Plotter Decision
My DesignJet 450C is now 18 years old, and while it hasn’t exactly been trouble-free, in general I’ve been pretty satisfied with its performance. But this morning its yellow cartridge crapped out, and ink cartridges for it are no longer being manufactured. I can find new-but-expired cartridges on eBay, but I don’t know if they’ll work, and their availability going forward is likely to be limited. I thought this might be the time to explore the service bureau option again.
I plotted the drawing I need to PDF and sent it to FedEx/Kinko’s. It’s a 2-sheet 24″x36″ topo in color, and I need 2 copies of each sheet on bond paper. FedEx just called and said that the cost will be $57 and change. That seems kind of pricey, especially when I just need check prints. The FedEx guy said if I went with B&W the cost would be around $31, but even that seems like a lot. Maybe I’m just cheap. (Okay, there’s not really any maybe about it.)
I don’t generate many prints these days — most of my deliverables are digital — but I do need to see check prints occasionally, and Records of Survey have to be on mylar. So I’m reluctantly thinking that I need to retain an in-house plotter. What’s the latest recommendation for a minimum D-size plotter?
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