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HP DesignJet 50ps
wide-format inkjet printer
- Model50ps
Authorized HP dealerGenuine hardware & ink
Manufacturer warrantyExtendable to 3 years
Free shippingContinental U.S.
Plotter specialistsAEC experts, not just sellers
Analyst take
- The 50ps is a color proofing device, not a plan plotter — the 'ps' means PostScript, not production.
- Its media list is built around proofing stock like HP Gloss Proofing and HP Premium Plus Satin-matt, not plain bond.
- It uses HP 11 color inks with HP 82/HP 84 channels and HP 84 / HP C5018A printheads — an older cartridge system worth checking for supply.
Not sure if the 50ps is right for you?
Compare key specs and an AI analyst read-out against similar models.
Overview
Built for the work
HP DesignJet 50ps Printer
Expert analysis
What you should know
Key takeaways
- The 50ps is a color proofing device, not a plan plotter — the 'ps' means PostScript, not production.
- Its media list is built around proofing stock like HP Gloss Proofing and HP Premium Plus Satin-matt, not plain bond.
- It uses HP 11 color inks with HP 82/HP 84 channels and HP 84 / HP C5018A printheads — an older cartridge system worth checking for supply.
- No scanner, no dual-roll switching, no unattended plan-set output — it can't do production AEC document work.
- For real drawing production in the same brand, the scanner-equipped HP DesignJet T918 36-in is the capability step-up, though it is itself discontinued.
- Best justified only in a studio printing color presentations or renderings in single digits per week.
The DesignJet 50ps is not a plotter. Let’s clear that up in the first breath, because the confusion has cost people real money. This is an A1-class color proofing device — the machine that lived beside a designer’s desk to check color before a real proof went out, not the one that pumped out a stack of D-size bid sets at 4:45 on submission day.
If you inherited one with an office, or you’re eyeing the used market for cheap wide-format, read this before you commit. It fits a narrow job well and the wrong job badly.
What it actually is
The 50ps is an older aqueous inkjet built around HP’s small-cartridge ink system — HP 11 color inks, HP 82 and HP 84 depending on channel, with the HP 84 and HP C5018A printheads riding along. The ‘ps’ in the name is the tell: it shipped with a PostScript path, aimed at graphics and proofing work where color accuracy on coated stock mattered more than raw throughput.
That heritage shows in the media list. Look at what it runs: HP Gloss Proofing White, HP Gloss Proofing A1 White, HP Premium Plus Satin-matt White Satin-matte. Those are proofing surfaces, not the plain bond a print room chews through by the case. This machine was born to make one pretty page, not forty fast ones.
Where it earns its footprint in an AEC office
Be honest about the workflow. The 50ps makes sense in a firm that produces the occasional color presentation board, a rendering for a client meeting, or a marketing sheet on glossy stock. Small volume, high care, color that has to look right on coated media.
- Rendering and presentation output where color fidelity beats speed.
- Occasional glossy or satin proofs on HP Gloss Proofing or HP Premium Plus Satin-matt media.
- A design studio that already owns one and prints in single digits per week.
- PostScript jobs from the graphics side of the house that don’t belong on the plan plotter.
What it is not: a production tool for permit sets, redlines, or as-builts. There’s no scanner, no dual-roll unattended running, no story here about collated plan sets stacking themselves while you go home. Cartridge-based inking on a machine this age means frequent operator attention — and that’s the failure mode that bites you on a deadline.
How it sits against the family — and the honest replacement path
Within HP’s wide-format catalog, the natural step-up in capability for real AEC production is the HP DesignJet T918 36-in — a 36-inch machine that added the scanner/MFP and plan-set handling this proofing unit never had. Note the T918 is itself discontinued, so if you’re building a plan-production workflow today you’re shopping a newer line, not this one. Still, the side-by-side makes the point: different machines for different jobs.
If your day is drawings, this isn’t your device at any age. If your day is color proofs, it can still earn a corner of the room — provided ink and printhead supply hold up. Check HP 84 printhead and HP 11 ink availability before you rely on it, because supply for older cartridge systems thins out over time.
Keep reading
The read
The DesignJet 50ps does one thing: color proofs on coated media, one careful page at a time. In a design studio with light color output and a PostScript workflow, it can hold a corner. In a plan room, on a deadline, it will let you down — no scanner, no dual roll, no unattended production, and a cartridge ink system that needs babysitting. Bottom line: buy it for proofing or inherit it and use it for proofing; if you need drawings out the door before 5 p.m., this was never the machine.
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 50ps
The full supplies hub lists every cartridge, printhead, roll and accessory verified against the manufacturer's own documentation for this machine.
9 ink cartridges · 7 printheads · 12 paper & media items · 2 coverage plans
HP DesignJet 50ps ink and paper →Supplies
Compatible ink, printheads & media
Genuine consumables that fit the HP DesignJet 50ps Printer — only the cartridges, printheads and media compatible with this model.
Ink Cartridges 9
HP 84 ink cartridge 3 pc(s) Original Photo black
HP 11 Cyan ink cartridge
HP 11 Cyan ink cartridge
HP 82 69-ml Yellow Ink Cartridge
HP 84 69-ml Black Ink Cartridge print head Thermal inkjet
HP 84 69-ml Light Cyan Ink Cartridge print head Thermal inkjet
HP 11 Magenta Ink Cartridge (C4837AE)
HP 11 Magenta Original Ink Cartridge
HP 11 Cyan Original Ink CartridgePrintheads 7
Paper & Media 12
HP Semi-gloss Proofing Paper-50 sht/A3+/330 x 483 mm (13 x 19 in)
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 Semi-gloss Proofing Paper-610 mm x 30.5 m (24 in x 100 ft)
HP Q1968A large format media 30.5 m Matte
HP Premium Plus Satin-matt Photo Paper 280 g/m²-10 x 15 cm plus tab/60 sht
HP Premium Plus Satin-matt White Satin-matte
Questions
Straight answers
Can the 50ps print my construction bid sets and permit drawings?
Not sensibly. It’s a color proofing device with no scanner, no dual-roll unattended running, and cartridge-based ink that needs frequent attention. For plan-set production you want a production plotter, not this.
What inks and printheads does it use?
It runs HP 11 color inks along with HP 82 and HP 84 depending on channel, using the HP 84 and HP C5018A printheads. Confirm current availability before relying on it, since supply for older cartridge systems thins over time.
What media is it designed for?
Proofing surfaces — HP Gloss Proofing White (including A1 and A2 sizes) and HP Premium Plus Satin-matt White satin-matte among them. These are coated proofing stocks, not the plain bond a print room runs by the case.
What's the right step-up if I actually need plan production?
Within the HP family, the HP DesignJet T918 36-in added the scanner/MFP and plan-set handling the 50ps lacks. Note it is discontinued, so a current plan workflow means shopping a newer line.
Is it worth buying used for an AEC office?
Only if your need is genuine color proofing at low volume with a PostScript workflow. For drawing output, it’s the wrong tool regardless of condition or price.
Does it do PostScript?
Yes — the ‘ps’ designation reflects a PostScript path, which is why it suited graphics and proofing jobs coming off the design side of a firm.
Ready to put the HP DesignJet 50ps to work?
Configuration, media and a quote tailored to your workflow — from AEC plotter specialists.