Benefits of Large Format Copiers and Scanners
Large format colour CAD plotters are useful for any project that involves mapping or architectural renderings. Architects and engineers have long ago moved to plotters to do their actual drawings. Anything that is already drawn by hand can be digitized and then printed on a large format colour plotter.
There are many sizes available from just 17 inches wide to as large as 54 inches wide. Some desktop inkjet printers are made for architects, engineers and GIS professionals. If you need a larger size, many companies make the modern version of what used to be called a CAD plotter. Nowadays, the new machines are many times faster. The current generation of architectural plotters are 4-colour inkjet machines. Like all architectural plotters it is important to handle 3D renderings as well as traditional architectural drawings.
Whether you call it a bundled solution, a multifunction device, or an integrated system, one thing is for certain—bundled solutions including wide format scanners and output devices are evolving to support users’ needs. Most wide format scanner manufacturers either sell their scanners with a printer or market compatibility with wide format printers. Most scanners now are very reliable and easy to install, almost all are user installable. Resolution is a lot better.
Some graphic arts scanners have motorized controls to handle the thickness of documents. With these capabilities currently available to the user do we need to improve the wide format scanner? Scan time, ability to scan larger documents continually, and better resolution may have improved already but they are still features to be toyed with. Most believe that there is a continual push to get better pricing for products and higher speeds. Moving forward, more people are looking to have colour scanning capability tied not only to a colour printer but also to their monochrome printers for optimum flexibility.
