HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP Plotter

The HP DesignJet T2600 MFP and the HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP both print at a rated speed of 180 A1 pages per hour (3 A1/min). The correct choice between them is not driven by speed — it is driven by ink system, build class, connectivity, and storage. The XL 3600 uses a six-colour HP 766 ink system (adding grey and photo black) that produces noticeably richer colour output on GIS maps and architectural renderings. The XL 3600 has built-in Wi-Fi as standard (the T2600 requires an accessory), a 500 GB AES-256 encrypted drive (vs a smaller drive in the T2600), and HP Wolf Pro Security. For organisations where colour output quality is a visible differentiator and Wi-Fi connectivity is required without cabling infrastructure, the XL 3600 is the correct machine from approximately 100 A1 pages per week upward. For organisations where budget is the primary constraint at under 100 A1/week, the T2600 is the economically correct choice.

The HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP uses six HP 766 ink cartridges: cyan, magenta, yellow, matte black, grey, and photo black. Four-colour CMYK plotters (like the T2600, T1600, and T650) produce grey tones by mixing cyan, magenta, and yellow inks — a process that introduces dithering patterns and colour casts in neutral ranges and produces banded gradients in smooth tone transitions. The XL 3600's dedicated grey ink channel fills those gaps by depositing a true grey at the correct tonal value, eliminating banding and producing smooth continuous gradients across grey scales, hillshading, contour elevation ranges, and road network densities on GIS maps. The photo black ink delivers a higher maximum black density than matte black on coated and semi-gloss media, making map labels, legend text, and building outlines appear sharper and more defined. For AEC practices printing colour architectural perspectives, and for GIS teams printing colour topographic maps, the visual quality difference over a four-colour plotter is immediate and measurable.

The HP DesignJet XL 3600 is the standard single-roll variant of the XL 3600 MFP. The HP DesignJet XL 3600dr (dr = dual roll) adds a second roll drawer, allowing two different roll widths to be loaded simultaneously. With the dr variant, the printer selects the correct roll automatically based on the job's page size — an A1-wide roll in one drawer and an A0-wide roll in the other, for example — without operator intervention or manual roll changes. For organisations that regularly mix A1 and A0 output in the same print queue, the XL 3600dr eliminates the media change delay between job sizes. Contact Graficomp to discuss which variant is correct for your workflow.

Yes. The HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP includes Wi-Fi as standard on all variants. This is unusual in the production MFP class — the HP DesignJet XL 3800 MFP (the only higher-specification device in the HP DesignJet technical range) requires an optional HP Jetdirect wireless print server accessory for Wi-Fi. Every T-series plotter also requires an accessory. The XL 3600 is the only production-class large-format MFP in the HP DesignJet range that ships with Wi-Fi built in. Apple AirPrint is supported natively: users on MacBook, iPad, or iPhone can print without installing a driver. Android direct printing is also supported. For installations where running a network cable to the print room is impractical, the XL 3600 removes that infrastructure barrier entirely.

PostScript is not included in the standard HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP. HP offers a separate variant — the HP DesignJet XL 3600 with PostScript/PDF (HP part number 6KD24A) — that includes native PostScript 3 processing. For organisations printing colour GIS maps from ArcGIS or QGIS via PostScript output, colour architectural renderings from Revit or SketchUp with complex transparency and overprint layers, or multi-layer PDFs from Civil 3D or MicroStation, the PostScript/PDF variant processes these natively and produces colour-accurate output on the first print without a RIP. For standard CAD PDF output via AutoCAD's PDF driver, HP Click batch plotting, or direct HP-GL/2 output, the standard model is sufficient. Contact Graficomp before ordering — specifying the incorrect variant at purchase is the most common procurement error on the XL 3600 series.

The HP DesignJet XL 3800 MFP and XL 3600 MFP are both production-class 36-inch MFPs with similar scanners and security architectures, but they differ in five important ways. First, speed: the XL 3800 prints at 6 A1/min (360 A1/hr), double the XL 3600's 3 A1/min (180 A1/hr). Second, output handling: the XL 3800 includes a 100-page integrated stacker that collects and orders output unattended; the XL 3600 uses basket collection. Third, ink type: the XL 3800 uses all-pigment HP Flex Tech inks (waterproof, 25-year fade resistance); the XL 3600 uses dye-based inks for five of six colours (wider colour gamut, not waterproof). Fourth, Wi-Fi: the XL 3600 has Wi-Fi built in; the XL 3800 requires an optional accessory. Fifth, storage: the XL 3600 has a 500 GB encrypted drive vs the XL 3800's 256 GB drive. The correct choice depends on volume (100–300 A1/week favours XL 3600; 300+ favours XL 3800), output durability requirements, and whether the stacker is operationally necessary at the volume in question.

HP 766 inks are dye-based for five of the six colours (cyan, magenta, yellow, grey, and photo black) and pigment-based for matte black only. Dye-based inks dissolve into the paper fibre and deliver a wider colour gamut, higher colour saturation, and smoother tonal transitions than pigment inks on the same media. Pigment inks sit on top of the paper surface and are waterproof, weather-resistant, and fade-resistant for 25 or more years. The practical implication: the XL 3600's dye-based inks produce colour GIS maps and architectural renderings that look noticeably richer and more colour-accurate than four-colour pigment-ink output. However, output printed on the XL 3600 is not waterproof — if the printed page gets wet, the colour will run. For organisations where output will be used outdoors, in wet conditions, or archived for decades, the HP DesignJet XL 3800 MFP with its all-pigment HP Flex Tech ink system is the correct choice. For organisations where output is used indoors for presentations, client deliverables, and tender submissions, the XL 3600's dye-based system produces the better-looking result.

Yes. The XL 3600's CIS scanner accepts originals up to 914 mm (36 inches) wide, which covers A0 drawings (841 mm wide). The straight-through paper path handles originals up to 0.8 mm thick, which includes standard cartridge drawing paper and vellum without a manual feed guide. Maximum continuous scan length is 50 metres in PDF format, 12 metres in TIFF, and 8 metres in JPEG. This accommodates very long elevation drawings, building sections, and rolled site survey originals that exceed the capacity of shorter-path scanners. Scan speed is up to 3 inches per second in colour at 200 dpi, and up to 10 inches per second in greyscale at 200 dpi. Scan output formats are JPEG, TIFF, multipage TIFF, PDF, and multipage PDF.

The HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP runs HP Wolf Pro Security, HP's most comprehensive security architecture deployed on a large-format printer in this price class. Features include: HP Secure Boot (validates firmware integrity at every startup), Allowlisting (only authorised firmware and software execute on the device), TPM (Trusted Platform Module for hardware-level credential storage), Role-Based Access Control (restrict print, scan, and copy by user role), LDAP and Kerberos authentication (integrate with Active Directory for user-level access control), SNMPv3, HTTPS, TLS 1.0/1.1/1.2 for all data in transit, and Secure Disk Erase to DoD 5220.22-M standard for stored jobs. Internal storage is a 500 GB AES-256 encrypted drive. For government departments, legal firms, financial institutions, and corporate environments with IT security policies covering all network-connected devices, the XL 3600 meets the requirements that workgroup plotters cannot address. Graficomp configures LDAP integration and reviews security settings with your IT team as part of every XL 3600 installation.

Yes. The XL 3600 works with any application that outputs to PDF or a standard Windows or macOS print driver. AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, MicroStation, ArchiCAD, ArcGIS, QGIS, and MapInfo all print to the XL 3600 without plugins or special configuration. For batch PDF plotting, HP Click accepts multiple files with automatic page-size detection. For complex GIS vector output or colour architectural renderings with transparency and overprint layers, the HP DesignJet XL 3600 with PostScript/PDF variant processes these natively via PostScript 3. HP-GL/2 is natively supported for direct driver output from AutoCAD and MicroStation. Contact Graficomp to confirm the correct variant for your specific software workflow before ordering.

Graficomp provides on-site installation for every HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP purchase in South Africa. Installation includes: physical positioning, Wi-Fi or Gigabit Ethernet network connection and configuration, HP Click installation and batch workflow setup, HP Web Jetadmin fleet management configuration, HP JetAdvantage Security Manager setup if applicable, LDAP or Active Directory integration for user authentication, driver configuration for every workstation operating system on the network, colour profile setup to ensure the six-colour ink system performs correctly for your media, scanner calibration, and a production run to confirm throughput and colour accuracy before sign-off. Graficomp's engineering team has commissioned HP production-grade plotters for more than two decades. On-site installation applies nationally — the engineering team travels for XL 3600 deployments outside Gauteng and the Western Cape.

The HP DesignJet XL 3600 MFP weighs 154 kg and measures 1500 mm wide, 660 mm deep, and 1310 mm tall. It requires a flat, level floor that can sustain a point load of at least 170 kg in the device's footprint. Standard commercial office floors with concrete slab construction are suitable. The machine's depth of 660 mm means it can be positioned with its back against a wall, as the roll drawer and scanner feed from the front. Graficomp's installation team assesses the installation location before delivery and advises on floor preparation, power outlet positioning, and network or Wi-Fi infrastructure requirements. A standard 220–240 V power outlet is required.