HP 500 Ink
Designjet 500 Ink Cartridges

HP 500 Printer Review

The HP DesignJet 500 is an oversized inkjet printer aimed at graphic designers, schools and advertising companies. There are two different sizes offered, one that is 42" long and one that is 24". Obviously the bigger unit can print on more sizable pieces of paper, such as banners. The HP 500 is considered a plotter. It is slow and expensive and a pain to move around, but if a plotter is what you need, the 500 is a good find. It can only print up to 5 pages a minute using HP 500 ink but can get a resolution up to 1200x600dpi.

When the DesignJet 500 was first manufactured years ago, it was part of a movement in inkjet printers. They were growing increasingly popular, and HP wanted to stay ahead of the game. They did so by using printheads covered in nozzles that eject the HP 500 ink onto the paper in tiny droplets. The printhead then presses the printer ink onto the page. The high quality DesignJet 500 ink does not smudge or run, regardless of the type of paper used.

This inkjet unit houses 133 MHz Intel Premium processor and a standard sized memory of 16MB with the capability to upgrade to 160MB. It is compatible with Mac and Windows, and certified to work with Vista. Even though the DesignJet 500 is a bit older, it still has a HI-speed USB connection as well as the standard parallel port.

DesignJet 500 ink cartridges are easy to install and replace. They can be found from the original manufacturer or third party vendors at an affordable price. HP 500 ink cartridges hold twice the page yield as normal printer ink tanks, and the printheads can last up to 6 cartridges changes. It has an identical twin known as the DesignJet 500PS, which offers just a few more features but uses the same ink cartridge.