×

Hardware

CAMMJET CJ-500

30 Apr, 2003 By: Michael Lennox

---

Roland DGA

4 stars out of 5
The RolandCAMMJET CJ-500 is not only a printer-it's a sign-making machine that prints, cuts, and plots. The CJ-500 is part of an extensive line of sign-making machines, including the PRO, PRO II, and ColorCAMM models. Roland also makes printers that use solvent-based inks for outdoor longevity, cutters, and engravers.

The CAMMJET CJ-500 from Roland isn’t the fastest in the lot, but it offers the best print quality.

The largest of the printers reviewed, the CJ-500 can handle media ranging in width from 3.50-540. In addition to dye-based inks, archival-quality pigment-based inks are available for a projected indoor print lifespan of more than 100 years. The CJ-500 produces prints at resolutions up to 14403720dpi.

The CJ-500 excels at color reproduction, and you can use it for large-format digital proofing. Although the CJ-500 was the slowest of the printers reviewed when printing a photographic image, the results were arguably the finest. The quality of the image was attributable to the unique ability of the CJ-500 to use either light cyan and light magenta inks or orange and green inks, and also to Roland's ColorChoice software, a PostScript RIP provided with every CAMMJET.

In addition to inkjet printing, the CJ-500 has a built-in cutter. With the right media, this lets you print and then cut out just the parts you want.

The CJ-500 isn't limited to just cutting, though. You can put a pen in the knife holder and plot drawings, plot on top of existing drawings, maps, and images, or plot after printing.

If you're looking for the flexibility that a printer with a built-in cutter/plotter provides or a printer for producing prints with excellent color fidelity for signs or archival purposes, the Roland CAMMJET CJ-500 is worth considering.