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HP DesignJet 5500 MFP
wide-format inkjet printer
- Model5500 MFP
Authorized HP dealerGenuine hardware & ink
Manufacturer warrantyExtension plans available
Free shippingContinental U.S.
Plotter specialistsAEC experts, not just sellers
Analyst take
- An older color plotter with an integrated scanner, aimed at coordination-set printing plus scan and copy from one station.
- Uses dye-based HP 81 inks and separate HP 81 printheads; supports UV-pigment output via the HP UV Upgrade Kit with Ink/60.
- Strong on color-coded overlays and presentation boards on bond and gloss media; less suited to archival-life output without the UV upgrade.
Not sure if the 5500 MFP is right for you?
Compare key specs and an AI analyst read-out against similar models.
Overview
Built for the work
HP DesignJet 5500mfp
Expert analysis
What you should know
Key takeaways
- An older color plotter with an integrated scanner, aimed at coordination-set printing plus scan and copy from one station.
- Uses dye-based HP 81 inks and separate HP 81 printheads; supports UV-pigment output via the HP UV Upgrade Kit with Ink/60.
- Strong on color-coded overlays and presentation boards on bond and gloss media; less suited to archival-life output without the UV upgrade.
- Printhead clogging on idle machines is the main risk — keep it running and stock a spare printhead.
- Network authentication and per-project job accounting are dated; modern IT requirements will need workarounds.
- If replacing, the integrated HP DesignJet T918 36-in is the same-family successor — confirm availability, as it's also discontinued.
It’s 4:30 p.m. The GC needs a full-size color coordination set before the mechanical sub leaves for the day. Somebody’s standing at the tray waiting for MEP overlays to land clean, in color, on ordinary bond. That’s the job the HP DesignJet 5500mfp was built to do.
This is an older machine. You’ll find it in reprographics rooms and large engineering departments that bought it to combine wide-format printing, scanning and copying in one footprint. If you’re reading this, you probably own one already and you’re deciding whether to feed it or replace it. Let’s be honest about both.
HP 81Ink systemdye-based color; six-color set
HP 81Printheaduser-replaceable, separate from cartridges
HP Matte 914 mm x 22.9 m (36 in x 75 ft)Roll media exampleone of many supported bond and coated rolls
HP UV Upgrade Kit with Ink/60Upgrade pathUV-pigment option for longer-life output
What it actually does well
The 5500mfp is a color plotter with a scanner bolted into a single workflow. For AEC shops that live on color-coded coordination drawings, that mattered. Structural in one color, MEP in another, civil underneath — all readable on plain bond. The HP 81 dye inks lay down saturated color for presentation boards and marked-up review sets.
The scan-and-copy side is the other half of the pitch. Field-marked redlines come back, get scanned, and go into the archive or straight back out as a copy. One operator, one machine, no walking a drawing across the room to a separate scanner.
- Color coordination sets and overlays on bond, where legibility beats archival life.
- Presentation boards and renderings using photo and gloss media like HP Photo Imaging Gloss White.
- Scan-to-archive and reprint of legacy and field-marked drawings.
- Shops that want a UV-pigment option via the HP UV Upgrade Kit with Ink/60 for output that has to survive a jobsite.
Where it shows its age
Name the failure mode first: this is a dye-ink generation machine with a printhead-and-cartridge system that predates today’s plug-and-forget supplies. Printheads clog if the machine sits. First-page-out on a cold machine is not fast, and the scanner is a separate mechanical system that wants maintenance of its own.
Connectivity and job accounting are of their era. If your IT group needs modern network authentication and per-project chargeback out of the box, this platform will fight you. And parts are a real question — plan supplies and service before you commit to another year on it.
Keep it or replace it
If your set is running, supplies are flowing, and you have a technician who knows it, there’s no shame in keeping a working machine working. Buy your HP 81 inks and printheads ahead, keep a spare printhead on the shelf, and don’t let it sit idle over long weekends.
If you’re replacing, the honest step is a newer integrated model in the same family. The HP DesignJet T918 36-in pairs modern pigment printing with a scanner in a current 36-inch platform — better network handling, cleaner PDF workflow, far less clog risk. Note it’s discontinued too, so confirm availability before you plan around it. Worth a side-by-side: 5500mfp vs T918 36-in.
Keep reading
The read
The DesignJet 5500mfp did a specific job well: color coordination work and scan-copy-archive from one station. That job hasn’t gone away, but the machine underneath it has aged. If yours runs and you can still get HP 81 supplies, keep feeding it and stock a spare printhead. If you’re spending money to fix it, spend it on a replacement instead. Bottom line: a fine workhorse to run out its remaining life — not a machine to build the next five years of deadlines on.
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 5500 MFP
The full supplies hub lists every cartridge, printhead, roll and accessory verified against the manufacturer's own documentation for this machine.
15 ink cartridges · 7 printheads · 83 paper & media items · 3 accessories
HP DesignJet 5500 MFP ink and paper →Supplies
Compatible ink, printheads & media
Genuine consumables that fit the HP DesignJet 5500mfp — only the cartridges, printheads and media compatible with this model.
Ink Cartridges 15
HP 81 Value Pack 680-ml Light Cyan Dye Ink Cartridge and Printhead print head Thermal inkjet
HP 81 Value Pack 680-ml Light Magenta Dye Ink Cartridge and Printhead print head Thermal inkjet
HP Matte 914 mm x 22.9 m (36 in x 75 ft)
HP 3M Changeable Opaque Imaging
HP 81 Value Pack 680-ml Black Dye Ink Cartridge and Printhead print head Thermal inkjet
HP 81 Value Pack 680-ml Cyan Dye Ink Cartridge and Printhead print head Thermal inkjet
HP 81 Value Pack 680-ml Magenta Dye Ink Cartridge and Printhead print head Thermal inkjet
HP RC Matte White
HP Dye Upgrade Kits with Ink/42
HP 81 3-pack 680-ml Light Magenta Dye Ink Cartridges
HP Dye Upgrade Kits with Ink/60
HP UV Upgrade Kit with Ink/60
HP UV Upgrade Kit with Ink/42
HP 81 680-ml Light Magenta Dye Ink Cartridge
HP 81 680-ml Light Cyan Dye Ink CartridgePrintheads 7
HP 81 Black Dye Printhead and Printhead Cleaner
HP 81 Light Cyan Dye Printhead and Printhead Cleaner
HP 81 Cyan Dye Printhead and Printhead Cleaner
HP 81 Magenta Dye Printhead and Printhead Cleaner
HP 81 Light Magenta Dye Printhead and Printhead Cleaner
HP 81 Yellow Dye Printhead and Printhead Cleaner
HP 81 3-pack 680-ml Light Cyan Dye Cartridges print head Thermal inkjetPaper & Media 83
HP Sahara Fine Art Paper 140 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 10.7 m large format media
HP Q1733A printing paper Matte 1 sheets White
HP Two-view Cling Film
HP Two-view Cling Film
HP C6568B large format media 45.7 m
HP Durable Image Gloss UV Paper-914 mm x 22.9 m (36 in x 75 ft)
HP C6964A photo paper White Gloss
HP White Matte Polyester Film
HP RC Satin Proofing Paper-914 mm x 22.9 m (36 in x 75 ft)
HP Q1420A photo paper Brown, White
HP Q1760A large format media 45.7 m Matte
HP Outdoor Paper 145 g/m²-60"/1524 mm x 30.5 m large format media
Representative imageHP Bright White Inkjet Paper, 36 in x 300 ft (C6810A)
HP Reverse Print Matte Backlit Film
HP C6035A large format media 45.7 m
HP C6036A printing paper Matte White
HP C6567B plotter paper
HP White Glossy Opaque Polyester Film-1067 mm x 15.2 m (42 in x 50 ft)
HP Universal Semi-gloss Photo Paper
HP C6789A large format media 15.2 m
HP Q1718A large format media 10.7 m
HP Clear Film 174 gsm-610 mm x 22.9 m (24 in x 75 ft)
HP Q1904A printing film
HP Q1421A photo paper Brown, White
HP Q1757A printing paper Matte Yellow
HP Q1724A large format media 10.7 m Matt
HP Photo Imaging Gloss White
HP Outdoor Paper 145 g/m²-54"/1372 mm x 30.5 m large format media
HP Q1745A large format media 10 m Matte
HP C6787A large format media 15.2 m
HP Q1743A printing paper Matte 1 sheets WhiteRepresentative imageHP Heavyweight Coated Paper, 42 in x 100 ft (C6569C)
HP Q1730A large format media 30.5 m
HP Q1908A printing film
HP C6959A photo paper White
HP C6960A photo paper Satin
HP Adhesive Vinyl 914 mm x 12.2 m (36 in x 40 ft)
HP Productivity Gloss Photo Paper-1067 mm x 30.5 m (42 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 Q1956A large format media 67.5 m
HP Q1961A large format media
HP Q1962A large format media
HP C7949A large format media 30.5 m Matte
HP Durable Scrim 550 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 12.2 m large format media
HP Durable Scrim 550 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 12.2 m large format media
HP Q1898B large format media
HP Q1899B large format media
HP Q6579A photo paper Brown, White
HP Q6580A photo paper Matte
HP Q6581A photo paper
HP Q6588A large format media Matte
HP Q6596A large format media Matte
HP Durable Display Film
HP Q1441A large format media 45.7 m
HP Q1442A large format media 45.7 m
HP Q1444A printing paper Matte
HP Q1445A printing paper Matte
HP Q7897A large format media 45.7 m
HP Universal Bond Paper 841 mm x 91.4 m large format media 3598.4" (91.4 m)
HP Q8004A large format media 91.4 m
HP Q8677A printing film
HP Universal Adhesive Vinyl 914 mm x 20 m (36 in x 66 ft)
HP Q8673A large format media 6.1 m
HP Collector Satin Canvas-610 mm x 6.1 m (24 in x 20 ft)
HP Q8713A photo paper Matte
HP Q7990A photo paper Gloss
HP Premium Instant-dry Satin White
HP Q7991A photo paper
HP Aquarella Fine Art Paper-914 mm x 10.7 m (36 in x 35 ft)
HP Aquarella Art Paper-610 mm x 10.7 m (24 in x 35 ft)
HP Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art Paper 265 g/m²-1067 mm x 10.7 m (42 in x 35 ft)
HP Hahnemühle Textured Fine Art Paper 265 g/m²-1067 mm x 10.7 m (42 in x 35 ft)
HP Q8916A photo paper
HP Q8917A photo paper
HP Q8918A photo paper
HP Q8919A photo paper
HP Q8920A photo paper
HP Q8921A photo paper
HP Q8922A photo paper
HP Q8923A photo paper
HP CG459A photo paper Matte
HP Premium Matte Photo Paper-914 mm x 30.5 m (36 in x 100 ft) large format media
Questions
Straight answers
What inks and printheads does the 5500mfp use?
It runs HP 81 dye-based inks with separate, user-replaceable HP 81 printheads. Keep a spare printhead on hand, because clogs after idle periods are the most common downtime cause.
Can it print pigment ink for longer-lasting output?
Yes — there are UV-pigment upgrade options such as the HP UV Upgrade Kit with Ink/60, which give output better resistance for jobsite and longer-life use. Confirm the correct kit for your configuration before ordering.
Is the 5500mfp still worth keeping?
If it runs reliably, supplies are flowing, and you have someone who knows it, keeping a working machine working is reasonable. Stock inks and a spare printhead ahead of deadlines and don’t let it sit idle for long stretches.
What's the modern replacement in the same family?
The HP DesignJet T918 36-in is the current-generation integrated print-and-scan model in the same 36-inch family, with modern pigment printing and better network handling. Note it’s also discontinued, so verify availability before planning around it.
What media can it handle?
A wide range of HP bond, coated, photo gloss and film media, including rolls like the HP Matte 914 mm x 22.9 m (36 in x 75 ft) and gloss stocks such as HP Photo Imaging Gloss White. Allow drying time on coated and gloss media before collating.
Does it fit a modern IT environment?
Its connectivity and job-accounting features are of its generation. Shops needing current network authentication and per-project chargeback out of the box should expect workarounds or plan on a newer platform.
Ready to put the HP DesignJet 5500 MFP to work?
Configuration, media and a quote tailored to your workflow — from AEC plotter specialists.