How do plotters work

Three types of plotters are most popular for their ability to allow you to create different designs. This group includes the drum plotter, the flatbed plotter, and the inkjet plotter.

Each of these types of plotters has a different specific use, therefore, you must make your choice very carefully. You must also choose your plotter supply company with equal care. The drum plotter is a specialized output device whose name indicates its function. This device works by moving a pen on a single axis track while the paper moves on a cylindrical drum. Typically, the drum moves the paper to the right and left, while the pen or pens draw up and down.

If you use more than one pen, then you can have different colors. That drum adds another axis during printing, allowing you to create graphs up to the size of the drum itself. Being able to print graphics of any width and length adds great versatility in printing a wide variety of large documents.

Some of the documents created include architectural drawings. Flatbed plotters are output devices whose name also hints at their function. They work by fixing paper on a flat surface while pens move to draw the image. The pen itself may be attached to an arm, allow it to easily move over the paper. They do not use traditional printing heads, nozzles, and ink cartridges.

The bed itself is a flat vacuum bed or table meant to keep the paper still. The thermal printer is useful for heating the pin, then the pin is positioned again on a medium exposed to heat which will produce an image as output. This plotter is also useful for media for making prints on paper or in the form of solid films.

Based on development, Plotter is two types that are:. Cutting plotter is mostly used for cutting vinyl, rubber, cork, etc.

Such types of Plotters are generally used in shoemaking or clothing-making factories to make and cut patterns. Furthermore, most of the cutting plotters are used in shoemaking or garment-making factories where the plotter is useful for cutting patterns or raw materials all at once. The wide-format plotter is mostly used by a graphics company because it has the ability to make very wide color prints. Therefore this plotter is the first choice of graphic artists. The technology used in this painter can be similar to an inkjet printer or a thermal plotter.

InkJet is the most popular kind of plotter that pushes beads of ink directly onto the surface of whatever you are printing on. These plotters typically print in three to four color palettes.

The three colors used by inkjets include cyan, magenta, and yellow. These colors can also be mixed to create darker shades, such as black.

Inkjet plotters are also available in Four colors that have dedicated black ink. This is only recommended when you want to generate the clearest shades of black. These plotters can also eliminate many elements of waste during the whole printing process.

These inkjet plotters also decrease your set-up time which will result in an increase in productivity. An Inkjet plotter comes with many unique advantages as they are affordable and versatile. Furthermore, an inkjet plotter always suits every individual or company and their different needs.

Your email address will not be published. Related Articles. What is Trello Project Management Tool? Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Check Also. Although ideal for printing large line art graphics, plotters could not reproduce raster graphics, and the introduction of wide format inkjet and laser printers have rendered them largely obsolete.

There are two main types of plotters for printing: flatbed plotters and drum plotters. Flatbed plotters use a system where the paper is fixed, and the plotter moves a pen up and down, and left and right to draw the required marks on the paper. Drum plotters move the pen up and down, and the paper left and right by rotating the drum.

This enables drum plotters to have a footprint smaller than the final paper size. Plotters can use more than one pen, allowing different colors to be drawn. Plotters work in conjunction with CAD software on the computer, to output line drawings for plans, blueprints and other technical drawings. Due to the mechanical actions involved in moving the pen, compared to other types of printers such as ink jet and laser printers, early plotters were slow to produce their output.

Only a small number of pen plotters are still in use commercially, with many refurbished models available at low prices in online auctions. Another type of plotter is the cutting plotter, which replaces the pen with a sharp blade.