HP Z9000 Ink
Designjet Z9000 Ink Cartridges

HP Z9000 Printer Review

The HP Designjet Z9000 is a large format inkjet printer that is designed for photo production environments. Its large, bulky frame will be a challenging fit, but it has quick speeds of up to 1500 square feet per hour in fast mode. Its output quality is top notch and it handles a variety of wide media, but buyer will pay a lot for HP Z9000 printer ink over the life of the machine.

The Z9000 handles media rolls up to 60 inches in width, or as narrow as 11 inches, which provides a wide range for users. Lacking the standard USB port many users might expect, it does include a Gigabit ethernet port for fast transfer speeds. Combined with an included 320 GB hard drive, this allows the machine to produce an ISO N5 page in as little as 18 seconds, which is impressive speed.

Wide format support means much larger machines, and the Z9000 is no exception. It measures 53.9x95.7x27.2 inches, and with the Designjet Z9000 printer ink installed, it weighs a hefty 419 pounds. Thankfully, it includes a wheeled printer stand for easier maneuvering. The spindle and take-up reel are included in the box as well, and the unit includes an automatic cutter to save users some extra work.

With six inkjet supplies included and the option to use up to eight HP Z9000 ink cartridges, expenses can skyrocket quickly. The extra Designjet Z9000 ink cartridges make for better black-and-white images, so all users may not need them. Nevertheless, the cost of HP Z9000 ink is quite high, even for large format devices.

There is no denying the high quality of the images produced by the HP Z9000, nor its excellent media support and fast speeds. With such a high price tag, however, most buyers won't even begin to give it much consideration.