A mixed bag – it’s the best way to describe the blend of IT equipment at some engineering and used old big format printerconstruction offices. As you know, information technology has become integral to the operation of those types of companies. For example, here are some state-of-the-art items that you’ll find in the average engineering or construction office.

So, with all of this new technology in place, why is it considered an acceptable practice to print out construction plans on a ten year old big format printer? After all, ten years, in terms of computers and peripherals, are a lifetime! Think about it, how many Windows 98 workstations are still in service?

But, it is not uncommon to walk into an otherwise modern office and find a 10-year old, unsupported HP 1050 plotter as the company’s main big format printer. In this case, the mentality is usually “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” But, take a closer look.

Some problems you could experience using an old, unsupported plotter in your office.

  • Print drivers aren’t updated on plotters that are unsupported. This could be a big problem if you look at changing your server or upgrading operation systems. If the driver is not compatible to the new OS, the printer becomes instantly unusable.
  • Parts are no longer manufactured. So, they are only available aftermarket at inflated prices. You will end up putting much more money into the repair than the machine is even worth.
  • You could experience the inability to print large or complex files. If you have every worked with GIS files then you have felt this pain.
  • Overall workflow in your office could grind to a halt because of slow print speeds (Most of the time slow print speeds are related to the plotter’s ability to logically process the file rather quickly rather than taking longer to put ink on the paper).

Benefits gained by upgrading your big format printer.

  • Save money by changing print technologies. If your print volumes have risen, maybe toner is a better solution than inkjet. Analyze the difference between the two.
  • Print faster and more efficiently. This will ultimately speed up the entire workflow of your office since everyone will no longer have idle time waiting for a print job.
  • Have the ability to print large, complex files like layered aerial photos with embedded data. These types of files render old plotters useless.
  • Expand the functionality of the big format printer with a wide format scanner. There are several multifunction options available now that include a scanner to copy and scan your wide format drawings. This can be great for archiving old files as well as scanning revisions with color annotations.

What other problems haven an unsupported, big format printer caused you?

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 Upgrade your old big format printer

Photo credit: oskay

 

Kevin Vaughan
Post by Kevin Vaughan
December 1, 2011
Kevin Vaughan is the Vice President of TAVCO and heads up Sales, Digital Marketing, and E-Commerce channels. With over two decades of experience, he has received various awards for sales performance and channel growth. Published articles focus on AEC technologies including laser scanning, 3D cameras, CAD software, and large format plotters. When he is not geeking out on new technologies, you can find him hanging with his wife and kids, playing guitar, or Scuba diving.

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