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HP DesignJet 500
24" wide-format inkjet printer
- Model500
- Prints24" wide
Authorized HP dealerGenuine hardware & ink
Manufacturer warrantyExtension plans available
Free shippingContinental U.S.
Plotter specialistsAEC experts, not just sellers
Analyst take
- The DesignJet 500 is a discontinued 24-inch single-roll thermal inkjet plotter still common in small AEC offices.
- It uses HP 10 black and HP 11 or HP 82 color cartridges with separate printheads.
- Line quality and text legibility on bond are solid for check plots and small bid sets.
Not sure if the 500 is right for you?
Compare key specs and an AI analyst read-out against similar models.
Overview
Built for the work
HP Designjet 500 (24-inch) Printer
- 24″Max print width
- 118 ft²/hRated speed
- 4Ink channels
Expert analysis
What you should know
Key takeaways
- The DesignJet 500 is a discontinued 24-inch single-roll thermal inkjet plotter still common in small AEC offices.
- It uses HP 10 black and HP 11 or HP 82 color cartridges with separate printheads.
- Line quality and text legibility on bond are solid for check plots and small bid sets.
- The single roll means manual swaps mid-set and no automatic size switching.
- Parts and service for a discontinued unit get harder to source every year.
- Current 24-inch Canon models like the GP-200, GP-2000 and iPF6100 offer faster, supported replacements.
Somebody in your office is still running an HP DesignJet 500. I’d bet on it. This 24-inch plotter shipped to thousands of small architecture and civil offices, and a lot of them never left the corner of the print room. It prints D-size drawings on a single roll, it takes a familiar four-cartridge ink setup, and it has kept quietly doing that job for years.
But it is a discontinued machine. That changes the whole conversation. The question isn’t whether it prints a clean line — it does. The question is whether you want to bet a Friday permit deadline on hardware HP no longer supports.
What it actually is
The DesignJet 500 is a single-roll, 24-inch thermal inkjet plotter built for check plots and small bid sets. Four inks: HP 10 black plus HP 11 color cartridges, or the HP 82 for the larger color tanks. Printheads and cartridges are separate, which was the design language of that era.
For an architect running a handful of D-size sheets a day, or a surveyor plotting the occasional exhibit, it was enough. Line quality on bond is honest. Text stays legible. Nobody bought this machine expecting photo-grade renderings, and that expectation still holds.
24 inPrint widthSingle-roll, D-size capable
HP 10Black inkSeparate cartridge + printhead
HP 11Color ink
HP 82Large color option
Where the age shows
Name the failure mode first: it’s a single-roll machine. One roll. When you’re halfway through a set and the paper runs out at 4:40 p.m., you swap and you wait. There’s no second roll standing by, and no automatic switching between sizes. That’s the difference between leaving on time and staying late.
The bigger problem is support. Parts and service for a discontinued plotter get harder every year. Printheads and cartridges are still findable, but you’re managing a shrinking supply chain, not buying off a shelf. Feed it consumables it likes — HP Matte Film 610 mm x 38.1 m (24 in x 125 ft), HP Vellum Paper-610 mm x 45.7 m (24 in x 150 ft), or plain bond — and keep a spare printhead on hand.
If you're replacing it
You have real choices now, and they’re all faster and supported. On the Canon side, the current 24-inch lineup is deep: the entry Canon GP-200 24-in for basic plotting, or the step-up Canon GP-2000 24-in for a busier room. For engineering offices that want the higher-resolution color, the Canon iPF6100 24-in runs 2400 x 1200 DPI. Line them up yourself in our side-by-side.
If you want to move up a size class entirely — dual roll, integrated scanning, the works — the HP DesignJet T918 36-in is the wider MFP option, though note it’s also discontinued. There’s no perfect in-family successor still in production; the 500 line simply aged out.
Rough out how long your typical bid set takes on this machine. Single roll means the swap time is on you, not the estimator.
One set: – · Weekly plotting time: –
Computed from the manufacturer's rated 118 ft²/h. Real-world mixed sets run slower — treat this as a best case for comparing machines, not a promise.
Keep reading
The read
If you own a DesignJet 500 and it still runs, run it — for check plots and low-volume work it earns its floor space. But don’t buy into this as a fresh acquisition, and don’t hang a deadline on it without a spare printhead in the drawer. The single roll and the fading support pipeline are the two things that’ll bite you. When it finally quits, a current 24-inch Canon gets you speed and a service contract in one move. Bottom line: a fine machine to keep, a poor machine to start with.
Spec analysis
How the specs grade
Overall performance
—Not enough data for an overall score
Individual dimensions are shown where the specs support them.
- This printer
Verified specifications
The specs that decide it
| Maximum print width | 24 in |
|---|
Specifications
Full technical detail
Max print width24"
Use caseCAD / Technical
Everything that fits the HP DesignJet 500
The full supplies hub lists every cartridge, printhead, roll and accessory verified against the manufacturer's own documentation for this machine.
9 ink cartridges · 4 printheads · 133 paper & media items · 5 accessories
HP DesignJet 500 ink and paper →Supplies
Compatible ink, printheads & media
Genuine consumables that fit the HP DesignJet 500 24-in — only the cartridges, printheads and media compatible with this model.
Ink Cartridges 3
Printheads 4
Paper & Media 61
Representative image11 Mil Water-Resistant Synthetic BannerRepresentative image5 Mil Water-Resistant Self-Adh Vinyl (3" AC)Representative image6 Mil Water-Resistant Self-Adhesive PolypropyleneRepresentative image46LB Inkjet Coated Matte Paper (747)Representative image6.5mil Matte Coated Paper w/ PSA (746PSA)Representative image36LB Inkjet Coated Matte Paper (746)Representative image24LB Inkjet Coated Matte Paper (745)Representative image20LB High Brite Inkjet Bond Paper (740)Representative image20LB Inkjet Bond Paper (Tinted) (732)Representative image24LB Inkjet Bond Paper (731)Representative image20LB Inkjet Bond Paper (730)Representative image24LB Inkjet Coated Matte Paper Economy (714)
HP C6033A photo paper High-gloss
HP High-gloss White
HP C3869A plotter paper
HP Q1420A photo paper Brown, White
HP Semi-gloss Photo CP Paper 179 g/m²-54"/1372 mm x 30.5 m
HP Vellum Paper-610 mm x 45.7 m (24 in x 150 ft)
HP fine art paper,vanilla (914 mm roll) large format media
HP Matte Film 610 mm x 38.1 m (24 in x 125 ft)
HP Outdoor Paper 145 g/m²-60"/1524 mm x 30.5 m large format media
HP C6035A large format media 45.7 m
HP C3860A printing paper White
HP C6789A large format media 15.2 m
HP Q1712A large format media 10.6 m
HP Clear Film 174 gsm-610 mm x 22.9 m (24 in x 75 ft)
HP Outdoor Paper 145 g/m²-54"/1372 mm x 30.5 m large format media
HP C6787A large format media 15.2 m
HP White Matte Polyester Film 165 g/m²-54"/1372 mm x 15 m
HP C6031A photo paper White Semi-gloss
HP C3861A large format media 45.7 m Matte
HP Productivity Gloss Photo Paper-1067 mm x 30.5 m (42 in x 100 ft)
HP Productivity Gloss Photo Paper-1372 mm x 30.5 m (54 in x 100 ft)
HP Productivity Gloss Photo Paper-1524 mm x 30.5 m (60 in x 100 ft)
HP Productivity Semi-gloss Photo Paper-914 mm x 30.5 m (36 in x 100 ft)
HP Productivity Semi-gloss Photo Paper-1067 mm x 30.5 m (42 in x 100 ft)
HP Productivity Semi-gloss Photo Paper-1372 mm x 30.5 m (54 in x 100 ft)
HP Productivity Semi-gloss Photo Paper-1524 mm x 30.5 m (60 in x 100 ft)
HP Q1961A large format media
HP Q1962A large format media
HP 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 Gloss Proofing A2 White
HP Gloss Proofing A1 White
HP Gloss Proofing White
HP Q1968A large format media 30.5 m Matte
HP Durable Scrim 550 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 12.2 m large format media
HP Gloss Proofing Paper 173 g/m²-A1+/610 mm x 914 mm-20 sheets large format media
HP Universal Semi-gloss Photo Paper-1270 mm x 30.5 m (50 in x 100 ft)
HP Q6579A photo paper Brown, White
HP Q1442A large format media 45.7 m
HP Q1445A printing paper Matte
HP Q7897A large format media 45.7 m
HP Matte Proofing 458 mm x 30.5 m (18 in x 100 ft) printing paper
HP Q8664A printing paper High-gloss 1 sheets White
HP Q8662A printing paper A3+ (330×483 mm) High-gloss 50 sheets White
HP Q8663A large format media 30.5 m High-gloss
HP CG490A large format media 30.5 m Semi-gloss
HP Premium Semi-gloss Proofing Paper-50 sht/A3+/330 mm x 483 mm (13 x 19 in)
HP CG463A large format media 30.5 m Semi-gloss
HP CG462A printing paper Semi-gloss White
Questions
Straight answers
Is the HP DesignJet 500 still supported?
No. It’s a discontinued machine, so factory parts and service are increasingly limited. Consumables like the HP 10 and HP 11 inks are still findable, but treat the supply chain as shrinking and keep a spare printhead on hand.
What inks does it use?
Black comes from the HP 10 cartridge, with HP 11 color cartridges. The larger HP 82 tanks are an option for higher-volume color. Cartridges and printheads are separate components on this machine.
Can it handle a full bid set unattended?
Not really. It’s a single-roll plotter with no automatic roll switching, so mixed-size sets and long runs need someone to swap paper. For unattended multi-size production you want a dual-roll machine.
What media can I run on it?
Plain bond, vellum such as the HP Vellum Paper 24 in x 150 ft, and matte film like the HP Matte Film 24 in x 125 ft all work. It handles standard 24-inch AEC media without drama.
What should I replace it with?
For a like-for-like 24-inch supported machine, look at the current Canon GP-200 or the step-up GP-2000. If you need higher-resolution color for engineering work, the Canon iPF6100 runs 2400 x 1200 DPI.
Is it good enough for color presentation work?
It’s built for line drawings and check plots, not photo-grade output. Color is serviceable for coordination and markups, but presentation boards are better served by a current high-resolution machine.
Ready to put the HP DesignJet 500 to work?
Configuration, media and a quote tailored to your workflow — from AEC plotter specialists.