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.
It wasn’t too many years ago when it was completely acceptable for a plotter to take 20 minutes or more to print a single drawing. Today, that standard would never fly. Luckily, there are many technical advances that speed up that process significantly.
What makes today’s new CAD plotters so much faster and productive?
Actually, there are several factors that can be attributed to the new advances—better processors, more onboard memory, and more efficient print drivers. But, one thing that has made the biggest impact is the addition of internal hard drives on the printers themselves.
How do you know if you need a plotter with a hard drive?
Let’s take a look at the features that you gain through the addition of an onboard hard drive with your Canon CAD plotter.
Regarding the Canon family of basic CAD plotters, The TM-305 hard drive version of the TM-300 Series. It has an onboard 500GB hard drive disk (HDD) and provides these additional benefits:
- The onboard drive acts like an internal print server. Jobs are received by the printer and spooled from the hard drive. This frees up network traffic.
- Canon plotters with an included hard drive allows for the creation of desktop Custom Mailboxes for drag-and-drop file printing. Users can also access the print history of the last 500 jobs (The non-hard drive TM-300 only keeps the last 10 jobs).
- A new Canon CAD plotter with a hard drive can process much larger and complex images
Since files are processed at the printer, this allows for more simultaneous printer sharing
Sophisticated error recovery (automatic reprint) and handling of problem files in the queue.
Print jobs can be accessed from the Printer Driver and the Remote User Interface from any workstation on the network.
Check Out the Other Benefits of the newer TM-300/305
- New design, 60% quieter than previous models
- Pigment Inks, fade-proof and water-resistant
- Choice of ink sizes: 130ml or 300ml tanks (larger tanks reduce the cost of ink per ml)
- 500GB hard drive provides the capacity and functionality required to handle the printing needs within workgroups - they handle multiple print requests, and large output files
- Print files without slowing down the workstation
- Password-protected user mail boxes keep jobs organized and secure
- 500GB HD eliminates the need to install a separate print server
- USB printing which allows a user to access files without a local computer connected to the printer
- Mobile printing from cell phone or tablet devices
- WIFI enabled (numerous advantages here)
- Pigmented inks for higher durability against fading, water resistant even with plain paper
- TM 305 has flat stacking basket vs. standard catch tray thus keeping print jobs stacked neatly in the order they were printed
Takeaway Benefits of Canon Plotters with an Internal Hard Drive
- A new Canon CAD plotter with a hard drive can process much larger and complex images
- Since files are processed at the printer, this allows for more simultaneous printer sharing
- Sophisticated error recovery (automatic reprint) and handling of problem files in the queue
Interested in learning more? We'd love to help you.
Learn even more about Canon plotter technologies in our Definitive Guide to Canon Printers.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2011 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Photo credit: LivingStudios
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