Monday 18 May 2015

HP Plotter | HP Large Format Printer T520

HP Printer large format T520
The entry level plotter for the low volume user[/caption] In this blog post i wish to examine the HP Plotter the Designjet T520 in complete depth. We will talk about the 4 main components that make choosing the right plotter essential. These are as follows:
  1. Category of printer
  2. Build quality
  3. Technological advances/features
  4. Ink Consumption/consumables
At the end of this blog post you will be able to correctly determine if this machine is suitable for your organization. It will cover all the essential points needed for an effective and wise decision. So let us begin this review of the Designjet T520
  1. Category of printer:
    • This printer is categorized as an entry level printer for the user who has low volume of print outs
    • It is available in two sizes that would be the 24 inches and the 36 inches
    • If you print volume is high then this machine may not be able to keep up with the speed required for volume prints
    • Typical Prints speeds that are achievable are 35 seconds for an A1 print (color/mono)
  2. Build Quality:
      • The build quality of this printer is a combination of plastic and metal components.
      • The machine is light weight and easy to transport from one location to another.
      • At the outset it does feel a little too plastic however upon reviewing the video below it does not affect the performance of the machine.
      • If your looking for something extremely rugged or in conditions which are harsh this may leave you wanting more.
      • The touch screen is great and its very responsive to the touch.

  3. Technological Advances:
    • There are numerous technological advances that the T520 Desingjet has to offer.
    • WiFi Connectivity this is the only printer in the CAD and Reprographic range that offers full WiFi connectivity
    • This means in a fully WiFi connected office there is no need for any pesky wires to be running about.
    •  This allows users the freedom to send jobs over their wireless network and even through the cloud for cloud printing
    • Job Processing is also good with its 1 gb ram for fast data processing
    • It is important to note that the T520 is the only large format plotter available with this ram capability.
    • A plotter that is equipped with this amount of ram means that the processing is faster.
    • One thing to note is that print speed should be calculated by job processing + actual print speed which i will write about later.
    • The screen is equipped to let users clearly see what is being printed, in the preview screen
    • Bypass tray is equipped to handle A4 and A3 print out capability
    • This means you can seamlessly print A4 and A3 drawings without the stress of changing the roll that has been loaded.
    • DPI: 2400 x 1200 optimized dpi meaning that fine lines and details are clearly and easily distinguished
    • Connectivity is done through Ethernet, WiFi and USB so you will have many options to choose between connections
  4. Ink Consumption:
    • The HP Designjet T520 is unique in its method of deploying inks..very unique indeed.
    • Unlike most large format plotters that pumps the inks through the internal tubes.
    • This plotter does not do so, what it in fact does is a direct from ink tank to print head to paper configuration
    • This means inks doesn't run through any unnecessary tubing which allows for evaporation.
    • Less evaporation and no maintenance ink tank means that your consumables to buy are much less
    • The ink tanks however are smaller in capacity roughly about 38ml for a black cartridge and 29ml for the color
    • The good thing however is that there are only 4 colors to print CMYK.
    • This means that unlike most other HP and Canon plotters you only need to purchase 4 ink cartridges.
    • This makes it a very efficient machine when it comes to printing, though you may need a set of cartridges around as a spare in case of running out.
    • Print head which is an expensive component of a plotter this machine promises a long print head life with no print head change over the natural lifetime of your printer.
    • This above point about the print head is vital for those customers who do not wish to change the print head so frequently as it is an added cost to do so.
    • Having a machine that allows for a long life print head is the most ideal situation for any customer or office.
Video Presentation of the HP Designjet Plotter T520:


Summary :
  • If your looking for a good feature rich entry level plotter you cannot go wrong with the HP T520 Designjet.
  • It covers almost all the requirements that most firms will want in a plotter machine.
  • HP embraces new technologies that at the end of the day provides a convenience to the customer.
  • In terms of its price it may be slightly very slightly higher then the nearest competitor but carefully look at the features and consumables
  • The absence of a waste ink tank means less consumables to purchase
  • All in all if you have 2-3 design staff and print volumes are not high then this is a very good choice for you.
  • This machine also can print on a variety of media such as photo paper, tracing etc however if you company requires full blown renderings and full color prints then i will be against recommending this machine to you; as you will be replacing the inks rather frequently
So i hope this has explained key points in detail and you have found this information useful, to learn more please visit www.largeformatspecialist.com.sg , email me : marco@uscgp.com or give me a call at 62783110 for more information.

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