Printing documents directly from computers has made things a lot easier for us. Since the introduction of computer printers, we can print anything in a glimpse from the computer directly. While you may have used a printer for some time, you may not have heard about the plotter.
But, interestingly, both have similar functions- to print soft documents obtained on a computer. While the plotter is used to print detailed documents with intricate diagrams specifically, the printer can print regular documents and photos. Let’s learn about the difference between the potter and the printer in this article to know more about these two devices!
What Is A Plotter?
The plotter is an output device that takes commands from a computer and uses an automated pen to draw the vector graphics like lines and diagrams on paper. The plotter draws lines using the point-to-point method, where those lines create the graphics in detail without any error.
The automated pens must be adjusted to ensure the point-to-point line drawing goes appropriately. A plotter can even print and draw on different materials besides paper, like vinyl, plastic, Plywood, and aluminium sheets. In this case, the plotter uses a knife to draw or etch the lines on hard surfaces.
The plotters are specialized machines that can draw intricate lines and are commonly used to make large and intricate diagrams, maps, blueprints, architectural drawings, etc.
The Working Mechanism Of A Plotter
A plotter needs special imaging software to function. You first need to set the coordinates of the area of the drawing on the software. It is necessary because the plotter pen only works with the set coordinates. The software then uses vector lines to create the image to complete the schematics. After this, the device downloads these vector coordinates to the plotter through a code. The plotter then interprets the codes and f out the best possible path to initiate the drawing.
After determining the drawing path, the platter starts drawing with the automated pen. Usually, plotters have a hollow fiber rod with a sharp tip. There is a constant ink supply in the center of the hollow pipe, and the ink is dispensed through the tip to make a mark on the paper. If the drawing is made on hard surfaces like vinyl, or Plywood, the machine uses a knife to create the carvings to complete the drawing.
The plotters’ early version used two vertical and one horizontal pen. But modern machines use a sliding roller with a stationary pen that moves the paper according to the image. Modern plotters also use complicated programming languages like Houston Instruments’ DMP, Hewlett-Packard’s HPGL2, CAD, and Adobe Illustrator to initiate the drawing.
Types Of A Plotter
1. Drum Plotter
The drum plotter has a moving pen that moves on a single axis. While drawing, a movable drum rotates and moves the paper from right to left, and the pen moves up and down to complete the image.
Besides that, the rotating drum also adds another axis which helps to draw graphs and images to the size of the drum. Hence, the drum plotter is versatile as it allows you to print graphical images for different lengths and widths per your preference. Interestingly, some drum plotters also come with multiple pens and can draw with different colors. Drum plotters are often used for making architectural blueprints.
2. Flatbed Plotter
Flatbed plotters use a fixed drawing surface and a mobbing pen. The drawing paper is first fixed on a flat vacuum surface. Due to the vacuum effect, the paper stays still even when the pen moves. These plotting machines are larger than the drum plotters and are mainly used for CAD drawings. The larger the size of the flatbed, the better and more intricate drawings the machine can make.
The pen is attached to a movable arm, and the arm moves on the paper. Flatbed plotters are versatile and use multiple inks to create colorful images.
3. Inkjet Plotter
Inkjet printers are different from the rest of the plotter machines. Instead of a pen, it pushes the tiny ink beads on the paper to create the dealing. The plotter uses water-based, hydrocarbon-based ink solvents, making printing more eco-friendly. On top of that, the water-based inks also are lightweight and add less weight to the paper. It cuts the cost of transportation, handling, and mailing after the painting is complete.
On top of that, the inkjet plotters also take less time to set up and make printing tasks faster and more time efficient. On top of that, their versatile nature also makes these machines popular.
There are two types of inkjet printers-
- Three-color palette inkjet printer- It comes in three colors magenta. Cyan and yellow the three colors are mixed to create black ink and other darker ink shades while drawing.
- Four-color palette inkjet printer- This printer has an additional dedicated black ink besides the three colors magenta, cyan, and magenta. It creates stunning and dark black images.
4. Cutting Plotter
Cutting plotters come with a knife instead of an automated pen. The plotter also has a pressure control device to control the knife. At the same time, it makes the drawing on hard surfaces like aluminium, vinyl, ply, etc.
The cutting plotters use sliding rollers with a fixed knife to create images for vinyl and plastic. On the other hand, in the case of hard materials like Plywood, etc., the looting machine has a moving knife to draw the image. Cutting plotters are widely used for making billboards, vinyl sheets, posters, and signboards on aluminium, vinyl, plastic sheet, etc.
Uses of plotter
1. Construction
In the case of constitutional works, plotters are often used to draw blueprints.
2. Architecture
Plotters are widely used for architectural drawings. Due to the vector imaging style, complicated architectural designs can be easily printed with plotters.
3. Mapmaking
Plotters are also used in printing and drawing maps as these can create detailed maps within a short time.
4. Product Design
Product blueprints are also designed with a plotter.
5. Craftsmanship
Plotters are widely used for craftsmanship projects.
6. Manufacturing
In the manufacturing sector, plotters are used.
What Is A Printer?
A printer is an electronic output device that can print text documents and images from a computer on paper. Chester Carlson probably designed the first printer in 1938 using Xerography, a photocopy technique. He used powered ink on electrically charged paper and exposed the object to the sunlight to create the image in 1962. C. R. Winston first designed an inkjet printer that could print continuously.
Modern printers are efficient and can be used for personal and institutional projects. With the latest techniques, printers can print copies in different colors within a few seconds. The efficiency of the printer is measured in ppm or print per moment. The ppm count ranges from 6 to 25. The higher the ppm rate, the pricier the printer machine becomes.
Types Of A Printer
1. Impact Printers
Impact printers come with an ink ribbon and more than one printing head. Printing is done when the inked ribbon repeatedly hits the paper to print the graphics. The impact printers use electro-mechanical devices and make noise as the ribbon repeatedly hits the paper. But impact printers are faster and can print up to 250 words in a second.
2. Non-Impact Printers
a. Toner Based Printers
Toner-based printers use printer toner or cartridges with powder ink made from plastic particles, carbon compounds, and other coloring particles. The printing machine uses an electro-statically charged drum that directly transfers the toner to the paper and then uses heated rollers to fuse the ink to complete the printing task.
b. A Dye-Sublimation Printers
Dye stimulation printers are similar to inkjet printers and are primarily used for digital textile printing. The printer sprays dye-sublimation inks of the fabric or paper. The fabric or paper is heated to defuse the hues and complete the printing task.
c. Inkless Printers
Inkless printers use thermal power to print documents. The printers use thermal technology to darken the paper while printing and also use heat-sensitive inks and UV light rays. When light rays hit the thermal-sensitive paper, the paper produces printing work. But, thermal-sensitive e-papers are made from carbon and are thicker than regular papers. But, this procedure is eco-friendly. On the flip side, inkless printers are expensive and cost a lot of money.
d. Liquid Ink Printers
Liquid ink printers or inkjet printers are widely used. These printers have ink cartridges, print heads, paper feed assemblies, and stabilizer bars. The ionized ink is sprayed on the paper through the magnetic plates, creating images and graphics quickly. The best part about inkjet printers is that they can print high-resolution images and even detailed text documents without decreasing the printing quality.
Inkjet printers are compact and can instantly print without any warm-up time. But, the ink cartridges need to be refilled and are a bit slower than the laser printers.
e. Solid Ink Printers
Solid ink printers melt the solid ink sticks directly on the paper, which helps to save space and can produce more vibrant hues while printing. On top of that, the solid ink printers come in a compact design and take up less space. Modern solid ink printers use environmentally friendly, non-toxic inks made of vegetable oils. But, these tickle time as the machine needs to be warmed up to melt the ink and also need to be cooled down before you shut it down.
Differences Between Plotter And Printer
Even though both plotter and printer do the same work that is, printing, here are some fundamental differences between the two machines –
- A plotter uses a pen (movable or fixed) filled with ink to draw the images. On the other hand, a printer can use inked ribbons, cartridges, or even thermal technology to print the paper.
- Plotters need computer programming to incorporate the image and find the exact coordinate to plot the lines before drawing. On the contrary, printers do not need such computer programming. The printer prints the documents and images through the commands provided by a network.
- The plotters use vector graphic format to create the drawing by plotting lines. It helps the plotter to draw without losing any details. But, a printer uses bitmap or pixels to print the file or documents from the computer. Hence, when the image or document is enlarged, it can get blurry due to the enlarged pixels.
- Plotters take a lot of time as the pen moves from line to line. On the other hand, a printer works way faster than a plotter.
- A printer depends on the resolution of the images as the printer prints images in larger sizes than the original. But a plotter is independent of the resolution, using the point-to-point line drawing approach.
- A plotter can draw more than one line continuously with the point-to-point approach. But a printer can only print a single line at the same time.
Comparison Features Of A Plotter And Printer
| Features | Plotter | Printer |
| Output format | Vector imaging technique to draw without losing detail | Pixel or bitmap |
| Printing method | Draws with a hollow pen that continuously supplies ink | You can use inked ribbon (impact printers) and ink spray. Ink cartridge, thermal technology, laser to print |
| Line drawing | Can draw multiple lines at a time using the point-to-point method | Can print one line at a time |
| Command type | Commanded using software like Flexi, Adobe Illustrations, CAD, etc | Usually, the printers are commanded through a network. |
| Usage | Mainly used to create architectural drawings, blueprints, etc | Used in versatile ways for printing images, documents, Graphics, etc. |
| Types | Four main types are flatbed, inkjet, Drum and cutting plotter | Impact printers, non-impact printers, inkjet printers, laser printers, cartridge and toner printers, and laser printers. |
| Speed | A bit slower | Very fast (speed varies from model to model) |
Plotter Vs Printer – FAQs
Ans: the plotters are specialized devices using automated pens to draw detailed images. The plotters can be more expensive than regular printers. The cost often depends on the model, the type, etc.
Ans: Yes, you can connect multiple computers with the same plotter if it supports network connectivity, including USB connectivity, wifi or ethernet, etc. It can help if you use the plotter with multiple computers in a shared office or want to print different documents.
Ans: The average cost per page for printing can depend on the type of file you are printing and the printer model you are using. For example, photos with detailed graphics can cost 60 cents per page. On the other hand, the cost is 5 to 8 cents per page for black-and-white documents, and color-printed documents can cost 12 to 15 cents for one page.
Ans: A plotter can last 5 to 10 years if it is maintained properly and handled with care. But, the older models may last longer than the newly advanced models.
Conclusion
A plotter machine uses an automated pen to draw detailed images using a vector image method. Hence, it is used to print maps, architectural drawings, etc. On the other hand, a printer uses different techniques like inked ribbon hitting, spraying ink on paper, and even thermal technology to print images and documents directly on paper. Hence printers are more widely used for printing images, graphics, and documents.
