HP DesignJet 30 Wide Format Graphics Printer (C7790D#A2L) by Hewlett-Packard

HP DesignJet 30 Wide Format Graphics Printer (C7790D#A2L)

Features

Maximum 2,400 x 1,200 optimized dpi color resolution

Up to 4 minutes per page in color; 6-ink technology

64 MB standard memory; from 3-by-5 to 13-by-19-inch media sizes

150-sheet input capacity, 50-sheet output capacity

USB 2.0 and parallel interfaces, 1 EIO slot, optional Ethernet; PC/Mac

Manufacturer Description
The HP DesignJet thirty wide-format six-color printer produces fade-resistant, photo-quality images, giving you stunning results print after print. Whether designs call for postcard-size images or full-color pages, this printer delivers the job affordably and reliably. Quick print speeds--up to 4 mpp for B size in normal mode--help you get the job done.

Color technologies from HP deliver reliable and accurate color. Automatic Closed Loop Color (CLC) calibration ensures reliable color consistency, while automatic PANTONE calibration, offset emulations, and CMYK plus support, available via an optional RIP, provide highly accurate and predictable color. HP Color Layering technology produces a range of colors and smooth tonal transitions. Six printheads and individual ink cartridges mean fewer ink changes and no waste. Drivers with special graphic options are optimized to support both Mac and Windows printing.

Features:

Fade-resistant, photo-quality images. The HP DesignJet thirty Series printing systems bring impressive photo quality to your images. New inks, designed together with HP Premium Plus Photo and HP Proofing Gloss papers, produce images that resist fading longer than traditionally processed photographs (1). Professionals can rest assured that the images they create will maintain their impact.
Rich color depth, minimal dot visibility and uniform gloss. A six-ink writing system combines HP color layering technology, 2400 dpi maximum resolution and a four-picoliter ink drop size for fine details, smooth tonal transition, a broad gamut of colors and gloss uniformity.
Media that shows off your ideas. With a wide range of HP media weights and types, you can choose the media type that best conveys your concepts. The HP DesignJet thirty Series printers can handle stock in weights up to eighty lb, as well as thick or rigid media (up to .015 inch). Choose from a variety of media finishes, including gloss, satin and matte.
See reliable, consistent color from print to print. The HP DesignJet thirty Series printers feature automatic closed-loop color calibration to provide consistent color, print-to-print and printer-to-printer.
Graphics drivers for Mac and Windows. Optimized drivers provide key features for creative professionals, including RGB ICC profile support and Apple ColorSync compatibility for color matching throughout your RGB workflow.
Optional RIPs for advanced color management. With optional Adobe PostScript 3 software RIPs, graphics customers have access to a wide array of HP color technologies, including automatic PANTONE (2) calibration, CMYK plus support and offset emulation for robust color management in a CMYK workflow.
See results and get client approval fast. Print images up to 4 mpp for B size (11 x 17 inches) in Normal mode, with fast color stability. Proofs and prints can be reviewed and approved in real time.
Easy setup for immediate productivity. Set up, connection and operation are easy in both Macintosh and Windows environments. Standard interfaces and optional network capability ensure smooth operation in virtually all environments.
Less interaction means more creating. Modular HP ink cartridges and printheads require minimal user intervention and infrequent maintenance. Reliable operation further enhances the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of this printing system.

Included with this Product
HP DesignJet thirty printer, power cord, USB cable, six printheads, six print cartridges, input/output tray, macroinstaller, user documentation CD, setup poster, Quick Start Guide, media samples, customer care document

Notes: (1)Preliminary results from tests conducted by Wilhem Imaging Research, Inc. indicate that prints made with HP 85 ink cartridges and HP Premium Plus Photo and HP Proofing Gloss paper may be displayed indoors under glass for approximately seventy years before noticeable fading and staining will occur. See www.wilhelm-research.com for details. (2) Pantone, Inc.'s check-standard trademark for color.

Product Description
The HP Designjet thirty series wide-format, six-color printing systems produce fade-resistant, photo-quality images, giving you stunning results print after print. Whether designs call for postcard-size images or full-color pages, this printer delivers the job affordably and reliably. Quick print speeds up to 4mpp for /B size in Normal mode help you get the job done. Color technologies from HP deliver reliable and accurate color. Automatic Closed Loop Color (CLC) calibration ensures reliable color consistency, while automatic Pantone calibration, offset emulations, and CMYKplus support, available via an optional RIP, provide highly accurate and predictable color. HP Color Layering technology produces a range of colors and smooth tonal transitions. Six printheads and individual ink cartridges mean fewer ink changes and no waste. Drivers with special graphics options are optimized to support both Mac and Windows printing.

Reader Reviews
I'm a graphic designer, and I use my designjet for presentation materials, portfolio pieces, etc. I work on a Mac (500Mhz G4 w/OS 10.3) I've had this printer for a few months, using it about once a week. So far, I've been pretty satisfied with it. I was considering an Epson r2400 instead, and I think I made the right choice. The quality is great. The speed is slow, but not too agonizing. (PDFs print noticeably faster, and I imagine a good software RIP could help even more.) Spooling is surprisingly speedy considering the USB 1.0 connection, and I rarely see the printer paused waiting for data. Prints dry thoroughly in less than a minute, even on gloss stocks. I wish the driver had better support for postcript, but at least files from postscript apps will print (and the quality is passable... just a bit lower resolution than I'd like, and the colors are sometimes off a bit). I've heard complaints about the newest epsons having major difficulties with native indesign or illustrator files without a third-party rip. I like the built-in paper-based color calibration feature, and the fact that (unlike epsons), I don't have to waste time and ink cleaning the printhead everytime I start it up. It seems to be pretty consistent, and unlike my HP officejet, it rarely jams, and printing rarely fails altogether. I can put a stack of sheets in the tray, send a large, multipage document to print, and walk away confident that all pages will feed and print without issues. I do, however, frequently have minor errors the first time I try to print to it after first starting it up. Usually it's a simple paper feed error, in which I simply have to hit a button on the front of the machine to get it to continue. Other times it's an "i/o error", "printhead error", or "connection failure", forcing me to restart the printer. But when this happens, it is usually easily corrected, and the spooler holds onto the job so I can easily get back on track. I've worked at several ad agencies with canon color lasers and/or large-format epsons... my designjet (so far) has been far less tempermental than those. Like my officejet, the paper tray is pretty flimsy and cheap, but once you get the paper in place, the designjet is very precise, and I've had good results printing two-sided, just by flipping the sheet and sending it back through, with no adjustments to the art. I also appreciate the fact that HP posts on its site documentation about cost-per-print, and offers a forum for users. All manufacturers should do this. But it really annoys me that there isn't a demo version of their postscript software. For $200, that's quite a gamble. So, so far, my pros: - good color quality, even with pantones, grays and very light tints. - good postscript output, when printing a pdf - can print directly from all adobe cs programs (see notes on vector ouput) - ink cartridges and printheads are efficient and long-lasting; very little cleaning of printheads required, even if you let the printer set for weeks unused; six seperate cartridges AND six seperate prinheads - prints dry pretty quick, and after drying are fairly durable (they don't smudge or scratch too easily) - no issues with mac compatibility so far - pretty quiet printing (if you're on a very sturdy table to avoid shaking) - good, precise paper feeding from all 3 paper paths, including a tray for large quantities, a single-sheet front feed slot, and a flat feed slot in back for heavier stocks And cons: - way, way too big (28" wide; 27" deep with tray extended; 21" tall with door open) - you'll need a VERY sturdy table to avoid it shaking back-and-forth during printing - loud fan - pretty slow (but prints considerably faster from pdf than from native programs) - color calibration only allows setups for a very limited, pre-defined list of HP papers - cartridges and printheads are UNBELIEVABLY expensive (almost $500 for the complete set!) - frequent printing and paper-feed errors at startup... usually easily fixed, but still annoying - LCD display is hard to decifer without the manual; errors are defined with imprecise icons and an odd barcode-like coding system, rather than a number or (god forbid) english! And for added confusion, the "barcodes" never seem to exactly match the illustrations in the manual. - driver does a less-than-stellar job with postscript output; HP sells a $200 software rip, but offers no demos or trial versions to test it out; printer is supported by most third-party solutions, but most are more expensive than the printer itself - doesn't put itself to sleep when idle or automatically startup when you send a file to print - the cheap paper tray is difficult to adjust, which makes channging paper sizes inconvenient - wish it had a roll feed option And things I don't know yet: - haven't tried non-HP papers or inks - haven't tried a third party postscript software rip - haven't tried extra heavy stocks - don't know about PC compatibility - don't know about longevity of prints (most of my stuff only needs to last a day or so) - haven't had to deal with HP technical support (yet) Comment | | (Report this)

List Price: $1,410.72
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Updated on 6-4-2008.