HP Designjet 500 Plus User's Guide
Introduction
This User’s Reference Guide explains how to use your D/A1 size or A0+/E+ size HP Designjet 500 Plus Printer.
The Introduction Tab contains these topics:
• Introducing the Documentation
Introduces your printer’s documentation.
• Introducing Your
Contains a brief overview of the printer. It contains information about the printer’s features and what is
included with the printer.
• Front View of Printer
Contains a view of the front of the printer showing the location of the printer’s consumable items.
• Printer Connections
Shows all the connections to the printer: power, parallel interface, USB and optional network interface.
HP Designjet 500 Plus Printer
Introducing the Documentation
You have the following resources to help you in using your HP Designjet 500 Plus printer.
•The Assembly and Set-up Poster comes with your printer and shows step-by-step information on how to
prepare your printer for use.
•This User’s Reference Guide explains the
details of using your printer. For more day-to-day
guidance you can refer to the Pocket Guide.
•The Pocket Guide can be found in a slot on the
right-hand side of the printer (as shown). It gives
information that you are most likely to need for
printer operation on a daily basis, such as
loading paper or replacing ink supplies.
• You can also visit us on our Web page:
www.hp.com/go/designjet
.
Pocket Guide location
Introducing Your HP Designjet 500 Plus Printer
• Your Printer’s Main Features
A general overview of the major features of your printer.
• HP Ink Supplies
A description of the HP Ink Supplies required for your printer.
• Print Resolution
Specifications of the print resolution for your printer.
• Media
A description of the different types of media available for your printer.
• User Interface
A description of the printer’s user interface.
• Memory
Details of internal memory and memory options available with your printer.
• Drivers
Details of the drivers delivered with your printer.
Your Printer’s Main Features
The HP Designjet 500 Plus printing system is specially designed for individuals or small work-groups in
Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) and mechanical CAD design.
For the complete printing solution, HP also offers a wide range of media including HP Heavyweight Coated Paper
with fade-resistant photo-quality output and HP High-Gloss Photo Paper for high-quality long-lasting prints that
produce a professional look and feel. And with the HP Complementary Media Program, HP provides users with a
wide spectrum of choice and flexibility in their media selection.
The HP Designjet 500 Plus printer comes in two sizes: A0+/E+ size (42 inches/1066.8 mm) and D/A1 size
(24 inches/609.6 mm) models. Both models have roll-feed capabilities and come with an HP-GL/2
Card. The A0+/E+ size model also includes legs and a media bin.
• Ultimate Photo Image Quality and Excellent Line Quality: The HP Designjet 500 Plus printer delivers ultimate
line quality with a true resolution of 1200×600-dpi, using HP’s color layering technology, which layers multiple
color ink drops on a single drop, on coated paper. This excellent line quality is achieved due to the fact that
each one-half inch/12.7mm printhead contains 304 nozzles, producing miniscule 18-picoliter black pigmented
ink drops and four picoliter color dye-based drops, that are idea for engineering and architectural applications.
In addition, the HP Designjet 500 Plus printer delivers excellent photo quality for renders and photographs,
providing continuous tones and smooth transitions.
• Unattendedness: The HP Designjet 500 Plus printing system includes a modular ink delivery system, with
69-cc cartridge capacity, and long life printheads which last, on average, through ten black ink cartridges and
six color ink cartridges, depending on use. This modular system allows users to replace individual ink supplies
separately, as needed and also provide automatic alignment and cutting and stacking of finished prints in the
media bin, enabling continuous and unattended printing. In addition, the HP Designjet 500 Plus printer
includes smart chips that are embedded into each individual printhead and ink cartridge that alert the user if it
time to replace the printhead and continuously monitor ink levels.
• Ease-of-use: The HP Designjet 500 Plus printing system is a true out-of the box solution and provides the
user with everything he or she needs to install and use the printer. The HP Designjet 500 Plus printer
includes a control-display panel for simple navigation, straightforward media loading and easy-to-install
drivers.
More…
Accessory
• HP Premium Printing Material: The HP Designjet 500 Plus A0+/E+ size and D/A1 size printing systems
accept a wide range of roll and sheet media from 24 inches/609.6 mm (D/A1 size) to 42 inches/1066.8 mm
(A0+/E+ size) wide including HP Satin Poster Paper, HP High-Gloss Photo Paper and HP Heavyweight
Coated Paper. In addition, the HP Designjet 500 Plus printer accepts a wide range of media for technical
applications.
• Complementary Media Program (CMP
): The CMP helps HP customers grow their businesses by referencing
third-party printing material choices to ensure maximum HP Designjet printer flexibility and printing solutions.
HP Ink Supplies
HP Ink Supplies for your printer contain two components: printheads and ink cartridges. Your HP Designjet 500
Plus printer uses the following HP Ink Supplies:
• Black Ink Cartridges are HP No 10 Supplies.
• Cyan, Magenta and Yellow Cartridges are HP No 82 Supplies.
• All Printheads are HP No 11 Supplies.
Each 600-dpi thermal inkjet printhead applies thousands of ink droplets onto the paper. The printer automatically
refills the printhead as it prints, enabling continuous uninterrupted printing. The ink is supplied to each printhead
from a separate large capacity ink cartridge.
There is more information available in a pamphlet which comes with the printheads and in Print Times for a
Selected Print Quality.
Print Resolution
Your HP Designjet 500 Plus printer provides two different print modes that change the print resolutions of each of
the print quality modes. These different print modes are optimized for: Line Drawings/Text or Images.
You can then choose between three levels of print quality for each of the print modes: Best, Normal or Fast from
your software or from the printer's front panel.
With the best mode selected you have an additional selection available to provide maximum detail for your printed
image by increasing the resolution of your job above the default resolution.
Print Quality Setting Optimized for Line Drawing/Text Optimized for Images
Resolution in dpi Resolution in dpi
Re0×nder Halftone Render Halftone
Fast 300×300 600×300 150×150 600×300
Normal 600×600 600×600 300×300 600×600
Best (default) 600×600 600×600 600×600 600×600
Best (maximum detail) 600×600 1200×600 600×600 1200×600
Use Fast to get draft copies of your prints at maximum throughput. Normal is optimized so that you get the best
line quality with the fastest throughput. Select Best if you want to get the best quality for images and renderings.
Media
You can print on roll media or sheet media up to 42 inches (1066.8 mm) wide with the A0+/E+ size HP Designjet
500 Plus printer and up to 24 inches (609.6 mm) with the D/A1 size model.
The following media types are supported on the HP Designjet 500 Plus printer:
• HP Bright White Inkjet Paper (Bond) • HP Paper-Based Semi-Gloss
• HP Vellum • HP Clear film
• HP Natural Tracing Paper • HP Translucent bond
• HP Coated Paper • HP Studio Canvas
• HP Heavyweight Coated Paper • HP Satin Poster Paper
• HP Matte film • HP Banners with Tyvek®
• HP High-Gloss Photo Paper • HP Colorfast Adhesive Vinyl
• HP Semi-Gloss Photo Paper
User Interface
The printer’s front panel includes an easy-to-use interface with a display, giving you access to a comprehensive
set of printer functions.
See Navigating the Menu System
description of internal prints.
, for a short tutorial to teach you how to navigate through the menus and a
Memory
The D/A1 size and A0+/E+ size HP Designjet 500 Plus printers come with 32 MB of internal Random Access
Memory (RAM). Additional memory can be added to the HP-GL/2
can add 64 MB (part number C2387A) or 128 MB (part number C2388A) of memory for large file processing and
improved printing.
Accessory card that came with your printer. You
Drivers
Always use the right driver (configured correctly) for the combination of your application software and your printer
to ensure that your printer prints exactly what you were expecting in terms of: size, position, orientation, color and
quality.
NOTE: Many software applications include their own drivers.
Your HP Designjet 500 Plus printer comes supplied with:
• Windows drivers
• Mac OS X drivers
• AutoCAD drivers for Windows
NOTE: If AutoCAD drivers are available for the specific AutoCAD release you are using, it is strongly
recommended that you install them to print from AutoCAD.
Front View of Printer
Ink Cartridge
Power
Switch/Indicator
Printhead
Front Panel
Printer Connections
Your HP Designjet 500 Plus printer can be
connected directly to your computer via the
traditional parallel interface or through the Universal
Serial Bus (USB
For Local Area Network (LAN
printer can be fitted with an optional HP JetDirect
Print Server Fast Ethernet 10/100 base TX network
interface card.
See the Assembly and Set-up Poster for information
on connecting your printer to a computer or network.
) port.
) connection your
Connection
Power socket
Parallel Port
USB Connection
Media & Ink
The D/A1 size and A0+/E+ size format HP Designjet 500 Plus Printers use a variety of media. The
recommended media are engineered to use with your printer and your printer’s ink system to give you the best
results.
The Media & Ink Tab contains these topics:
• Media Choice
needs is an essential step in ensuring good image quality.
• Roll Media
• Sheet Media
• Ink System
optimum use.
• Ink Cartridges
replacing ink cartridges.
• Printheads
and aligning printheads.
explains how to choose the correct media type. Choosing the correct paper type for your
details the procedures used for loading and unloading your roll media.
details the procedures used for loading and unloading your sheet media.
gives you an overview of the printer’s ink system, with some warnings and precautions for its
details the procedures used for: obtaining information, interpreting errors, checking levels and
details the procedures used for: obtaining information, interpreting errors, replacing printheads
Media Choice
• Choosing Paper or Other Media
Your printer supports several types of paper. Choosing the best paper type for your needs is an essential
step in ensuring good image quality. These topics help you to select the best media for your particular
printing task.
• Paper Types
Detailed information concerning the different types of media available for your printer. This includes
information on: the types of paper supported, their physical characteristics, quality selection, handling and
how to obtain information.
• Print Times for a Selected Print Quality
Typical Printing Times for color and black lines and images on different types of paper.
• Printable Area
The dimensions for all the printable areas for all paper and other types of media formats.
Choosing Paper or Other Media
For best printing results, use only genuine Hewlett-Packard paper or other type of media, whose reliability and
performance have been developed and thoroughly tested. All Hewlett-Packard printing components (printer, ink
system, and paper/other media) have been designed to work together to give trouble-free performance and optimal
image quality. For detailed information on Hewlett-Packard paper, see Paper Types
You should also take note of some important points about paper and other types of media:
• This printer supports many types of paper. However, the quality of some images may be reduced if you do not
use the correct paper for your application. For example, images with large regions of intense color, where
many ink drops are needed to fully saturate the color, will not print well on HP Bright White InkJet Paper. On
HP Coated paper
printheads, smearing your print and risking damage to the printhead. See Combinations of Media Type and
Print Quality Selection.
• Whenever you load a roll or a sheet, the printer’s front-panel display prompts you to specify the paper type
you are loading. It is absolutely essential to specify this correctly for good image quality. The Physical Charac-
teristics of Paper Types table gives you all the information you need. If paper is already loaded and you are
unsure which paper type was specified, go to the Paper Menu and press Enter; see Obtaining Roll or Sheet
Paper Information.
• Make sure the appropriate print-quality setting (Best, Normal or Fast) is selected. You can set the print qual-
ity either from your software or from the printer’s front panel (software driver settings override any print-quality
settings made on the front panel). The combination of paper type and print-quality settings tells the printer
how to place the ink on the paper—for example, the ink density, dithering method, and number of passes of
the printheads. For more details, see Combinations of Media Type and Print Quality Selection
• Included with this printer is the Hewlett-Packard Printing Materials catalog which gives ordering details for
Hewlett-Packard paper supplies. To get the latest version of this document, contact your local Hewlett-Packard Sales and Support office.
, the same images might cause the paper to wrinkle and then come into contact with the
.
.
Paper Types
The following topics address the various types of media available, their particular use and how to obtain
information about them.
• Physical Characteristics of Paper Types
Details the physical characteristics of each of the supported paper types.
• Combinations of Media Type and Print Quality Selection
Gives guidelines for selecting the correct Print Quality selection for the type of paper or other type of media
you are using.
• Handling Your Paper or Type of Media
Explains the precautions to take when handling paper or other type of media.
• Obtaining Roll or Sheet Paper Information
Physical Characteristics of Paper Types
The following table lists the physical characteristics and selection numbers of supported HP Premium Printing
Material. Always print on the image side with the special coating. Image side faces outward on roll products from
Hewlett-Packard.
Physical Characteristics of Paper and Other Media
HP Premium Printing Material
HP Bright White Inkjet Paper (Bond)
24 lb. (90g/m2) - 150 ft. (45m)
24 inch
610 mm
C1860A
C6035A
a
b
36 inch
914 mm
C1861A
C6036A
42 inch
1067 mm
a
b
HP Vellum C3862A C3861A
3 mil (75g/m2) - 150 ft. (45m)
HP Natural Tracing Paper C3869A C3868A
3 mil (90g/m2) - 150 ft. (45m)
HP Coated Paper C6019B C6020B
26 lb. (98g/m2) - 150 ft. (45m)
C6559B
C6567B
HP Heavyweight Coated Paper C6029C C6030C C6569C
35 lb. (130g/m2) - 100 ft. (30m)
HP Matte film 51642A 51642B
5 mil (198g/m2) - 120 ft. (36m)
HP High-Gloss Photo Paper C6813A C6814A
8 mil (207g/m2) - 100 ft. (30m)
Click on the Next Page Icon to see more Paper and Other Media Types
a
b
Physical Characteristics of Paper and Other Media (Continued)
HP Premium Printing Material
HP High-Gloss Photo Paper C3882A C3881A
6 mil (158g/m2) - 100 ft. (30m)
HP Semi-Gloss Photo Paper C3884A C3883A
6 mil (158g/m2) - 100 ft. (30m)
HP Paper-Based Semi-Gloss C6782A C6783A
6 mil (158g/m2) - 100 ft. (30m)
HP Clear film C3876A C3875A
4 mil (174g/m2) - 75 ft. (22m)
HP Translucent bond C3860A C3859A
3 mil (67g/m2) - 75 ft. (45m)
HP Studio Canvas C6771A
20 mil (368g/m2) - 35 ft. (10m)
HP Satin Poster Paper C7011A
5.5 mil (162g/m2) - 100 ft. (30m)
HP Banners with Tyvek® C6786A C6787A
10 mil (140g/m2) - 50 ft. (15m)
HP Colorfast Adhesive Vinyl C6775A
10 mil (140g/m2) - 50 ft. (15m)
a. Available in United States, Canada and Latin America
b. Available in Europe, Asia and Japan
24 inch
610 mm
36 inch
914 mm
42 inch
1067 mm
Additional Information About Paper Types
Additional Information About Paper Types
The following HP Premium Printing Material can be used to perform the printhead alignment, see Printhead
Alignment.
• HP Bright White Inkjet Paper (Bond)
• HP Coated Paper
• HP Heavyweight Coated Paper
• HP High-Gloss Photo Paper
• HP Satin Poster Paper
You can also use Plain Paper in addition to the above.
To order any of the HP Premium Printing Material, see the pamphlet Hewlett-Packard Printing Materials.
From time to time, new paper types may become available. For up-to-date information, please contact your
Hewlett-Packard dealer, local Hewlett-Packard Sales and Support Office or the Designjet Online
Web site.
Combinations of Media Type and Print Quality Selection
Use the following tables, given by application, to guide you when choosing your paper and selecting the print
quality setting (Fast, Normal, Best).
• CAD Drawings—Mono
• CAD Drawings and GIS—Color (Lines and low density)
• CAD Rendering, GIS and Images—Color and CAD (high ink density).
As a general guide:
• Fast is best for draft copies of your prints at maximum throughput
• Normal is optimized so that you get the best line quality with the fastest throughput
• Best is for when you want to get the best quality for images and renderings.
CAD Drawings—Mono
The following table lists the recommended print quality settings for specific usage with typical media.
Supported Paper Types—Mono
Usage Typical Media Selection Recommended Print Quality Setting
Drafts Plain Paper
Bright Inkjet Paper
Natural Tracing Paper
Translucent Bond
Final Versions Plain Paper
Bright Inkjet Paper
Natural Tracing Paper
Translucent Bond
Coated paper
Heavy Coated Paper
Matte Film
Clear film
Archives Vellum
Matte Film
Clear Film
Diazo Translucent Bond
Natural Tracing Paper
Vellum
Matte Film
Fast or normal
Normal or Best
Best
Normal or Best
CAD Drawings and GIS—Color (Lines and low density)
The following table lists the recommended print quality settings for specific usage with typical media.
Supported Paper Types—Color
Usage Typical Media Selection Recommended Print Quality Setting
Drafts Plain Paper
Bright Inkjet Paper
Natural Tracing Paper
Translucent Bond
Final Versions Plain Paper
Bright Inkjet Paper
Coated paper
Heavy Coated Paper
Matte Film
Clear film
Archives Matte Film
Clear Film
Transparencies Clear Film Normal or Best
Fast or Normal
Normal or Best
Best
CAD Rendering, GIS and Images—Color and CAD (high ink density)
The following table lists the recommended print quality settings for specific usage with typical media.
Supported Paper Types—Color and CAD
Usage Typical Media Selection Recommended Print Quality Setting
Matte Paper Heavy Coated Paper Normal or Best
Glossy High Gloss Photo Paper Normal or Best
Transparencies Clear Film Best
Handling Your Paper or Type of Media
Take the following precautions when handling paper or other type of media:
• Handle film and glossy paper by the edges or wear cotton gloves. Skin oils can interact with the ink and cause
it to smear.
• Although the ink systems supplied with this printer have good light fastness, colors will eventually fade or
change if exposed to sunlight over a long period of time.
• Rewrap partially used rolls if they are not being used and do not stack rolls.
• Always keep unused rolls in their plastic wrappings to prevent discoloration.
Obtaining Roll or Sheet Paper Information
If roll media or sheet media is loaded, the type of media is displayed when you select the Paper menu on the front
panel.
Bright White Inkjet Paper
Plain Paper
Vellum
Natural Tracing Paper
Translucent Bond
Clear Film
Matte Film
Coated Paper
Heavy Coated Paper
High-Gloss Photo
Canvas
Poster Paper
If there is no paper loaded the front panel display shows the following message and you will need to load roll or
sheet media.
Roll or Sheet
Print Times for a Selected Print Quality
The following table lists some typical printing times for D/A1 size paper.
Typical Printing Times
Print Quality Time (in seconds)
Mono Lines
on Bond
Fast 96 96 234 480
Normal 216 216 550 690
Best 360 285 940 990
Color Lines
on Coated
Paper
Images
on Coated
Paper
Images
on Glossy
Paper
More Printing Times
Printable Area
The following topics detail the printable areas for each of the different paper size systems:
• ANSI Paper
The American National Standards Institute imperial paper sizing system.
• Architectural Paper
The Architectural paper sizing system.
• ISO Paper
The International Standards Organization metric paper sizing system, which is the size system commonly
used in Europe.
ANSI Paper
The following table lists the printable area for the ANSI paper size system. The left and right margins are
0.2 inches (5 mm) and the leading and trailing edge margins are 0.7 inches (17 mm).
Where
:
Printable area Paper Size Margins–=
Printable Areas for ANSI paper
Printable area (width × height) by Image Orientation
Paper
size
A Portrait 9.7 8.1 8.1 9.7 245 206 206 245
B Portrait 15.7 10.6 10.6 15.7 398 269 269 398
C Portrait 20.7 16.6 16.6 20.7 525 422 422 525
D Portrait
E Portrait N/A
Orientation of
paper in
printer
Landscape 7.2 10.6 10.6 7.2 182 269 269 182
Landscape 9.7 16.6 16.6 9.7 245 422 422 245
Landscape 15.7 21.6 21.6 15.7 398 549 549 398
Landscape 20.7 33.6
Landscape
Landscape Portrait Landscape Portrait
Width Height Width Height Width Height Width Height
32.7 21.6 21.6 32.7 830 549 549 830
32.7 43.6 N/A 830 1108 N/A
Inches Millimeters
33.6 20.7 525 854 854 525
33.6 42.7 N/A 854 1084
Indicates this printable area is only available if you are using the A0+/E+ size format
HP Designjet 500 Plus printer
Architectural Paper
The following table lists the printable area for the Architectural paper size system.
The left and right margins are 0.2 inches (5 mm) and the leading and trailing edge margins are 0.7 inches
(17 mm).
Where:
.
Printable area Paper Size Margins–=
Printable Areas for Architectural paper
Printable area (width × height) by Image Orientation
Paper
size
C Portrait 22.7 17.6 17.6 22.7 576 447 447 576
D Portrait
E1 Portrait
E Portrait N/A
Orientation of
paper in
printer
Landscape 16.7 23.6 23.6 16.7 423 600 600 423
Landscape 22.7 35.6
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape Portrait Landscape Portrait
Width Height Width Height Width Height Width Height
34.7 23.6 23.6 34.7 880 600 600 880
40.7 29.6 29.6 40.7 1033 752 752 1033
28.7 41.6 41.6 28.7 728 1057 1057 728
34.7 47.6 N/A 880 1209 N/A
Inches Millimeters
35.6 22.7 576 904 904 576
35.6 46.7 N/A 904 1185
Indicates this printable area is only available if you are using the A0+/E+ size format
HP Designjet 500 Plus printer
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