Duty Cycle -- It's a term that is normally related to office copiers or desktop printers. It usually refers to the maximum number of pages that a particular printer can produce in a month.
So, it is common to see a number like 20,000 or 60,000 when looking at those specs.
But, how does the term “duty cycle” relate to wide format printers?
If you are in the market for a new wide-format plotter, obviously, there are many things to consider.
The usual suspects are price, functionality, and specifications. But have you given any thought to overall productivity?
Be careful when comparing makes and models because the plotter spec sheet doesn’t always tell the whole story.
Speed is always of the essence in construction. The faster companies access and share their plans, the more they increase their earning potential.
Despite the expansion of digital workflows, there is still an explicit need for architects, engineers, and contractors to use physical drawings.
Therefore, the right equipment is crucial. This is why AEC companies should really consider a Canon plotter with a built-in hard drive.
For many CAD users, toner-based, large format, LED plotters are just plain magical. You simply click print and a sheet comes out.
There’s often not much thought about what is going on "under the hood" or the science behind the process. But, the truth is, there is a lot going on there - exposure, charging, transfer, etc.
The final part of this multi-part sequence is called "fusing." In layman's terms this is where heat is applied to the powder toner to permanently adhere it to the paper. There are a couple of different ways to achieve this, either through a pressure fusion process or radiant fusion one.
Pressure fusion is be far the most prevalent and is therefore considered "conventional technology", but there are many reasons why Canon's Radiant Fusion Technology is better and something you should seriously consider.
If you work in AEC - architecture, engineering, or construction, you know how you handle construction drawings has changed dramatically over the years. In the old days, print shops printed and distributed bid sets to general contractors and subcontractors.
Almost all plans are shared electronically via email or some online planroom. This has resulted in a drop in demand for large-volume printing. Traditional reprographic shops have been hit hardest by this change. But wide-format printing is not dead; it has just shifted.
Canon recently unveiled their new wide format plotter scanner—the L-Series. It comes in two versions, the iPF670 MFP L24 (24-inch plotter/scanner) and the iPF770 MFP L36 (36-inch plotter/scanner). Both of these units provide basic print and scan-to-copy functions at a very affordable price. The overall functionality of the L-Series is a bit scaled back from the more robust M40 model, but if your wide-format needs are basic, it may be a great option to consider.
Everyone knows that as soon as you buy the latest tech gizmo, it is already outdated. Just look how fast new smart phones are released. This concept appears to dissolve, however, when printers are involved, especially wide-format printers. It is amazing how some companies will hang on to their wide-format equipment for years. Eventually though, the time will come there is no other option. You need to upgrade your plotter. If that is the case, here a few things to keep in mind.
The Canon Large Format Solutions Division has recently announced the latest expansion of their award winning imagePROGRAF Large-Format Multifunction Printer line with the new iPF MFP L Scan-to-Copy/File series. The two models that comprise the new L-Series are the 36-inch iPF770 MFP L36 and the 24-inch iPF670 MFP L24. The new L-Series complements the current iPF MFP M40 imaging system line by providing a product that offers basic scan-to-copy capabilities at an affordable price. Developed to be easy-to-use, the new L-Series Scan-to-Copy/File systems are expanding the market by putting Large Format multifunction capabilities within reach of small offices, low volume and entry level users. Together, the two iPF MFP series give Canon an unrivaled breadth of large format scan-to-copy/file solutions.
Visual communication is vital to many types of businesses. Retail, Education, and Petroleum (Oil & Gas) are three wildly different industries that rely on the similar ability to communicate through posters, charts, and maps. Technology has made it so that producing even complex posters is as simple as clicking “print.” But, ultimately, hardware is what yields the final results and having the right hardware remains the biggest challenge, until now.
When you convinced your spouse to buy a GPS for the car, you expect to use it to find motels on a vacation drive or get to an unfamiliar destination. Once you have it, you learn that you can search local restaurants for a spur-of-the moment meal, find your way around traffic jams, see how long it will be to the next rest stop or compare gas stations.
The same experience faces you at work. It’s good to find a solution to one problem that turns out to be a solution to a dozen problems. It’s even better when the “solution” opens or enhances new possibilities for your organization.
Good for more than just technical printsWhen the engineering department wants to scan and print large design images, you quickly find that the same large-format printer can produce colorful signs that transfer to your vehicles or office walls and windows, or print transfers of your logo for the softball team’s shirts.
The public relations and marketing people will want to turn pages from presentations into posters, banners and dazzling trade show booth displays. Others will want to print specialized signs to make a worksite safer or guide visitors on a tour. Your building manager will use a large format printer to create dazzling photographs and art work for your office walls.
Someone will want to print large-format maps for specific projects. Others will want to scan that map down for a presentation slide. Then someone else will want to do a different overlay on a map for a completely different task, or print it on a color transparency and turn it into a lamp or illuminated display.
Also useful for other departments in your companyThe training staff might use a large format plotter or scanner to turn the map into a board game, with images from your photo file to illustrate where things are in your organization and how your work is done.
Being able to handle large-format documents also enhances your ability to collaborate with other organizations and outside consultants. This means you can seek work that where your organization lacked the assets to seek before, or find work with others.
Buying or leasing a new large format plotter, scanner or printer is a decision that can involve the entire organization. These devices are very diverse in design and abilities, and right now you can choose among broad field of hardware options and lease or buy equipment at very competitive rates.
What do floppy drives, parallel ports, and daisy wheel printers have in common with large format copiers? They are all extinct. It is crazy to think that only five years ago analog large format copiers were a completely relevant product. But, now you can’t give one away. So, what exactly happened?
A mixed bag – it’s the best way to describe the blend of IT equipment at some engineering and construction 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.
It’s funny…today there is no distinction between a plotter and a wide-format printer. In the old days, it was a totally different story. Back then, a plotter strictly worked with vector data and usually produced the lines on the sheet via pens. Yes, actual pens. So, if you have been in the design-build industry for a while, you will be very familiar with the term “pen plotter.”
Here is the situation. You are an artist who needs to scan paintings, photos, or giclée prints into a digital format. But how? What is the best large-format scanner for an artist?
Without question, the best possible solution would be a large flat-panel scanner. But, that type of equipment rarely meets an artist's budget. So, what is the alternative?
I ran across a GADGETWISE blog post that had some good insight about increasing the longevity of ink jet printer inks. I would say that the main takeaway of the article is that lack of use renders ink jet printers dead. That is something that I preach endlessly to my clients. By the way, this philosophy pertains to both small and large format printers.
Brian Kennard
Dawn Higgs
Donnie Schopp
Kevin Vaughan
Rick Hiller