By: Erik Vlietinck
Tue, June 08, 2004 - 12:31:00
Pros: 0

Score:

The HP DesignJet 30 is the successor of the DesignJet 20. Both DesignJets are medium-format inkjet printers. The larger inkjet in this range is the DesignJet 130, which I couldn’t test by lack of space. However, the DesignJet 130 is basically the same printer, only capable of larger paper formats and equipped with a paper roll for easy continuous printing.
The DesignJet 20 was positioned by HP as an inexpensive proofer. HP has been very successful in the proofing area with their HP DesignJet 5500 which has won a number of prestigious awards. However, these smaller inkjet proofers were not that successful. The DesignJet 30/130 (I will refer to the 30 in future; it is understood this shall refer to both 30 and 130 models) is to change all that.

For starters, the DesignJet 30 is not positioned as a proofer only. Instead, HP chose to attack Epson heads-on and call this 6-ink printer a photo printer / proofer. With 2400 dpi and new inks to match, the DesignJet 30 is to take on Epson in the professional photo printing market as well as offer a very tempting inkjet proofer to printers.

Over the course of a few months, I will be testing the DesignJet 30 under various circumstances, and I will attempt to write the most in-depth possible review of this printer possible. The first part that is before you, covers the printer's hardware and software. The model that I received from HP to test is the 30n; the "n" is the network designator. I tested the DesignJet 30n with a Power Mac G5. The DesignJet 30 comes with HP's own software RIP, while some models also come with EFI/Best's Designer Edition RIP.

The EFI/Best RIP was only available for Mac OS X until EFI took over Best. After a short year, the Designer RIP is now also available on Windows, which makes working with the DesignJet 30 almost completely platform-independent. The review you are about to read is therefore just as valid when the DesignJet is attached to a PC. Except for HP and EFI/Best, the DesignJet 30 can be used with KPG MatchPrint, EFI ColorProof, Dupont ChromaPro, Agfa Heidelberg's MetaDimensions GMG, and finally for contract proofing, there is Star Proof EFI Screen Proof, and Serendipity's Black Magic.

HP sent me a sample of their new papers as well. There is Photo Matte, Premium Plus Photo and Proofing Gloss, and Premium Plus Photo Satin. The heaviest stock in the sample that I received is 286 grams per square meter. The printer looks almost identical as the 20 model but the colour and plastic finish of the casing differs. Unpacking the printer reveals a software CD, a power cord, a long (10 feet) USB cable, electronic manuals on CD, a paper tray, a paper feed tray that is extensible for paper up to A3+, and six ink tanks.

The 30n also has a JetDirect printer server installed. This network card is ZeroConf compatible, meaning it will work with Rendezvous on a Mac OS X machine. This only became apparent to me as I started up Printer Setup. The application immediately went searching for the printer and returned its hardware name and a warning that no drivers were available. At the time of arrival of the DesignJet 30n, HP was still ironing out bugs (and patches to go around Mac OS X bugs) from its RIP. So, the first thing I did, was install the DesignJet "office" drivers. These do not offer much in terms of printing control for professional usage such as RIPping and workflow, but they are quite sufficient to see what the printer is capable of in office circumstances.

Nevertheless, the office driver is only worth installing if you are not going to use the DesignJet 30n for anything else then printing office documents in colour. That seems a bit of a waste to me, especially since the RIP gives you so much more control over what is happening. The HP RIP has a simple setup. It has only one window and a watch folder that you can have visible on the desktop all the time. The first thing you (should) do when running the RIP is calibrating the DesignJet 30. The calibration is specific to every separate paper type. So with each paper type you use, you should calibrate again.

New to this calibration process, which is completely automated and is performed by the printer internally, is that calibration success is visibly communicated by a checkmark in one of the corners of the calibration sheet. After calibration has been performed for each type of paper you want to use, the printer is ready to accept jobs. Furthermore, the DesignJet 30 supports Pantone calibration, CMYKPlus, and offset emulation with some of the high-end RIPs available.

The first results that I could visually check looked very good. Photographs are printed with brilliant colours and, provided the colour settings of the application used are correct, the colours are visually correct. The ink dried very fast to the touch. After about 2 hours, the ink is also colour-shift free. From that moment on, the life expectancy of any colour print is seventy years under controlled circumstances. The DesignJet 30 accepts a maximum of 300 gram papers which are 0.4 mm thick.