HP 3520 or DeskJet 3755? The Total-Cost HP Printer Guide (No Derivative Calculator Needed)

For most small offices, the cheapest HP printer is the one that costs the most. I know that sounds backwards, but after five years of managing office purchasing, I've stopped looking at the shelf price. If you're choosing between the HP 3520 printer and the HP DeskJet 3755 compact all-in-one wireless printer, the first number to find is total cost per page, not the printer's price. Never buy a printer based only on hardware price; base it on total cost per page over three years. And you don't need a derivative calculator for that - just honesty about how your team actually works.

I'm an office administrator for a 40-person company. I manage roughly $60k in annual buying across eight vendors, and I report to operations and finance. That's why I can't shrug when a 'great deal' printer shows up in my queue. I have to explain the follow-up costs.

Why I Stopped Buying the Lowest-Price Printer

When I took over purchasing in 2020, this office had four printers from three different brands. No one could tell me the ink cost per page. I didn't know it then, but that was the real problem.

In my first year, I made the classic price-comparison error: I approved a printer because the sticker was $30 cheaper. It didn't have automatic duplexing. Nobody wanted to flip pages manually, so the printer sat unopened in a supply closet. That was $89 spent on a box that annoyed everyone.

Another time I 'saved' $80 by skipping a version with an automatic document feeder. Our executive assistant then spent two days scanning 300 pages one sheet at a time. The labor cost was far higher than the $80 I saved on the machine.

What I mean is, the purchase order doesn't end when the device arrives. It ends a year later, after you've replaced the cartridges, handled the 'wireless is disconnected again' tickets, and tested the scanner that was working yesterday. That's the total cost. The printer itself is just the down payment.

Searching 'hp-printer' on a procurement site gives you a wall of models. The real question isn't which one has the biggest feature list; it's which one stops causing support tickets.

The Formula I Keep on a Sticky Note

Basically, total cost per page = (printer cost + supplies + maintenance + support time) / total pages you'll print in the device's life.

Three things matter more than the printer model: ink yield, paper path, and support time. In that order.

Roughly speaking, that formula is arithmetic. You don't need a derivative calculator. The hard part is estimating the 'total pages' part, because offices overestimate it when they buy the machine and underestimate it when they buy supplies.

Ink Is Where the Budget Goes

Ink and toner are where the real money lives. Per FTC guidelines (ftc.gov), claims like 'recyclable' must be substantiated. So I don't buy based on the green label. I compare page yield and check the return program. A cartridge that costs a few more dollars but prints twice the pages is usually the lower-cost choice.

HP 3520 vs DeskJet 3755: What I'd Consider

The HP 3520 printer is older and has a larger footprint. It was built for a slightly higher workload than the DeskJet 3755. The HP DeskJet 3755 compact all-in-one wireless printer is genuinely small and easy to put on a shelf. For a light user, it's a decent little machine.

Which one should you buy? If your team prints fewer than 30 pages a day, the DeskJet 3755 is probably enough. If you need to scan or copy larger documents, you'll want the 3520 or something newer with an automatic document feeder. But my real answer is: calculate the cartridge cost first. If the replacement cartridges cost half the price of the printer and last only 200 pages, that's a red flag.

When a Photo Printer Beats a General-Purpose Inkjet

A standard inkjet can print photos, but that doesn't make it a photo printer. A 4x6 photo uses a lot of color ink, and the cost per print is usually higher than people expect. A dedicated photo printer - especially dye-sublimation - uses a different consumable set and can produce a print for a lower per-sheet cost.

I have mixed feelings about photo printers. On one hand, they're a no-brainer for real estate, marketing, or event teams. On the other hand, they take up space and need regular use to keep the nozzles clear. If your team prints fewer than 50 photos a month, an online lab or local print shop will probably be cheaper.

How to Add a Printer Without Losing the Afternoon

Let's get to the practical part. The actual 'how to add printer' steps are short. In Windows: Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Add a printer. On a Mac: System Settings > Printers & Scanners > Add Printer. Pick the HP from the list and wait. If it doesn't show up, put both devices on the same network, restart the printer, and try again.

Don't hold me to this, but I'd guess half of our printer tickets are solved by moving the printer closer to the Wi-Fi router. The click path is rarely the problem. It's the laptop with a different driver version or a group policy that blocks discovery. That support time is part of the TCO too.

Where This Total-Cost Logic Stops

This framework isn't for everyone. If you print 5,000 pages a month, an entry-level inkjet is the wrong answer before you finish reading this paragraph. A laser printer or a higher-volume business inkjet will make the per-page math better even with a higher upfront price.

And if your finance team needs exact numbers, don't rely on my ballpark examples. Get a quote, estimate page volume, and ask for the page yield in writing. That's not overkill; it's the difference between a purchase and a mistake.