HP DesignJet T650 review
The plotter most practices should buy, and the one number that decides whether you need 36 inches at all.
A 36-inch large format plotter for technical drawings, renders, posters and maps, with automatic roll and sheet switching, a media bin and an automatic horizontal cutter.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Media width | Up to 36-inch rolls, and up to 13 by 19-inch sheets |
| Media handling | Sheet feed, roll feed, automatic sheet and roll switching, media bin, automatic horizontal cutter |
| Intended output | Technical line drawings, renders, posters and maps |
| Warranty | 2-year HP Care Pack with onsite support |
| Workflow | Prints multi-size projects automatically without manually switching media source |
| Sheet feeder | Automatic sheet feeder included |
Specifications above come from HP's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- Automatic media switching is the feature that stops a mixed drawing set becoming a manual job, and it is the reason this class of plotter exists.
- A two-year onsite care pack included, which on a machine that will occasionally need a service visit is worth real money.
- 36 inches covers every common architectural and engineering sheet size in either orientation.
- Line quality and text crispness are what a technical plotter is optimised for, and this ink set is built for that rather than for photographic tone.
- It is meaningfully cheaper than the Studio version of the same machine, because you are not buying a cabinet.
Where it falls short
- Large format ink is the ongoing cost and it is not small. Price the cartridges and a roll of bond paper before you buy, using our ink cost calculator, because the printer is the cheap part over five years.
- 36-inch media costs more than 24-inch media per linear foot, so the wider machine is more expensive to run even when the drawing is small.
- It needs a footprint and output clearance. A plotter shoved against a wall with no room in front is a plotter that scuffs its own prints.
- This is a technical plotter, not a photo printer. Renders will print and will not match what a pigment photo printer does with tone and grey balance.
- Roll media needs storing flat and dry. Curled media causes skew and jams, and that is the most common self-inflicted plotter problem.
What owners report
Owner reports on the T650 are consistently positive about line quality and about how little attention the machine needs day to day, which is the highest compliment a plotter gets. Automatic roll and sheet switching is repeatedly named as the feature that justified replacing an older machine.
The recurring complaint is the price of ink, which is a DesignJet-wide theme rather than a fault of this model, and a steady number of owners note afterwards that they print almost everything at 24 inches and could have bought the smaller machine.
Who it suits
- Architecture and engineering practices printing full-size sets.
- Anyone printing maps, posters or large signage in-house.
- Offices that want an onsite warranty included in the purchase.
Who should skip it
- Practices whose drawings fit 24 inches, where the T230 is the better buy on both the machine and the media.
- Photographers and fine art printers, who need pigment ink and more of it.
- Anyone printing a handful of large drawings a year, where a repro bureau is cheaper than ownership.
Alternatives worth considering
24 inches, roll feed, an automatic cutter and the same two-year onsite care pack, for well under half the price. If your drawings fit, this is the machine, and the narrower media is cheaper for every print you make.
Check price on AmazonThe same width and workflow in an enclosed wood cabinet, with a three-year care pack instead of two. Worth it only if the machine lives somewhere clients see it.
Check price on AmazonA 24-inch Canon with a 5-colour UV and water-resistant ink set, 2400 by 1200 dpi and calibration for consistent colour. The water resistance is the practical differentiator when drawings go out to site.
Check price on AmazonCommon questions
DesignJet T650 or T230: which should I buy?
Width, and nothing else, should decide it. The T650 handles 36-inch rolls and the T230 handles 24-inch. If you print ARCH E or ANSI E, you need the T650. If your largest sheet is ARCH D, the T230 costs less than half and its media is cheaper too. Both include a two-year onsite care pack.
How long do DesignJet ink cartridges last?
It depends entirely on coverage. A line drawing on bond uses a fraction of the ink a full-bleed render uses on the same sheet, so page counts are meaningless. Work in millilitres per print using our ink cost calculator, which is the only way to compare honestly.
Can a DesignJet print on regular paper?
It prints on plotter bond, coated paper, gloss and matte photo media and various films, in rolls or in cut sheets up to 13 by 19 inches. It is not fed from an office paper tray of letter-size sheets, which is a common misunderstanding about the format.
Do I need the care pack?
It is included with this model, which is part of the reason to buy this configuration. Onsite support on a large format machine matters because it is not a device you box up and post back, and a service visit without cover is expensive.
What causes skewed prints on a plotter?
Usually media, not the machine. Roll paper stored on end or in a damp room curls, and curled media loads crooked. Store rolls flat, in their bags, in a stable environment, and load them squarely. That single habit removes most plotter frustration.
Keep reading
- HP vs Canon compared
- Best wide format printers
- Best printers for architects
- HP DesignJet T230 review
- HP DesignJet Studio Wood review
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.