Plotters refer to computer printers used in the printing of vector graphics and production of hardcopy outputs. These devices use pens to draw marks on papers. Previously, plotters were used together with applications like AutoCAD and archiad among many others. Plotters have their origin in the mid 1990s when they were first introduced, and they have continued to advance technologically at a very fast rate. Today, even though they are being replaced by standard printers, they are still in wide use. To buy wide Plotters Florida is the right destination.
The first plotter to be invented were the pen plotters. They were controlled by printer control languages. Apart from controlling the pen plotter they could also transmit commands such as lift pen from paper and place pen on paper. They were based on three control languages which are basically programs that instructed the plotting devices to pick the first pen.
The control languages were not directly programmed. Programmers developing the language program had to use a different approach. They had to use device independent graphic packages and package software like Cal comp library. In these plotting devices the pen and paper moved back and forth along y and x axis respectively.
The second approach used entailed attaching ball point pens to outlining pantographs and driving machines that had stepper motors. The stepper motors were in turn run by a computer. The disadvantage of this method is that it was too slow and the floor space used had to match the size of the paper. Thus, a lot of space was needed and the process was bulky in nature.
Plotting devices have advanced with time and the nineteen eighties saw the introduction of small and lightweight designs. These designs got rid of the need for paper edges to be punctured. Pen plotting devices are becoming unpopular and are disappearing with time with those in existence are not widely used. Present day technology has given room for introduction and extensive use of laser and inkjet printers. The new sophisticated printers are faster and are able to rasterize color images.
Plotters have various uses the most common being to produce technical drawings in hard copy. These drawings are mostly used a lot in the construction industry. They are able to do this when used with the CAD software and have an upside of working on huge paper sizes. At the same time, they are able to maintain a high resolution in the drawings producing very quality output.
Another use that was realized during that time was that a cutter could be used to replace the pen. The use of a pen and cutter made it possible for the paper to be cut to the desired size. The cutter replaced the pen after the plotter had plotted. This method has made the work more easy and flexible with the ability to produce multiple copies at one go.
The current plotter has advanced further by including a set of pens with different thicknesses. This has enabled the plotter to produce the exact work including all the pen sets as set by the computer on the original drawing. Plotters are quite different from printers such as their speed and output quality.
The first plotter to be invented were the pen plotters. They were controlled by printer control languages. Apart from controlling the pen plotter they could also transmit commands such as lift pen from paper and place pen on paper. They were based on three control languages which are basically programs that instructed the plotting devices to pick the first pen.
The control languages were not directly programmed. Programmers developing the language program had to use a different approach. They had to use device independent graphic packages and package software like Cal comp library. In these plotting devices the pen and paper moved back and forth along y and x axis respectively.
The second approach used entailed attaching ball point pens to outlining pantographs and driving machines that had stepper motors. The stepper motors were in turn run by a computer. The disadvantage of this method is that it was too slow and the floor space used had to match the size of the paper. Thus, a lot of space was needed and the process was bulky in nature.
Plotting devices have advanced with time and the nineteen eighties saw the introduction of small and lightweight designs. These designs got rid of the need for paper edges to be punctured. Pen plotting devices are becoming unpopular and are disappearing with time with those in existence are not widely used. Present day technology has given room for introduction and extensive use of laser and inkjet printers. The new sophisticated printers are faster and are able to rasterize color images.
Plotters have various uses the most common being to produce technical drawings in hard copy. These drawings are mostly used a lot in the construction industry. They are able to do this when used with the CAD software and have an upside of working on huge paper sizes. At the same time, they are able to maintain a high resolution in the drawings producing very quality output.
Another use that was realized during that time was that a cutter could be used to replace the pen. The use of a pen and cutter made it possible for the paper to be cut to the desired size. The cutter replaced the pen after the plotter had plotted. This method has made the work more easy and flexible with the ability to produce multiple copies at one go.
The current plotter has advanced further by including a set of pens with different thicknesses. This has enabled the plotter to produce the exact work including all the pen sets as set by the computer on the original drawing. Plotters are quite different from printers such as their speed and output quality.
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