Arizona Overland Express  -  Delivers Exact, Fast & Friendly - Or it's FREE!

How to pick a Plotter?

It essentially comes down to 6 questions.

1) Size; 24",  36", 42", or 60" wide?
2) Black & White or Color?
3) Speed?
4) Manual Cut or Automatic Cut feature?
5) Cut Sheet or Roll feed?

6) Desk-top or Freestanding?

Explanations

1) Size; 24",  36", 42", or 60" wide?  Determining size is just for the width, most of the plotters can cut at lengths of at least 50'.  For example, if all you do is 24"x36" ("D" size) drawings, a 24" wide plotter should be adequate.

2) Black & White or Color?  Are you printing with just black ink or do you want the capability to print in color?  If you plan to print in color, what level of quality do you seek?

3) Speed?  How fast do you want it to print, faster costs more?

4) Manual Cut or Automatic Cut feature?  Plotters that are limited to manual cut require the Operator, when the plot is done, to use a slider bar that slides a knife across and cuts the paper.  The Automatic cut feature is quicker and allows the Operator to not have to be present while plotting multiple sheets, the machine automatically cuts the page and goes on to the next.

5) Cut Sheet or Roll feed?  Are you printing just one sheet at a time and are you willing to feed each sheet into the machine manually, if so the manual cut sheet is sufficient.  If you plan to print multiples at a time and don't want to spend as much time overall setting up the paper, a roll feed is a sensible option.

6) Desk-top or Freestanding?  Limited on space for a smaller plotter, perhaps one that sits atop a table is a viable option.   Otherwise, it's usually more sensible to have it on a stand with casters. 

Please take a look at the hp Plotters page to narrow down the selection.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at (602) 224-9971 or by email.