HP Stitch S500

The HP Stitch S500 64-in printer is one product that claims to mutiple benefits for your business. If you are in the printing business, you need an industrial printer that is durable, user-friendly, and capable of handling a wide variety of jobs, all at the right price. It also helps if the unit generates minimal media waste.

Our review of this HP Stitch S will explore this state-of-the-art equipment’s features and how they can benefit your printing business. Let’s start by looking at the price of this dye-sublimation printer HP made and seeing what buying will get you.

HP Stitch S500 Price

The S500 64-in printer is a large format dye-sublimation printer. HP packed it with industry-leading technology for superior performance in medium to large scale printing shops. Dye-sublimation printers (dye-sub) use a heat press to transfer dye or ink onto plastic, paper, fabric, or cards.

Dye-sublimation printing is more efficient than using a solid, laser, or inkjet device for jobs and lets you transfer designs in less time. With a dye-sub printer, you can print an entire shift within minutes, and the color consistency from printer is top-notch.

The S500 64-in printer is among the world’s fastest color printers, making it ideal for scaling up your printing business’s productivity, especially if you are into direct-to-fabric printing. Compared to other Stitch S Printers, this dye-sub printer is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications with long-lasting results.

These features don’t come cheap, so be ready to pay over $20,000 for the Stitch S500. The sale price may seem steep, but buying one can reduce your business’ running costs, especially if you plan on printing:

• Wall graphics
• Vehicle graphics
• Window graphics
• Point of purchase posters
• Outdoor and event banners
• Textiles or direct-to-fabric

Also, since the sublimation printer, HP Stitch S500, is durable and capable of satisfying large orders, you might not need another machine for years as your business grows.

Ink Options for the Stitch S500 Dye-Sublimation Printer

HP Stitch S printers have several impressive capabilities, but the S500 surpasses its contemporaries with its efficiency. It accomplishes this by delivering excellent color consistency with fewer media waste and ink usage. Using fewer materials lets you get more work done with fewer worries about the price of ink supplies.

The system’s HP Thermal Inkjet feature guarantees effective ink management for lightweight transfer paper and direct-to-transfer printing. It prints every color faster and easier, enabling you to meet large orders in less time.

Color consistency from printer use is brilliant, delivering scratch-resistant images that can last for over three years outdoors if you laminate them. Even better, dye-sublimation inks for HP Stitch printers have ECO PASSPORT, ENERGY STAR, and EPEAT Bronze certification, which means they are eco-friendly. Using environmentally-friendly products is responsible and beneficial to your public image.

The HP Stitch S500 64-in speeds up production by eliminating manual interventions with automatic printhead maintenance. If you reduce manual printhead maintenance and cut printer nozzle clogging, less production downtime occurs. Automatic maintenance also lets you avoid the high price of calling a professional to maintain or repair your printer.

Other features that optimize the ink usage of this dye-sublimation printer are its Smart Nozzle Compensation system, Optical Media Advance Sensor (OMAS), and Drop & Dry printzone dryer. We will discuss all in detail in the next section, especially the Smart Nozzle Compensation system.

Reviews of the HP S500 64-in Printer

HP Stitch S500 64-in has acquired many stellar reviews from dye-sub printing experts because it helps save time by eliminating manual interventions. Its HP SmartColor feature also offers industry-leading color consistency, regardless of whether you are using lightweight transfer paper or direct to transfer printing.

HP SmartColor gives you predictable color and accurate printing across your fleet of printers by using an inbuilt spectrophotometer. Its color management services automatically detect and compensate when the color is not within the desired range. It will also automatically get the closest color match if the desired color is not available.

HP Smart services prevent errors by letting you create color profiles faster and use profiles stored on the cloud. From the central HP Smart services system, you can assign colors to various projects and distribute jobs across your fleet of printers.

The combination of HP Smart services and the symmetrical 2xCMYK printhead configuration facilitate completing projects at top speed with minimal waste, letting you cut media costs. Even when printing at top speeds, the symmetrical 2xCMYK printhead configuration ensures that each print has well-saturated colors.

Print from one single machine and stay in control of multiple projects. The dye-sublimation printer, HP Stitch S500 64-in, equips you to print an entire shift unattended with no accuracy issues. It also has large ink supplies and media rolls for completing large jobs without needing to reload the unit frequently.

The Smart Nozzle Compensation system makes sure you have consistent image quality. It accomplishes this with the native printhead resolution of 1200 dpi combined with the Optical Media Advance Sensor (OMAS).

The sensor keeps colors consistent across your fleet as time passes. It can automatically detect and compensate when up to 30% of nozzles are out. If you are using lightweight transfer paper or managing low grammage papers, the Drop & Dry printzone dryer prevents cockling or wrinkling that might affect printing quality.

The user-replaceable printheads reduce the price of printhead maintenance and cut out the middleman by allowing you to replace the printhead yourself. This self-service option helps you avoid the high cost of downtime while waiting for an HP technician to arrive. 

HP Smart services may prevent faults from developing, but if your HP Stitch S500 64-inch starts malfunctioning, diagnose and solve the problem quickly with HP PrintOS. HP PrintOS is a cloud-based technology that lets you fix issues from anywhere and anytime via your connected device and you can print an entire shift remotely.

Using one device for color management services, transfer paper, and direct-to-fabric printing without physically modifying the device saves time and money. You save time by eliminating manual interventions with automatic settings. The system will cut your media costs by managing low grammage papers on your behalf. Being able to manage low grammage papers with confidence ensures fewer mistakes and wastages on the production floor.

Are you worried that the HP Stitch S500 64-in will not fit into your commercial space? Unlike other dye-sublimation printers, this system has streamlined dimensions that make it suitable for most areas. It also maximizes floor space by being a front media loading dye-sub printer.

Front media loading lets you load printing materials with greater ease and without consuming excess floor space. Front media loading on the HP Stitch S500 printer saves you up to 50% floor space.

Do you want to print from one single device all your large format jobs with different color profiles? Consider adding the HP Stitch S500 printer to your shopping cart. The system will automatically get the closest visual match and maintain low running costs.

HP Stitch S500 Specs

The HP Stitch S500 64-in dye-sublimation printer comes with various features that outclass other HP series printers. For instance, its 101 x 33 x 54-in dimensions and front media loading take up less floor space than other large format printers for transfer paper and direct-to-fabric printing.

Link to HP Stitch S500 Spec Sheet.

Every HP Stitch S500 64-in comes in a box that contains:

• One printing unit
• 8 HP Thermal Inkjet printheads
• A maintenance cartridge
• Take-up reel
• Front media loading accessory
• Power cords
• Waste bottle
• Lockout drawer
• Ink collector
• 2-in-1 adapter kit
• Edge holders
• User maintenance kit
• Quick reference guide
• Setup poster

The HP SmartColor feature comes preloaded to deliver the closest visual color match for various projects. It also provides accurate color faster and easier during textile printing and other jobs.

The HP Stitch S500 can contain 23- to 64-in rolls of media for various sizes of medium to large format printing. Being able to load the exact media size for a job will cut your media costs and save time by eliminating waste.

To use the HP Smart services feature, you have a Gigabit Ethernet port for fast internet connections. The Optical Media Advance Sensor ensures accurate colors over time and across your fleet. The entire package comes with a one-year limited hardware warranty to protect your interests.

HP customer support is available around the clock to assist with any issues. You can also find support by checking HP’s robust library of FAQs, documentation, and other resources.

HP Printer Series Comparisons

Compared to the typical printer, such as the HP Latex 335 or Latex 365, the HP Stitch S500 64-in delivers better value. Below are some of the features it offers that other products lack:

• Programmed maintenance saves time by eliminating manual interventions with automatic printhead maintenance. The setting helps to reduce manual printhead maintenance and avoid the price of expert repairs.
• The Smart Nozzle Compensation system minimizes nozzle clogging and gives you predictable coloring with the closest visual color match. You get these results whether you are performing signage or textile printing, or other large-format jobs.
• The Drop & Dry printzone dryer will cut your media costs and prevent issues when using lightweight transfer paper and direct-to-fabric settings. It also eliminates delays since prints come out dry and ready to ship.
• The Optical Media Advance Sensor lets you print from one single device and get precise colors across your fleet. It also reduces media costs by managing several printers and streamlining production.
• HP PrintOS cloud-based technology facilitates remote troubleshooting and resolving of printing issues. HP PrintOS has mobile apps to manage your printers and confidently distribute jobs across fleets.

Another distinctive feature is HP SmartColor. HP SmartColor gives you accurate color faster and easier by adding new color profiles in less time or choosing existing ones. The accuracy of HP SmartColor increases color stability and reduces the need for reprints.

It also reduces the price of printing by managing low grammage papers for you. Being able to manage grammage papers with confidence will increase your productivity and profits.

Manual for Dye-Sublimation Printer

HP Stitch S500 comes with an easy to understand guide that facilitates dye-sublimation printing to achieve your artistic or business goals. Following the manual will help:

• Use HP SmartColor to access color profiles in less time and get the closest visual color match for medium to large format textile printing and more
• Confidently distribute jobs across fleets for transfer paper and direct-to-fabric printing
• Reduce manual interventions with automatic printhead maintenance and cut your media costs
• Manage low grammage papers with confidence
• Automatically detect and compensate discrepancies to prevent printing errors

HP provides support and onsite training to buyers who have trouble using the dye-sublimation unit to get the closest visual color during printing.

Should You Get the HP Stitch S500 Dye-Sublimation Printer?

Dye-sublimation printing is the first choice among professional printers looking for top print quality with vibrant, high-resolution images. The Stitch S500’s HP SmartColor gives you predictable color faster and easier than most dye-sublimation printers.

The printer’s user-friendly interface lets you create new color profiles in less than an hour. You can also automatically get the closest visual color match if the available colors do not match your needs.

The automatic cutter, take-up reel, and front-to-back registration for printing double-sided banners speed up jobs and reduce media costs by managing various tasks for you. HP support is a phone call away if you have trouble using any of the printer’s features.

The Stitch S500 64-in dye-sublimation printer’s price may be steep, but its productivity and cost management features make it ideal for large scale printing. The printer will pay for itself in the long run since HP SmartColor gives you predictable color every time you print and eliminates reprinting and waste.

If you want your printing business to be synonymous with consistent quality, add the state-of-the-art HP Stitch S500 to your shopping cart.