Hewlett Packard, Wide Format Media.

If you have a Hewlett-Packard wide format printer, what wide format media should you select? Our HP DesignJet 2800CP just arrived. Hewlett-Packard intelligently sent enough media so we would not be inspired to seek aftermarket paper. I was pleasantly surprised at the wide range of media offered by HP. You can even select specific media and get a written 3M guarantee for how long it will actually hold its color (3M works together with HP on this aspect).

Almost all companies made media for HP printers. Much of this media is of fine quality, but be sure to test a roll before you order too much of an unknown product. We tested a roll of a non-HP media and the colors simply weren't as good. This may be a result of the fact that HP color profiles are already built in for HP's own media. When you put a strange outside media on an HP printer, if you don't have the ICC profile for that media, the color may turn out strange, as happened with us last week.

Fola-Jet, transparent, self-adhesive, Folex, folex.com.

Fola-Jet, opaque white, self-adhesive, Folex, folex.com.

Inkjet paper, self-adhesive, Sihl, shil.ch.

TAL-IJ, transparent, self-adhesive, TAL Papers & Films, tal-paper.com.

TAL-IJ, matte photopaper, self-adhesive, TAL Papers & Films, tal-paper.com.

TAL-IJ, high gloss photo paper, self-adhesive, TAL Papers & Films, Berkeley, CA, tal-paper.com.

TAL also makes polyester, silver film, transferpaper, etc; e-mail [email protected].

opaque white paper, self-adhesive, Avery Dennison, averydennison.com.

Rexam Graphics mades a variety of media for the Hewlett-Packard wide format printers, DesignJet 750, DesignJet 755, HP 2500 and HP 3500, HP DesignJet 2800CP and DesignJet 3800CP.

Hewlett-Packard is not making its UV pigmented inks available for the HP 5000ps since Spring 2001. This new ink is specially formulated to show its widest color gamut when using HP media that is especially made for the media. Other companies have not yet had the new inks long enough to make their media handle the new inks. Thus in instances such as this you might consider HP's own media.

For additional information and for help making your decision, ask for the "FLAAR report on signs, posters, banners" (specify whether for indoor signs or outdoor signs in the rain and sun) or for the FLAAR report on "Piezo vs Thermal printheads, fact vs fiction, pros and cons of each kind of inkjet printhead."

You can also ask for the report on "Media and Inks for Photo-Realistic and Fine Art Giclee," or "Media and Inks for Sign Printing with Large Format Inkjet." If you own or are about to buy an HP printer, be sure to try the HP media; but you might also enjoy experimenting with what is available in the "HP List of Complimentary Media" (media which is certified for use with HP DesignJet printers).

Most recently updated June 21, 2003.
Previous updates: August 02, 2001.