New HP Designjet 5500 Large Format Printer

September 2002 -Providing speedy turnaround with uncompromising image quality is vital for print service providers (PSP's), GIS professionals and those in the graphics industry. To meet this need, HP just introduced the HP Designjet 5500, a new large-format printer combining high productivity, image quality and simplified operation for streamlined workflows and unattended printer operation.

The HP Designjet 5500, a follow-on to the popular HP Designjet 5000, is the first large-format device to offer direct file submission via the Web. Using HP Designjet WebAccess, users can submit up to seven file formats, including Adobe ® PDF, TIFF and JPEG, without the need for a driver or the application. It also offers a new 40 GB hard disk drive so that files can be permanently stored and maintained in the printer.

"The printer's performance is outstanding from all points of view," says Maria Pla, head of automatic cartography at the Insitut Cartografic de Catalunya, the official mapping agency of the government of Catalonia in Spain. "The image quality is exceptional and turnaround is incredibly fast. Plus, the printer is easy to integrate into our work environment."

To enhance productivity, the Designjet 5500 printer offers new production print modes for high-speed, professional, ready-to-sell or distribute images. Arnau Sallent, general manager of Propaganda, a print service provider in the food sector, is particularly impressed. "The new printer's performance is outstanding. Powerful processing power and extremely fast print speeds using the new production print mode meets our requirement for high volume printing of large-format point-of-purchase materials."

An innovative heater, coupled with the production print modes, provides maximum performance without sacrificing image quality. Remote printer management is also made fast and easy from any standard Web browser through HP Designjet WebAccess. WebAccess gives users the ability to conveniently manage and configure alerts for printer status or ink and media usage information.

The HP Designjet 5500 series supports a wide range of printing material, too -- from CAD media to the new Instant Dry Glossy and 225-foot Heavyweight Coated productivity printing material. Dye-based inks and pigment-based UV inks are also available and interchangeable in the HP Designjet 5500 printer's six-color modular ink system.

"This new series is ideally suited for today's high-pressure design and printing environments," says Manel Martinez, large-format marketing operations manager, Inkjet Commercial Division. "The large-format Designjet 5500 printer provides stunning output at high speeds to meet the needs of a wide variety of businesses who want to maintain their competitive edge."

Key enhancements for the HP Designjet 5500 include:

Increased productivity

• Production print modes provide ready to sell, high quality output at 100 square feet/hour on glossy media and 189 square feet/hour on coated printing material
• Fast data transmission speeds through HP Jetdirect 615n print server (up to 4.5 megabytes per second)
• New productivity category media support
• Up to two times the performance in total print time versus the Epson Stylus Pro 10000 at maximum image quality
• Up to two times the performance of the predecessor HP Designjet 5000 printer in day-to-day production image quality modes.

Direct driverless printing path

• Driverless printing workflow through new Web file submitter for easy connectivity in multi-platform environments
• Up to seven internal languages - unique embedded Adobe PDF1.3(2) printing path solution as well as TIFF, JPEG, PS3(2), CALS/G4, HP RTL and HP-GL/2 Languages
• 40GB hard disk used for permanent storage eliminates re-sending time

Ink and media flexibility for CAD and graphics applications

• Support for CAD media, including Bright White, coated paper for line drawings, clear film and vellum
• Smaller margin requirements (5mm) to support CAD applications

Additional features include:

• Choice of RIP-ready or embedded Adobe PostScript RIP models
• Top speed at 569 square feet/hour
• Six-ink, CMYKcm color
• HP Color Layering Technology creates continuous tones and smooth color transitions
• Automatic closed-loop color calibration ensures consistency, print after print
• Brilliant output at 1200x600 dpi
• Offset emulations for EuroScale, SWOP, DIC, TOYO and JMPA and ICC profiles for Microsoft Windows and Mac
• Up to 256MB RAM memory
• Modular ink delivery system supports both dye-based and pigment-based UV inks
• 42-inch and 60-inch printing

Warranty
One-year on-site warranty with upgrade and extension options available.

Pricing and Availability
The HP Designjet 5500 series is expected to be available this fall for the following estimated U.S. list prices, actual prices may vary:

HP Designjet 5500 42-inch $10,495
HP Designjet 5500 60-inch $18,495
HP Designjet 5500ps 42-inch $13,995
HP Designjet 5500ps 60-inch $22,495
HP Designjet 5500 UV 42-inch $10,495
HP Designjet 5500 UV 60-inch $18,495
HP Designjet 5500ps UV 42-inch $13,995
HP Designjet 5500ps UV 60-inch $22,495

Information about HP and its products can be found at http://www.hp.com.

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