How to increase plotter print speeds

As much as we want it to be true, humans cannot multitask. Instead, we use task switching. Moving quickly between tasks may give a multitasking impression, but the effort merely increases errors and lowers productivity. What project team members need are ways to complete support tasks quickly, such as tools for how to increase print speed.

Waiting for large format plotters to print designs or images can hold up meetings and delay approvals. But sacrificing quality for a faster turnaround may not be the best option when team members need to view project details. Learning how to increase print speed while maintaining print quality can make meeting milestones a little easier.

What Factors Affect Plotter Print Speeds?

Resolution, complexity, and infrastructure all impact plotter print speed. In general, the higher the resolution, the longer the print time. Print quality is determined by dots per inch (DPI). Printing a document at 300 instead of 1200 DPI means placing fewer dots in the same space, allowing the print mechanism to move faster.

Media Type and Resolution

File Size and Complexity

Infrastructure Performance

How to Increase Print Speed Without Compromising Quality

Printers come with default settings that should be adjusted for each print job. Settings such as resolution and colour can change how fast a page prints. Ink or toner and paper also impact plotter print speeds.

Resolution

Colour

Paper and Ink or Toner

How Plotter Maintenance Sustains Print Speeds

Proper maintenance can extend a plotter's usable life and ensure that printers perform as designed again and again. Simply cleaning a plotter removes dust and debris that can degrade performance. It also allows users to identify potential issues that can be addressed quickly before they become more disruptive.

Cleaning and Calibration

Updating Drivers and Firmware

How HP Plotters Enhance Print Speed and Efficiency

HP DesignJet plotters incorporate advanced processing features that allow design professionals to automate workflows for faster data transfer. Application programming interfaces (APIs) enable plotters and printers to interface with design tools, reducing the time required to send a file to a plotter. Delays in transmitting data can slow print speeds or disrupt printing.

Built-in management tools let users control colour saturation, tone, and document or image resolution, adding to DesginJet's flexibility. Users can also rely on HP plotters to automatically adjust to ensure an optimum balance between speed and quality.

With supplies such as HP Flex Tech Inks, plotters can maintain quality and speed across applications. Whether blueprints, maps, or posters, Flex Tech Inks delivers the same print quality regardless of the print job. There is no swapping out of inks based on the print media, reducing setup time between print jobs.

Strategies to Increase Plotter Print Speeds

Print strategies depend on understanding how resolution, colour, paper, and ink affect print speed. Consider the following options for how to increase print speed:

• Match resolution to need. If draft-quality prints are sufficient, trade resolution for speed.
• Choose greyscale over colour. Colour prints take longer, making a greyscale print a better choice for improved print speed.
• Understand print media. Print media can impact speed. Damp paper can slow print speed, and highly textured materials may increase friction.
• Use a suitable ink for the print media. With HP Flex Tech Inks, users do not have to worry about matching ink with media as they perform equally well across multiple applications.

While these strategies for how to improve print speed can't help humans multitask, they can help improve productivity through parallel processes. With HP DesignJet plotters, architects, designers, and engineers can move to their next tasks, knowing the resulting printout will meet their needs. Take advantage of this DesignJet Promotion to learn more about HP DesignJet products, or reach out to learn more about how to increase print speed.