Perfect large-format printing within reach: Choose the right consumables

To ensure the print results are exactly as you envision, it is not enough to have just a high-quality printer. The colors used are equally important, as they play a significant role in the final print. The same principle applies not only to regular printing, but also to large-format printing on so-called plotters. Read about how such a large-format printer works and where it is used.

Plotter Yesterday and Today

The name plotter, that is, a large-format printer, comes from the English word plotter, which in translation means a coordinate recorder. This designation truly described the device at the time, because the first printers intended for printing technical drawings drew with a pen on paper along two coordinate axes, x and y. The first plotters were therefore more like vector printers than raster ones and operated relatively slowly.

Unlike conventional printing, large-format printing has no official standardization. It is commonly understood to mean printing paper formats larger than A3. Large-format prints that are commonly printed on plotters include, in particular, posters, maps, banners, and many other materials.

What large-format inkjet printing looks like in practice

Today, large-format inkjet printers are primarily used for advertising printing or the printing of technical drawings.

The principle on which they operate is essentially not very different from the one your home inkjet printer operates on as well. The most important difference is actually in the size and width of the print format. Just like in a classic inkjet printer, the print head also moves in large-format inkjet plotters, applying ink droplets to the paper through microscopic nozzles.

Usually, 4 standard printer ink colors are used: black, purple, yellow, and blue. Other colors and shades are obtained by mixing primary colors. The paper used for printing is wound into a large plotter roll, which can have a length of up to 150 meters. Theoretically, the printer can print a drawing up to 150 meters long.

Advantages of large-format inkjet printing

Inkjet plotters are very popular because they offer a number of advantages. In some models containing the so-called the flow of colors is even regulated in piezoelectric heads Although this adjustment requires special operator skills, it allows you to obtain high-quality, clear, and vivid images. However, in general, the benefits of large-format inkjet printing mainly include:

• good printing speed
• high resolution
• low maintenance requirements and availability of services and supplies
• average costs for material equipment

Large-format inkjet printers and the principle of their operation

Simply put, plotters are inkjet printers that operate on the principle of printing on a roll of paper.

They also often include a cutter used mainly when printing on adhesive film, which cuts off the finished print so that it reaches the specified length (e.g. for labels, logos, etc.). Plotters use the so-called vector printing, standard printers use bitmap printing. Printing in vectors allows plotters to precisely render even fine details, often using special printing pens for this purpose. It is no wonder that, partly thanks to this, plotters are often used in architectural or cartographic centers or graphic studios.

In addition to classic large-format printing on paper, there are also devices that can print, for example, on canvas, films, synthetic media, or PVC. Of course, similar to offset printing presses, these machines are also extremely expensive and are used only in specialized companies.

Where large-format printing is most commonly used:

A plotter has a wide range of uses in various fields.

Most often, however, it is printed with it:

• various drawings and projects
• logos, advertising posters and announcements
• cartographic aids, topographic maps
• presentations
• products for heat-adhesive films and other large-format materials