Plotter printers are more comparable to computer hardware devices rather than regular printers. Traditional printers use tiny dots to recreate lines in an image. After receiving commands from a computer, plotter printers will use a pen to make continuous lines and recreate an image. But does this really make them better than traditional printers? To help you decide if these are right for you, let’s look at the benefits of using a plotter printer.
They Can Print on a Variety of Materials
Unlike drum plotters, flatbed plotters don’t work around a drum. Instead, the material remains in place while the pen creates the design by moving vertically and horizontally. Due to the fact that the material is stationary and plotters themselves are rather large, flatbed plotters can print on a vast array of materials. They can print on metal, wood, leather, ceramic, glass, and much more. This allows you to recreate high-quality images without having to sacrifice your creativity.
You Can Repeat Images Without Losing Quality
Traditional printers don’t receive commands directly from a computer. Instead, their directions come from a network. This can lead to small flaws, especially when they must continuously replicate the image. Plotters can continually recreate images and patterns without losing quality, vibrancy, or accuracy. In part, this is because they’re receiving direct commands from the computer. Plus, they allow you to print a large volume of images at once. This is incredibly useful for businesses that need to recreate and sell graphics or marketing materials.
They Can Create Large and Detailed Images
As long as the paper doesn’t exceed the width of the drum or printer bed, plotters can create extremely large images. For example, the length of a plotter paper roll can be anywhere from 150 to 500 inches long, with a width of 18 to 36 inches. In theory, as long as the paper roll was the right width, you could print an image that was 500 inches long (about 41.7 feet) without losing quality.
They’re Incredibly Fast
In the past, early plotters were incredibly slow, which is why they don’t have the best speed reputation now. However, technology has massively improved since then. Now, plotter printers are much faster and compete well with other large-format printers. Today’s plotters offer both speed and accuracy. This is especially true for cutting plotters, which cut graphics, lettering, and other shapes at high speeds.
Now that you know the benefits of using a plotter printer, the ultimate question is whether plotters right for you. If they are, let the Plotter Paper Guys be your go-to one-stop shop for all your plotter paper needs. We sell high-quality drafting paper so that you can print your technical images and drawings with crisp accuracy every time.
