| Information Printers, inkjet, medium format, A2, A3, Epson, Canon
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Practically any
printer you can get working with Windows is a candidate for producing a decent plot from
IntelliCAD. Some printers are better than others for
certain requirements. Eeverybody has different requirements, so it is difficult to make
blanket statements about what's best. Most users have access to an A4-sized printer,
either plugged into their computer or sitting on a network somewhere. Laser and inkjet
printers have the capacity to print line weights, as long as you send then the information
in the right format.
Most printers that can be installed as Windows system
printers can generate plots with line weights from IntelliCAD using the software we
detailed elsewhere in this article. Some limitations may arise between software and
printer with regard to color support and maximum printable area. The many possible
combinations make it impossible to list what will work exactly the way you want. Shared
experience is the best way to learn about configurations that other users have tried. Log
into Visio’s
Digital Roundtable, the IntelliCAD news group
and Design Drawing’s message forum for some two-way
information sharing with other users.
Epson and Canon both produce medium format (A3-A2) printers
which are readily available worldwide and suitable for engineering document output.
Epson
The Epson range is first class stuff. It is
well built, reliable and reasonably priced. Both the medium format printers support
1440x620 dpi and photo quality output as do Espon's A4 format printers. Ink cartridges are
the "gotcha" with this range as with all printers available now. There is
nothing at all you can do about it. To get the prints you have to use the ink. Using third party refills is one cost-cutting option,
but this will void your warranty.
We have had the opportunity to look at both the 1520 and
3000 models in detail. Check these two reviews.
Our reviews of the Epson models do not imply our
preference for these printers. The Canon models are equally impressive, but we haven't had
the chance to look at them up close.
Canon
Canon ships two medium format printers that are extremely price competitive against their
Epson counterparts. The difference lies largely in the resolution. Canon printers are
720dpi. This is really only a consideration for people printing photorealistic color
images. For CAD plotting, the higher resolution is overkill and expenditure would be hard
to justify if all you did was B&W CAD plotting.
BJC-5500
A2-capable color bubble jet printer.
| Standard
Print Heads |
High performance black cartridge BC-20: 128 nozzles for black
Four colour standard ink
cartridge (CMYK) BC-21: 64 nozzles for black,
24 nozzles each for CMY |
Paper
Types |
A2, A3, A4, Ledger, U.S. Letter,
Legal, U.S. #10 and European DL envelopes, Continuous form paper (4 to 16"), Plain,
Coated, Water Resistant and Glossy Papers, Transparencies, High Gloss Film, Back Lit
Display Film, Fabric Sheet |
| Optional
Print Head |
BC-29F
Fluorescent Ink |
Paper
Weight |
52 - 128 gsm (manual), 60 - 90 gsm
(ASF), 52 - 90 gsm (tractor) |
| Print
Speed |
Maximum black speed using BC-20: 694 cps at 10 cpi and 830 cps at 12 cpi; up to 7 PPM in
draft mode and 6 PPM in HQ mode1
Colour print speeds using BC-21: Up to 2.5 ppm1 using colour text tests, 0.3 to
0.8 ppm for quality colour graphics (15% coverage) |
Ink
Cartridge Life (Approx.)2 |
BC-20: 3,840,000 characters in high speed mode (up to 1800 pages)
Draft: Up to 900 black pages, up to 800 colour pages at 7.5%
coverage BC-21: HQ: 225 black pages, 200 pages per colour (A4) at 15% for
quality graphics |
Print Modes |
Photo Mode,
Text, Graphics, Draft, OHP (overhead transparency) |
Printer Languages |
Canon BJ 10e,
IBM Proprinter XL24E, Epson LQ2550,
Canon Extended Mode
Download Error! Bookmark not defined. from this site. |
| Printing
Width |
Maximum 16
inches |
Built-in
Fonts |
5 built-in
20 True Type fonts on disk |
| Resolution |
Maximum: 720 x 360 dpi in full colour (+ text smoothing)
Standard: 360 x 360;
Economy: 180 x 180 dpi |
Noise
Level |
Approx. 50 dB (A) |
| Paper
Feeds |
Standard: Tractor (pin) feed, manual feed with input/output tray
Optional:Up to two automatic feeds for cut-sheets up to A2 sized
paper; Each accept to 100 sheets of A4 paper (75 gsm) 10 envelopes or 50 transparencies |
Line
Feed, Print Width |
1/6"-n/360", approx 92ms per
line, max. width 16" |
| |
|
Size
& Weight |
600 mm (w) x 196 mm (h) x 364 mm (d);
Approx. 9.7 kg |
| Print
Direction |
Text
Bi-directional, Graphics Uni-directional |
Power
Consumption |
58 W Max. (printing), 14 W Max.
(standby) |
| Buffer
Size |
Input 64 Kb,
Download 32 Kb |
Included
Accessories |
Drivers for MS Windows 3.1x/95,
MS-DOS, user guide, power cable, BC-20 & BC-21 cartridge, ink cartridge storage
container |
| Interface |
Parallel
- IEEE 1284 compatible, optional serial interface |
A3-capable, this model also features an optional
color/greyscale scanner facility. Unfortunately the maximum scan size is A4 and it
requires the original to be fed through the body of the machine. The option might be
attractive to some. If it would scan A3, then I think the option would have real value. A4
scanners are a commodity item now.
| Standard
Print Heads |
BC-22e PhotoRealism ink with Drop Modulation
TechnologyTM: 64 nozzles for black,
24 nozzles each for CMY
BC-21e standard colour ink with
Drop Modulation Technology: 64 nozzles for
black, 24 nozzles each for CMY |
Paper
Types |
BC-21e: A3, A4, A5, B5, Letter, Legal, Tabloid, DL Envelope, #10 Envelope, Plain, Coated,
Water Resistant and Glossy Papers, Transparencies, High Gloss Film, Back Lit Display Film,
Fabric Sheet, T-Shirt Transfer BC-22e: High Resolution Paper, Glossy Photo Paper, Glossy Photo
Film |
| Optional
Print Heads |
High performance black cartridge BC-20: 128 nozzles for black
BC-29F Fluorescent Ink: 64 nozzles for black, 24 nozzles each for CMY |
Paper
Weight |
64 to 105 gsm |
| Print
Speed |
BC-21e: Black; Draft 255 cps at 10 cpi,
up to 2.0 ppm for colour graphics (15% coverage)
Maximum black speed using
optional BC-20: Draft 510 cps at 10 cpi, 612
cps at 12 cpi, up to 4.8 ppm1 |
Ink
Cartridge Life (Approx.)2 |
BC-21e: HQ: 225 black pages,
150 colour pages (A4) at 5% coverage
BC-22e: Approx. 70 pages per colour (A4) at 5% coverage
Optional BC-20: 2,400,000 characters in high speed mode
(up to 1800 pages) |
Print Modes |
BC-22e:
PhotoRealism & Drop Modulation Technology
BC-21e: Photo Mode, Text, Graphics, Draft, OHP (overhead transparency) |
Printer Languages |
Canon BJ, IBM
X24E, Epson LQ2550 |
| Printing
Width |
Max. 289 mm
(11.4 inches) |
Built-in
Fonts |
6 built-in
20 True Type fonts on disk |
| Resolution |
Maximum: 720
x 360 dpi in standard colour (+ text smoothing)
Standard: 360 x 360; Draft:180 x 180 dpi |
Noise
Level |
Approx. 45 dB (A) |
| Paper
Handling |
Automatic Feed
(up to 100 sheets), Manual Feed |
Size
& Weight |
447 mm (w) x 216 mm (h) x 253 mm (d);
Approx. 4.3 kg |
| Print
Direction |
Text
Bi-directional, Graphics Uni-directional |
Power
Consumption |
34 W Max. (printing), 4 W Max.
(standby) |
| Buffer
Size |
Input 64 Kb,
Download 32 Kb |
Included
Accessories |
Drivers for MS
Windows 3.1x/95, MS-DOS and Macintosh,user guide,power cable, BC-21e & BC-22e
cartridges, ink cartridge storage container |
| Interface |
Parallel
- IEEE 1284 compatible (ECP/EPP bi-directional), Apple-style RS-422 serial |
| Scanner
Type |
Colour, RGB (128
grey scale levels, 64 each for RGB) |
Resolution |
360, 180 and 90 dpi modes available in
colour, greyscale or B&W plus text enhanced mode |
| Max.
Scanning Size |
Up to A4/Letter |
Included
Software |
IS Scan software, TWAIN compliant,
Windows 95 only |
http://www.epson.com
http://www.canon.com
Printer/Plotting from
IntelliCAD
Specifications are provided as a guide only. Confirm
the features you need with your reseller before you purchase any equipment.
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