12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Large Format - Large Possibilities!
Date of Review: Jun 28, 2004
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for a large-format printer, this is a fantastic unit to get you started!
I've had an HP DesignJet 500 for a couple of years now (don't know why I didn't think to write a review... duh!) but let me say that this is just about the most versitile printer that I've worked with, as far as output options.
I use mine for printing blueprints from AutoCad, posters from CorelDraw, and even schedules for events from Excel!
OK... let's talk about some of the features.
1) It's big... it will print up to 42" wide by 150' long!
2) It has a built-in cutter
3) Print heads can be easily changed (and aren't too expensive... somewhere about $15 each), and ink seems to last FOREVER.
4) It's relatively quiet
5) It's networkable
6) Print output is fantastic!
Now, for a couple of other ideas I've had.....
You ever go out and price those banners? Well, you can get rolls of vinyl that will go right into this printer, and dye-based ink, and make waterproof banners at a fraction of the cost! (I've actually been considering buying one of these personally and doing banners for people... it would pay for itself pretty quickly!)
Here's some of the cooler features about the printer.
* It does an auto-calibration... it prints a pattern and looks at it with an electric eye and calibrates it's heads itself.
* It has a built-in cutter... so after you feed your roll of paper in and it prints, it nips off the paper.
* It can take pretty much any type and size of paper (up to 42" wide)... I've printed on 8 1/2 x 11 photo paper, all the way up to huge banners.
* Output quality is great; I've done several full-color posters I've laid out in CorelDraw. They look like they came from a printing press.
* Changing ink is easy (flip up a cover on top, pull out the cart, drop in a new cart, close the cover). Ink monitoring seems to be pretty accurate, with a nice display right on the unit to tell you:
o what print job is running
o Ink levels
o Prompts for paper loading, etc.
If you order one of these bad-boys, though, be aware of the following:
o Either have a bunch of people on hand, or a loading dock... they don't come UPS... they come on a pallet.
o Have at least one other person to help assemble it, and a couple of hours to spare.
o Use GOOD paper to do your calibration... I was impatient and tried to get it going with some newsprint, and that didn't work. It gave me errors because the "Eye" couldn't see the colors.
o Leave enough room that you can get AROUND the unit. I have mine in a corner, and have to wrestle with 42" wide rolls of paper over the top to load it. Much easier if you can walk all the way around it.
Overall, I'm very happy with this unit. It has proved versatile and the output opens people's eyes.
--Greg
