The word plotter would seem to describe someone who creates conniving plans, and while that definition might have some uses in most applications a more accurate definition would be the type of printer. The first printers worked by having set print (and later removable individual letters/symbols) applying ink to the print and applying paper to pick up the ink. Modern printers tend to work by using an ink jet or a laser system. Plotters are slightly different from the other printers, though each printer type has its strong suit and its weaknesses. Plotters actually work by moving a mechanical pen over the paper. They can create fantastically complex and precise line art, and were used originally to aid CAD (computer assisted design) and tend to be used primarily in engineering and other design applications. There is a trade off though, while plotter printers are good for engineers they fall short for organizations that want to print in mass. The schools in Austin use laser printers not because of budget shortfalls, but because they are better for mass printing than plotter printers.

If you want to do high color art you probably want to use a form of inkjet printer (there are other options, but ink jets are the most commonly known.) Plotter printers have difficulty filling in large areas of color, and laser printers are better used for black and white. Plotters have difficulty with high volume because they are slow. While it may seem that there are a lot of reasons to not get plotter printers, there are, it’s just that like all printers there are definite applications where they excel. Sometimes there is no true “best” and the best is dependent on need and context. For overall printing and doing lots of things generally well the plotter printer might not be the way to go, but within its specialization it is.

Most of us don’t print things that require high degrees of precision. Text can have little imperfections and not matter, and most pictures can lack photo quality without anyone noticing. However if something is being built on an architectural plan and you were going to have to live there wouldn’t you want to know the plan was printed with 100% fidelity? Plans also require a great deal of detail that printers, especially older ones, could not match. Plotter printers allowed for a mechanization of the process. Even though they’re slower than laser printers they are much quicker than drawing plans by hand. Every tool has its proper role and while plotter printers have very little use for a normal family in Austin, for any sort of engineering or design company they are infinitely useful.

Plotter Austin - Need use of a plotter in Austin? Can’t get the level of detail you need from a normal inkjet printer? If you’re not worried about creating color dense documents one of our plotter printers might be perfect for you. If you live in the Austin area Miller Blue Print should be your first call. We can be found online at http://millerblueprint.com/ and reached via telephone at 512-478-8793 (Downtown) or 512-837-8888 (North)