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HP DesignJet 30
wide-format inkjet printer
- Model30
Authorized HP dealerGenuine hardware & ink
Manufacturer warrantyExtendable to 3 years
Free shippingContinental U.S.
Plotter specialistsAEC experts, not just sellers
Analyst take
- The Designjet 30 is an A3-class desktop color inkjet, not a wide-format plotter for full-size drawings.
- Six-ink color via the HP 84 and HP 85 sets suits renderings, presentation sheets and color-keyed plans.
- Sheet-fed input runs through the HP Designjet 250-sheet Input Paper Tray for everyday bond.
Not sure if the 30 is right for you?
Compare key specs and an AI analyst read-out against similar models.
Overview
Built for the work
HP DesignJet 30 Printer
Expert analysis
What you should know
Key takeaways
- The Designjet 30 is an A3-class desktop color inkjet, not a wide-format plotter for full-size drawings.
- Six-ink color via the HP 84 and HP 85 sets suits renderings, presentation sheets and color-keyed plans.
- Sheet-fed input runs through the HP Designjet 250-sheet Input Paper Tray for everyday bond.
- It is not built for mixed-size plan sets or unattended D-size production runs.
- For full-width drawings and scanning, a roll-fed model like the HP DesignJet T918 36-in is the right tool.
- Because it is an older platform, confirm parts and warranty support before building a workflow around it.
Here’s the honest truth about the HP Designjet 30. It was never meant to be your plotter. It’s an A3-class desktop color inkjet — a proofing and small-format machine — that ended up on a lot of AEC desks because someone needed accurate color prints without walking to the reprographics room.
So set your expectations right. If you’re standing at the tray at 4:45 waiting for a full D-size bid set, this is not the machine printing it. This is the machine that prints the color coordination detail, the material board mock-up, the presentation sheet a partner wants to hold in their hands.
What it actually is
The Designjet 30 is a sheet-fed, aqueous color inkjet built around the HP 84 and HP 85 ink and printhead sets. Six-ink color. That matters because architects and designers care about how a rendering or a color-keyed site plan reproduces on paper, and a six-ink layout gives you smoother gradients and cleaner neutrals than a four-ink office device.
Media feeds from the HP Designjet 250-sheet Input Paper Tray for everyday bond, with roll and specialty media handled through the appropriate feed accessories. This is a proofing tool that happens to live in an engineering office, not a production plotter that happens to do color.
Where it fits — and where it doesn't
Think of the Designjet 30 as the color proofer for the desk, not the deadline machine for the print room.
It fits a firm that already has a wide-format plotter for drawings and needs a compact color device for presentation work, renderings and material studies. It does not fit anyone trying to run mixed-size plan sets or unattended overnight D-size output — for that you want a true roll-fed wide-format machine like the discontinued but still-common HP DesignJet T918 36-in, which handles full-width drawings and MFP scanning the Designjet 30 was never built to touch. If you’re weighing the two, the side-by-side comparison makes the size gap obvious in about ten seconds.
Living with it
Consumables are straightforward: HP 84 and HP 85 inks and printheads, plus maintenance parts in the HP Q1445A and HP Q7971A family. Because it’s an older platform, the practical questions are about support life and parts, not throughput. Check what warranty coverage — like the hp U1V95E extension — is still available before you build a workflow around it.
Name the failure mode before the feature: the risk here isn’t speed, it’s aging out of support. See where it lands in the class ranking before committing.
Keep reading
The read
The Designjet 30 earns its keep as a compact color proofer beside a real plotter — not as a replacement for one. If your firm needs presentation prints and color studies without a trip to reprographics, it does that job cleanly with the six-ink HP 85 set. If your afternoon revolves around D-size bid sets and roll changes, look to a wide-format roll machine instead. Bottom line: buy it for the color proof on the desk, never for the deadline in the print room.
Spec analysis
How the specs grade
Overall performance
—Not enough data for an overall score
Individual dimensions are shown where the specs support them.
Specifications
Full technical detail
Use caseCAD / Technical
Everything that fits the HP DesignJet 30
The full supplies hub lists every cartridge, printhead, roll and accessory verified against the manufacturer's own documentation for this machine.
11 ink cartridges · 2 printheads · 20 paper & media items · 3 accessories · 2 coverage plans
HP DesignJet 30 ink and paper →Supplies
Compatible ink, printheads & media
Genuine consumables that fit the HP DesignJet 30 Printer — only the cartridges, printheads and media compatible with this model.
Ink Cartridges 11
HP 85 28-ml Cyan Ink Cartridge
HP 85 69-ml Light Cyan Ink Cartridge
HP 84 ink cartridge 3 pc(s) Original Photo black
HP 85 ink cartridge 3 pc(s) Original Cyan
HP 85 ink cartridge 3 pc(s) Original Light Cyan
HP 85 ink cartridge 3 pc(s) Original Light magenta
HP 85 ink cartridge 3 pc(s) Original Yellow
HP 85 ink cartridge 3 pc(s) Original Magenta
HP 84 69-ml Black Ink Cartridge print head Thermal inkjet
HP 85 28-ml Magenta Ink Cartridge
HP 85 69-ml Light Magenta Ink Cartridge
Paper & Media 20
Representative image11 Mil Water-Resistant Synthetic BannerRepresentative image180gsm Solvent Satin PE PaperRepresentative image3 Mil Fusion Finesse Polypropylene LaminateRepresentative image230gsm Special Matte Photo PaperRepresentative image200gsm Special Matte Photo PaperRepresentative image10 Mil Water-resistant Blockout Display FilmRepresentative image10 Mil White Opaque BackerRepresentative image20LB Engineering Vellum (471)Representative imageWSL 28LB Simple Inkjet Coated Matte Paper (C2S) (448)Representative imageWSL 24LB Simple Inkjet Coated Matte Paper (C2S) (446)Representative image4mil Inkjet Clear Film w/ Side Stripe (34849)Representative image4mil DM Inkjet Film Economy (130444)
HP Semi-gloss Proofing Paper-50 sht/A3+/330 x 483 mm (13 x 19 in)
HP Q1967A printing paper A3+ (330×483 mm) Matte 100 sheets White
HP Q5486A photo paper Black, Blue, White
HP Q5489A photo paper
HP Q5492A photo paper Matte
HP Q1445A printing paper Matte
HP Q7971A printing paper Semi-gloss 1 sheets White
HP Q8662A printing paper A3+ (330×483 mm) High-gloss 50 sheets WhiteAccessories 3
Questions
Straight answers
Can the Designjet 30 print full-size D or E architectural drawings?
No. It is a desktop A3-class color device for proofing and presentation work, not a wide-format plotter. For full-size drawings you need a roll-fed machine such as the HP DesignJet T918 36-in.
What inks and printheads does it use?
It uses the HP 84 and HP 85 ink and printhead families — a six-ink color setup that reproduces renderings and color-coded plans more smoothly than a four-ink office printer.
How does paper feed into it?
Everyday bond feeds from the HP Designjet 250-sheet Input Paper Tray, with roll and specialty media handled through the appropriate feed accessories.
Is it a good fit as a firm's only printer?
Rarely. It works best as a color proofer alongside a dedicated wide-format plotter, not as the single device handling both drawings and color output.
Is support still available for this machine?
It’s an older platform, so confirm parts and warranty coverage — extensions such as the hp U1V95E — with your dealer before you rely on it for production work.
Ready to put the HP DesignJet 30 to work?
Configuration, media and a quote tailored to your workflow — from AEC plotter specialists.