Plotter

Principle of work

Graph plotters draw images using a feather (the writing block). Contact with the computer graph plotters, as a rule, perform through consecutive, parallel, the SCSI interface and Ethernet (in the latter case connection to the specific computer is not required, the plotter has own IP address and, being included, it is available to all machines in the local area network). Some models of graph plotters are equipped with the built-in buffer (1 MB and more).

History

The first plotters (for example Calcomp of 565 of 1959) worked at the principle of movement of paper using a roller, providing thereby the coordinate of X, and Y was provided with the movement of a feather. Other approach (realized in Computervision’s Interact I, the first CAD system) represented the upgraded pantograph managed by the computer and having a ball feather as the drawing element. The lack of this method was that the space corresponding to the lined area was required. But the advantage of this method following from its shortcoming is easily increased positioning accuracy of a feather and respectively accuracy of the drawing applied on paper. Later this device was complemented with the special cassette holder who could be arranged by feathers of different thickness and color.

Hewlett Packard and Tektronix in the late seventies provided tablet plotters with standard of the size of a desktop. In the 1980th also easier HP 7470 model using the innovative technology of "a granular wheel" for paper movement was released smaller by the sizes. These small plotters of household purpose became popular in business applications. But because of their poor performance they were almost useless for printing of general purpose. With wide circulation of inkjet and laser printers with high resolution capability, reduction in cost of computer memory and processing speed of bitmap color images, graph plotters with a feather practically disappeared from use.

Types of graph plotters

• rolled and tablet
• pen, jet and electrostatic
• vector and raster

Classification

Graph plotters can be classified as follows:

• on a method of formation of the drawing — with any scanning and raster;
• on a method of movement of the carrier — tablet, drum and mixed (frictional, with an abrasive head).
• on the used tool (type of a drawing head) — pen, photocomposers, with the scribing head, with a milling head.

Also plotters call large-format printers and cutters. It is not absolutely correct, however de facto is already the standard.

Producers

• Hewlett-Packard (HP)
• Canon (Canon Ru)
• Encad
• Seiko Epson Corporation
• XAAR
• Konica Minolta
• KIP
• Ricoh (Rico Rus)
• Oce
• Xerox

Main article: List devices (market)