Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO]Printing/Plotting grating

>
> Rather than a 300 dpi inkjet, some of the old pen plotters are good for
> 0.001--if you can come up with a really fine pen tip. Some of the newer
> laser and inkjets are supposed to be better than 300 dpi.
>

I thought we had all this nailed down before.

As to the plotters, mine have, and I think the the HPGL standard is, a
language "resolution" of .001.

The reality is the mechanics are nowhere near, and no even multiples
or even fractions of that resolution.
It more like call for a move to 3.000 X 4.000 and it will move there,
give or take 20 thou ;-).

They won't cut it.

I have used them to generate large Gray Code rotary encoders, but never
got a decent line spacing any better than ~20/Inch.

The best you could probably get would be more of an engraving, like
steel ink in glass and needles in the pen holder.

Typesetters have printers used to make films for printing and silkscreens.
They usually print on photographic film that is them developed.

You get VERY sharp and absolutely BLACK lines.

I gather 8,000 dpi is fairly common, and the old standard was 2K something
like 2200 or 2760 or something.

They will usually take regular old postscript files.

The one the local guys had were ~8" wide and run from a roll of film, so I
don't know the absolute length limit.

I think they quoted me $8-12 / "Page" ~= 11" I presume.

Print them 8 wide on a page and you are about a buck an inch.

The problem becomes mounting them, protecting them and building a
reader for them.

The HP readers won't work.
Unless they are a new release, they don't support the higher resolutions.


I would not bet on a single pixel printed on a page to work.
Ie. 300 dpi in no way could ever do even 150 Lines/Inch IMHO, 75 would
be a longshot at 2 pixel wide lines and here's the kicker I ran into
2 pixel wide spaces without bleedover.


Marc