An electrostatic plotter is a type of

plotter A plotter is a machine that produces vector graphics drawings. Plotters draw lines on paper using a pen, or in some applications, use a knife to cut a material like vinyl or leather. In the latter case, they are sometimes known as a cutting pl ...

that draws images on paper with an electrostatic process. They are most frequently used for

Computer-Aided Engineering Computer-aided engineering (CAE) is the broad usage of computer software to aid in engineering analysis tasks. It includes , , , durability and optimization. It is included with computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) ...

(CAE), producing

raster Raster may refer to: * Raster graphics, graphical techniques using arrays of pixel values * Raster graphics editor, a computer program * Raster scan, the pattern of image readout, transmission, storage, and reconstruction in television and compu ...

images via either a Liquid Toner or a Dry Toner model. Liquid Toner models use

toner Toner is a powder mixture used in laser printers and photocopiers to form the printed text and images on paper, in general through a toner cartridge. Mostly granulated plastic, early mixtures only added carbon powder and iron oxide, however, ...

that is positively charged and thus becomes attracted to paper's negative charge. This occurs after the toner particles pass through a line of electrodes in the form of tiny wires, or nibs. The spacing of the wires controls the resolution of the plotter; for example, 100 or 400 wires to the inch. Dry Toner models use a process similar to

xerography Xerography is a dry photocopying technique. Originally called electrophotography, it was renamed xerography—from the roots el, ξηρός, label=none ''xeros'', meaning "dry" and -γραφία ''-graphia'', meaning "writing"—to emphasize ...

photocopiers A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers u ...

. Unlike a

laser printer Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively-charged cylinder called a "drum" to d ...

photocopier A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers u ...

, there is no transfer drum used in most electrostatic plotters; the imaging paper is directly exposed to the charging electrode array. Electrostatic plotters can print in black and white or in color. Some models handle paper sizes up to six feet wide. Newer versions are large-format

laser printers Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively-charged cylinder called a "drum" to d ...

and focus light onto a charged drum using

lasers A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

LEDs A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (cor ...

. The image quality produced by some electrostatic plotters was lower than that of contemporary pen plotters, but the increased speed and economy made them useful. Unlike a pen plotter, the plot time of a rasterized electrostatic plotter was independent of the level of detail of the image. Modern electrostatic color plotters are found in the short run graphics industry, printing on a variety of paper or plastic film surfaces. Electrostatic plotters were known in the early days of computer graphics; by 1967, several manufacturers commercially supplied electrostatic plotters. Shop Chris and Mary
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References

Non-impact printing Plotters {{Engineering-stub