HP Designjet Z3100 44-inch Photo Printer (Q6659A)
See it at Amazon.com for $5,258.00Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (5 out of 5)I would revise my rating to about 3
BE SURE YOU READ THE WHOLE REVIEW. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.
I got the ps GP model of this printer after about one and a half months wait. The printer wasn't in distribution yet when I ordered it from an HP reseller. While waiting for it I got the B9180.
The b9180 is very easy to operate, almost a no brainer and makes really great prints. This one however, for anything but the most basic photo/art printing takes a little bit more thought, but the results are nothing short of spectacular in my opinion. Why get a 44" printer? Why not? They cost a small fortune, ok, a used car, but they are very cheap per square inch to operate. Just set your print jobs up properly so you don't waste paper. I have wanted a wide format printer ever since I heard about them.
I just printed off a couple prints that were from Cruse 300dpi scans of my paintings. They match the originals very, very closely. This one and the B9180"s prints are rated at well over 200 years by Wilhelm.
September Update:
A little update on this printer. Be very careful with the prints, on the fine art paper they will scratch, on the photo paper they can get marks on them if you happen to rub across them with a finger nail. They won't fade for a very long time though, according to Wilhelm.
The eye one display calibration works, sometimes. Mine doesn't print directly out of Photoshop 7 either. You can work around, but not quite what I'd hoped for after that nice print plug in for the B9180. The prints are nothing short of spectacular however.
August 2008 Update.
I've had it over a year now. The prints scratch very easily it seems. Also occasionally little white specks show up on them, so then you have to reprint, I don't know how to repair the specks. I am guessing it is dirt on the paper as there is no cover for the roll paper. Also even with its self cleaning and all the other stuff, the printer does occasionally spit on the the prints. This from a machine that costs over $6000. Not the best I think. Prints look very nice usually. Nesting is not bullet proof either by any means. Sometimes a good portion of paper is wasted if you aren't extremely careful. Requires a bit of babying. I like the Post Script on the PS GP, colors match very well. I would not purchase this machine again because of the above problems however.
October 2008 update:
I doubt if I would buy another HP printer. I called them just to find out what type of canvas and protection spray would be the best to use in the printer. Since it is over a year old, the lady said there would be a $39.00 fee to speak to a tech. What???? I decided to go a different route. Don't believe every thing you read on the internet. Because of favorable "reviews" from web sites I assumed were knowledgeable I purchased this thing. Don't get me wrong, the prints are beautiful from it when they do not have tiny white specs on them. I am assuming this may be from dust particles on the paper, paper does not have a cover. It is simple enough to make another print albeit does add to the expense of using the machine which is suppose to be so cost effective. Well, that's my latest gripe. Prints are very accurate other wise however.