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HP DesignJet 30gp
wide-format inkjet printer
- Model30gp
Authorized HP dealerGenuine hardware & ink
Manufacturer warrantyExtension plans available
Free shippingContinental U.S.
Plotter specialistsAEC experts, not just sellers
Analyst take
- The 30gp is a cut-sheet color/photo printer, not a wide-format plan plotter.
- Color proofing, renderings and presentation boards are its real jobs.
- It runs HP 84 and HP 85 inks with HP 84, HP 85 and HP C5018A printheads.
Not sure if the 30gp is right for you?
Compare key specs and an AI analyst read-out against similar models.
Overview
Built for the work
HP DesignJet 30gp Printer
Expert analysis
What you should know
Key takeaways
- The 30gp is a cut-sheet color/photo printer, not a wide-format plan plotter.
- Color proofing, renderings and presentation boards are its real jobs.
- It runs HP 84 and HP 85 inks with HP 84, HP 85 and HP C5018A printheads.
- Media feeds through the HP Designjet 250-sheet Input Paper Tray — desk-class, not print-room scale.
- It has no roll-fed drawing production, scanning or plan-set collation.
- For construction documents, look to a roll-fed MFP like the discontinued HP DesignJet T918 36-in.
Let’s be honest about what the Designjet 30gp is: a small-format color inkjet, not a plan-plotter. If you walked over expecting a 36-inch roll machine spitting out D-size bid sets, this isn’t it. This is a photo-quality desktop-class printer that lives on someone’s worktable, not in the print room.
So the question isn’t “how many plans per hour.” It’s whether your workflow actually needs the thing this machine does well: color proofing, presentation prints, renderings and board comps on cut sheets. If that’s your day, keep reading. If you need rolls of E-size drawings by 4:45, you’re in the wrong aisle.
What it actually does
The 30gp uses a dye-and-pigment ink setup across the HP 84 and HP 85 families, paired with the matching HP 84 and HP 85 printheads plus the HP C5018A printhead. That combination is built for graphics and photo-grade output — renderings, marketing boards, competition submissions — where color depth and smooth gradients matter more than throughput.
Sheet handling runs through the HP Designjet 250-sheet Input Paper Tray, so it fits a desk-side or small-studio setup. It’s designed to sit near the people making the images, not to serve a whole floor of engineers.
Where it fits — and where it doesn't
The 30gp earns its keep in a design-forward studio: a small architecture practice printing client-facing color, a landscape or interiors team producing presentation boards, a marketing desk turning out renderings. Color consistency is the point. Volume is not.
Now the honest part. This machine does not produce wide-format construction documents. There’s no roll of bond feeding D- and E-size sheets, no scanner, no plan-set collation. The moment your real job is monochrome CAD output and permit sets, you’ve outgrown it before you’ve started. That’s a different class of tool — a wider roll-fed workhorse with a scanner, like the multifunction HP DesignJet T918 36-in (now discontinued, but common in the installed base and a fair reference point for what plan production actually requires).
Failure mode to name up front: buying this expecting it to cover plotting duty. It won’t. It’ll do color beautifully and leave your drawings homeless.
Worth a look next
The read
The Designjet 30gp is a specialist. As a color proofing and presentation printer for a design studio, it does a clean, focused job — feed it the HP 84 and HP 85 inks, keep the sheet tray stocked, and it’ll turn out renderings and boards that look right in front of a client. But it is not a plotter, not a plan-set machine, and not something the engineering floor should build a workflow around. Match it to the task. Bottom line: buy it for color, never for coverage.
Where it sits in the field: see the head-to-head against the HP DesignJet T918 36-in or the full class leaderboard.
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 30gp
The full supplies hub lists every cartridge, printhead, roll and accessory verified against the manufacturer's own documentation for this machine.
13 ink cartridges · 7 printheads · 12 paper & media items · 4 accessories
HP DesignJet 30gp ink and paper →Supplies
Compatible ink, printheads & media
Genuine consumables that fit the HP DesignJet 30gp Printer — only the cartridges, printheads and media compatible with this model.
Ink Cartridges 13
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 84 69-ml Light Cyan Ink Cartridge print head Thermal inkjet
HP 85 69-ml Yellow Ink Cartridge print head Thermal inkjet
HP 85 28-ml Magenta Ink Cartridge
HP 85 69-ml Light Magenta Ink CartridgePrintheads 7
Paper & Media 12
Representative image20LB Inkjet Vellum (772)Representative image20LB High Brite Inkjet Bond Paper (740)Representative image24LB Inkjet Bond Paper (731)Representative image20LB Inkjet Bond Paper (730)
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 Q7970A printing paper A3+ (330×483 mm) Semi-gloss 50 sheets White
HP Q8662A printing paper A3+ (330×483 mm) High-gloss 50 sheets White
Questions
Straight answers
Can the Designjet 30gp print D- or E-size construction drawings?
No. It’s a cut-sheet color printer feeding from the HP Designjet 250-sheet Input Paper Tray, not a roll-fed wide-format plotter. For plan-set production you need a different class of machine.
What inks and printheads does it use?
It runs the HP 84 and HP 85 ink families, with the matching HP 84 and HP 85 printheads plus the HP C5018A printhead.
Who is this printer actually for?
Design-forward teams producing color renderings, presentation boards and client-facing proofs — small architecture, interiors, landscape or marketing desks. It’s about color quality, not drawing volume.
If I need to print permit sets and CAD drawings, what should I look at instead?
A roll-fed wide-format machine, ideally with a scanner for as-builts and redlines. The HP DesignJet T918 36-in is a fair reference point for that role, though it’s now discontinued and found mainly in the installed base.
Does it include a scanner or copy function?
No. There’s no integrated scanning or copying here — it’s purely an output device for color prints.
Ready to put the HP DesignJet 30gp to work?
Configuration, media and a quote tailored to your workflow — from AEC plotter specialists.