to clarify that the Bluetooth is only for setup purposes, not for printing.
- Updated Feb 16, 2022: Made a minor change in the Scanner Features box; scores weren't affected.
- Updated Jan 18, 2022: Added details about printing speed on battery and updated the Borderless Printing test result.
- Updated Jan 14, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jan 20, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jan 15, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 11, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 06, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Dec 27, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Dec 17, 2020: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The HP OfficeJet 250 mobile printer has no variants. You can see the unit of our label here.
Compared To Other Printers
The HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One printer is designed to be travel-friendly, so its features are fairly limited to save space, like the lack of a flatbed scanner and an output tray. It's a bit on the pricey side considering its limitations, and it has a very low page yield, so replacing its cartridges gets expensive quickly if you need to print a lot. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best cheap printers, the best wireless printers, and the best all-in-one printers.
The HP OfficeJet 250 and the Canon PIXMA TR150 are both inkjet printers with batteries. The HP may be a better choice if scanning is a big part of your tasks since it has an automatic document feeder. It prints faster and supports printing off a USB thumb drive. On the other hand, the Canon may be a better choice if you only need to print since it yields slightly more pages and its cartridges cost much less, which results in a much lower cost-per-print. Also, it can automatically print double-sided, which the HP can't.
The HP OfficeJet 250 and the HP Tango X are both very compact printers. If you want something you can print on the road with, the OfficeJet 250 is the better choice since it comes with a rechargeable battery, meaning you can keep printing even without a power outlet. Also, it has an automatic document feeder, unlike the Tango X, which is a printer-only unit. On the other hand, the Tango X prints slightly faster, and it also prints better-looking photos. It comes with a linen cover to hide the printer when not in use and to keep dust out.
The HP DeskJet 3755/3772 and the HP OfficeJet 250 are both compact printers with sheetfed scanners, but the OfficeJet 250 performs slightly better for most uses. It has a higher page yield, a lower cost-per-print, and a rechargeable battery. Also, it can print directly from a USB thumb drive. However, the DeskJet 3755 is better for casual photo printing since it produces better-looking pictures and more accurate colors.
The Canon PIXMA iX6820 and the HP OfficeJet 250 are both compact printers. If you need to print only and don't need a scanner, the Canon is a better choice due to its significantly higher page yield and excellent cost-per-print. On the other hand, if you often need to print when on the go, the HP has a rechargeable battery. Also, it has a sheetfed scanner, and it has more connectivity options, including Wi-Fi Direct and Mopria Print Service.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 and the HP OfficeJet 250 are two all-in-one printers designed for different uses. The Epson is made to stay on your desk and plug into a wall. It has a flatbed scanner with higher resolution, so it's a better choice for scanning photos. On the other hand, the HP has a rechargeable battery, so you can still use it even when you don't have a power outlet near you.
The Brother MFC-J995DW is better than the HP OfficeJet 250, but the HP is better for traveling. The Brother is a better choice if you plan to print large documents frequently because it has a much higher page yield and an incredibly low cost-per-print. However, the HP is better suited to printing on-the-go thanks to its rechargeable battery, compact design, and better connectivity options.
The HP OfficeJet 250 is better if you need to work on the go, whereas the Canon PIXMA TR4720/TR4722 is better for casual photo printing. The HP yields many more pages at a much cheaper cost-per-print, and it has a battery so that you can still use it when you aren't near a power outlet. On the other hand, the Canon has a flatbed scanner with a higher scan resolution for more detailed scans and a built-in fax. It also supports automatic duplex printing and produces significantly better-looking photos.
The Canon SELPHY Square QX10 and the HP OfficeJet 250 are both compact battery-powered printers. The Canon is a pocket-sized printer for printing small photos taken with your phone. The HP is a traditional inkjet printer for printing and scanning documents when on the go. It accepts many different paper sizes, including letter and legal, and it has an automatic document feeder for scanning.
Test Results
The HP OfficeJet 250 has a mediocre build quality. The scan cover feels a little flimsy, and the ink compartments feel tight when inserting the ink cartridges. Also, due to the surface's glossy finish, fingerprint smudges are very noticeable. Since there's no output tray, you need to stand in front of the printer to grab the pages or make sure that there's enough space on the desk so that papers don't spill onto the floor. On the upside, the rear input and the ADF has width sliders to accommodate different paper sizes, and paper jams are easy to reach from the top of the printer. Since it's designed for portability, it has a rechargeable battery for when you're on-the-go and don't have a power outlet present. There's also a light indicator on the left side for Wi-Fi connection, battery charge, and power. Both the power cable and the rechargeable battery can be removed, so you can easily replace them if necessary.
Since it's built with travel in mind, the HP OfficeJet 250 is a very compact printer that should fit well in backpacks, and it shouldn't take up much space on a desk. Its size is similar to the HP DeskJet 3755. If you want something significantly more compact for printing photos on the go, check out the Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer or the Canon SELPHY Square QX10.
The HP OfficeJet 250 has a good display screen. The settings menu is easy to navigate thanks to its well-identified icons. It has three touch-sensitive buttons below the screen: back, home, and help. The home button provides a quick exit back to the main display, and the help button pulls up how-to videos and tips. The screen is flush with the printer's body, but it has a spring to prop it up at an angle. It has good vertical visibility, but the viewing angle isn't as good from the side.
The HP OfficeJet 250 has a bad cartridge system. Its page yield for both black and color pages is very low, so you may need to replace the cartridges often. Fortunately, high-yield cartridges are available and will last longer. While the printer accepts third-party cartridges as well, using them may void the warranty.
Update 02/16/2022: The initial result for "Flatbed Scanner Size" was N/A, but it was updated to say "No Flatbed" instead.
The HP OfficeJet 250 has okay scanner features. Unlike the Canon PIXMA TR150, the HP has a sheetfed scanner, which is great for scanning and copying multiple pages at once. However, it doesn't have a flatbed scanner for fragile or thick items. Unfortunately, it can't perform duplex scans, so you need to flip over each page manually if you need to scan a double-sided document. On the upside, its copy resolution is at 600 DPI, which is higher than the usual 300 DPI of most printers.
Update 01/18/2022: The HP OfficeJet 250's ADF scanner produces tilted scans, even if the paper is properly aligned with the guides.
The HP OfficeJet 250 mobile has one rear input tray that supports most popular paper formats.
- Quick start guide
- Detachable power cord
- Chargeable printer battery
- HP Starter Cartridges
- 1x HP 62 Black
- 1x HP 62 Tri-color
It can print a lot of documents on a full charge, so you won't need to worry about running out of battery if you only need to print a few pages while on the go.
The HP OfficeJet 250 has an okay cost-per-print. Since it has a very low page yield, you may need to replace the cartridges very often, which can quickly exceed the cost of the printer.
Keep in mind that even if you print only in black, most inkjet printers continue using the color cartridge for servicing tasks, so you may still need to replace it eventually.
Update 01/18/2022: We retested this printer and wanted to give more information about the printing speed when used with its power cable compared to when used over battery power.
The HP OfficeJet 250's printing speed is bad, whether you print when it's plugged in or on battery. It prints black-only text documents very slowly, and color documents are slightly slower. Our test results in the review show the printing speed when the printer is plugged in; over battery, we received a speed of 1 PPM for both black-only and color documents. The first page took 37.8 seconds to print. Also, it can't automatically print double-sided, and we couldn't get the printer to notify us when to flip and reinsert the page.
Update 01/18/2022: While we were initially unable to print borderless, we tried again when retesting the printer, and we were able to do it successfully. We updated the review accordingly.
It has decent photo printing quality, with only some graininess, especially in light areas. Colors look well defined, but very dark areas tend to have a slight blueish tint. It supports borderless photo printing. We base our results on the actual physical photo, not the scanned image provided for reference above, which may not represent the printer's photo print quality.
The HP OfficeJet 250 mobile has disappointing color accuracy. Most colors look different from their originals, and the printer struggles especially with natural colors, blacks, and blues. That said, it's enough to add a splash of color to a document.
The HP OfficeJet 250 can print directly from a USB flash drive. It technically supports Bluetooth, but it's only for setup purposes, not for printing. When attempting to print via Bluetooth, the printer simply redirects users to the mobile app to connect to a wireless network.
You can use the HP Smart app to print photos and PDFs directly from your phone or tablet, as well as adjust the color and contrast settings for a scan. You can also verify ink levels and buy more cartridges. On the iOS version only, you can also print other common file types.