Designjet 1050c Plus

Large-format color printer

From pen plotters to laser and inkjet printers, Hewlett-Packard has consistently set the bar, and it continues to serve the design and engineering communities well with superior large-format printers. The Designjet 1050c Plus is a versatile and user-friendly large-format inkjet printer that meets the various needs of CAD professionals.

Capable of handling sheets as small as A4 (8.3") and as large as 36" wide, the Designjet 1050c Plus produces excellent results on media ranging from paper to vellum and Tyvek to vinyl. With the availability of standard 24" and 36" rolls, lengths up to 300' or even 900' with a multi-roll feeder are possible. With roll media, the printer's queue and nesting features save paper. To handle the amount of data associated with large documents, the printer comes with 64MB of memory standard and supports up to 256MB. To further augment the capabilities of the Designjet 1050c Plus, a 2GB hard drive is available separately.

The Designjet 1050c Plus provides superior print quality with black-and-white print resolutions up to 1200×600dpi and color up to 600×600dpi. In Fast mode, the Designjet 1050c Plus produces line drawings in 45 seconds and full color images at 200 square feet per hour. At best quality, it produces full color images at 70 square feet per hour (or an 11" × 17" image in about a minute).

The Designjet 1050c Plus from Hewlett-Packard continues to lead the pack in large-format printing technology.

Setup is easy and quick-it took me less than an hour. The Designjet 1050c includes clearly printed guides, but even better, the control panel provides instructions at every step. Once the plotter is put together, the menus tell you when to install the printer heads, the four ink cartridges, and the head cleaners. All of the pieces are clearly labeled and are designed to minimize mistakes. You can also watch a video of the installation on CD-ROM.

Driver installation is also straightforward. To optimally configure the printer, the installation software provides a step-by-step wizard that guides you through the Windows configuration dialog boxes. It includes drivers for Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT 4.0/2000/ME, as well as AutoCAD Releases 13-2000. You can send TIF and JPG files from UNIX, Linux, and Windows NT 4.0 using the included ZEHRaster Plus software. A booklet provided with the printer contains helpful tips for printing from engineering and graphics applications such as MicroStation, Pro/ENGINEER, and Photoshop.

You can connect the Designjet 1050c to your existing network using the built-in JetDirect Print Server port. The JetDirect port supports several network protocols, including TPC/IP, IPX/SPX, DLC/LLC, and Appletalk. Once you connect the printer to the network, you can manage and view many of the network settings remotely. The printer also includes a parallel port to connect to a print server or stand-alone workstation.

For printing line drawings and photorealistic renderings, handling one sheet at a time or running all night unattended, the Designjet 1050c Plus is a versatile and capable performer.