plotter
Sign in to savethumb|Hewlett-Packard 9862A calculator plotter drawing a Lorenz attractor A plotter is a machine that produces vector graphics drawings. Plotters draw lines on paper using a pen, or in some applications, use a knife to cut a material like vinyl or leather. In the latter case, they are sometimes known as a cutting plotter.
Article
13 sectionsContents
- {{anchor|XY-writer}}Overview
- Types
- X–Y plotter
- Electrostatic plotters
- {{anchor|cutting}} Cutting plotters
- Vinyl cutter
- Static cutting table
- Languages
- History
- Contemporary uses of pen plotters
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Hewlett-Packard 9862A calculator plotter drawing a Lorenz attractor A plotter is a machine that produces vector graphics drawings. Plotters draw lines on paper using a pen, or in some applications, use a knife to cut a material like vinyl or leather. In the latter case, they are sometimes known as a cutting plotter.
In the past, plotters were used in applications such as computer-aided design, as they were able to produce line drawings much faster and of a higher quality than contemporary conventional printers. Smaller desktop plotters were often used for business graphics. Printers with graphics capabilities took away some of the market by the early 1980s, and the introduction of laser printers in the mid-1980s largely eliminated the use of plotters from most roles.