Architects and engineers today still depend on paper to distribute their finished products to the construction trades. With all the hoopla about e-mail and Internet-based systems that distribute digital information to the masses, plotted drawings and printed documents are still the means by which designers, owners and contractors perform most of their design and construction functions.
Today's plotters continue to be built for both speed and quality. Xerox Engineering Systems, well known as a longtime leader in the field of large-format plotting, introduced its new X2-TECH plotter at the recent A/E/C Systems 2002 show in Anaheim, Calif. Featuring the company's RACER technology, the plotter maximizes throughput by switching between fast color and even faster black-and-white print speeds during print jobs.
This wide-format digital printer is designed for busy, high-volume architectural and engineering firms, producing up to 1.4 D-size prints a minute (444 sq. ft./hour) for color prints, and three D-size prints a minute (950 sq. ft./hour) for black and white output.
In addition, Xerox continues to offer high-speed, wide-format, black-and-white plotters based on its MicroDensity technology, including the 8830 and 8850 models in its Synergix line. These devices not only offer wide-format digital plotting on a variety of media, including plain paper, but they also provide high-volume copying and scan-to-file capabilities.
Aside from plotting and printing, these devices also offer wide-format scanning capabilities. With a plotter, a PC and a separate Synergix Scan System SA Module, they become a complete imaging system for scan-to-file, scan-to-e-mail and scan-to-print applications. With Xerox's Reflection option, scan-to-print and monochrome editing capabilities are also available. Moreover, the company's Plus option offers file-to-print, labeling, nesting and paneling functions.
ImageSite 4.0, a major update to Xerox's Web-based document management software, allows users to access and print a broad range of technical documents using Internet Explorer. The product offers viewing, online collaboration and markup functionality with electronic distribution and distributed printing features.
Document tracking
Recovery of costs associated with printing and plotting is more important than ever. Billions of dollars are spent by the A/E/C industry every year on printing and plotting alone. With that in mind, the need to track costs is more important, as well. In association with Xerox, Mountain View, Calif.-based Technesis provides a solution called SmartPLOT that tracks and reports practically anything related to plotting and printing of documents. In addition to all Xerox devices, it supports all types of output devices, large and small, color and black and white, as well as all Windows NT-based software applications, including AutoCAD, MicroStation and QuarkXpress. With links to most accounting systems, as well as Windows NT Name Directories, it is an excellent solution for cost management and recovery.
For more information on SmartPLOT, visit www.technesis.com. For more information on Xerox plotters, visit www.xes.com.
