History of Plotting Last changes : 2010/08/11 05:22
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No presence or future without a history... This is the preliminary framework of an article on the history of plotting and large size printing; like so many other things that you find on my site: "work in progress". Main source: my memory (from what I have read and written about plotting in a previous life) and further all I can find on the web..... So what's the relevance? Honestly, I don't know... Perhaps the first sentence in this introduction. Regarding the content: any contribution is welcome!. Fifties XY recorders, technology predecessors of penplotters Xerox 914 first plain paper copier ('59) Gerber invented the world's first truly digital drafting machine, or "photoplotter." Sixties Mainframe based CAD systems; vector displays; output on CRT recorders (a.o. IBM 740) First commercial applications of CAD were in large companies in the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as in electronics. Only large corporations could afford the computers capable of performing the calculations. The IBM 740 could draw vector graphics images on 35 mm photographic film (i.e. microfilm). The 740 film recorder contained digital to analog converters and a 7 inch, high precision, electrostatic CRT. The raster size was 1024 by 1024, but only 256 resolved spots could be displayed on an axis line. In 1959, the General Motors Research Laboratories appointed a special research team to investigate the use of computers in designing automobiles. In 1960, IBM joined the project, producing the first commercially-available Computer Aided Design program, known as DAC-1. Out of that project came the IBM 2250 display terminal as well as many advances in computer timesharing and the use of a single processor by two or more terminals. From http://www.computerhistory.org. Ivan Sutherland of the Lincoln laboratory at MIT demonstrated a program called Sketchpad in 1963. Sketchpad allowed engineers for the first time to generate drawings by using an interactive graphics terminal, and to manipulate them by using a light pen and keyboard. A characteristic of the early years of CAD was that architectural uses of CAD lagged behind engineering applications. This was due, in part, to economic considerations—CAD typically required investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here's some more readworthy information about the early days of CAD and computer graphics: http://accad.osu.edu/~waynec/history/lesson3.html First penplotters. Pioneers are Benson, CalComp, Gerber; dedicated controllers and interfacing The Calcomp 565 drum plotter XY plotter driven by step motors, introduced in 1961 was one of the first computer graphics output devices sold. The computer could control (in 0.01 inch increments) the rotation of an 11 inch (280 mm) wide drum and the horizontal movement of a pen holder over the drum at a rate of 250 steps per second. A solenoid could lift or lower the pen and press the pen against paper scrolling across the drum. This arrangement allowed line drawings to be made under computer control. A version with a wider drum was also available. The computer history museum (http://archive.computerhistory.org) has a manual from 1969. IBM sold the Calcomp 565 as the IBM 1627 for use with the IBM 1620, and, later, the IBM 1130 computers. It became perhaps the first non-IBM peripheral that IBM allowed to be attached to one of its computers. CalComp showed an application of their plotters in computer art. June 29, 1968; “Krystollos” was one of many computer/plotter drawings by CalComp exhibited at an informal showing in the New York Room of the Statler Hilton in Los Angeles announcing the First International CalComp Awards Competition for computer/plotter art. For lack of a better word, it's called computer/plotter art, a little known but increasingly important art form which was demonstrated at an informal showing held at the New York room of the Statler Hilton, Los Angeles. (http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/scienceservice/8small.htm). Seventies Mainframe based CAD systems (IBM, Computervision) Varian develops electrostatic printing technology, based on dielectric paper, special printheads and liquid toner; early product: Varian Electrostatic Printer/Plotter , model 4115 Electrostatic devices (b&w) from Versatec, Benson. Both companies started by people who formerly worked on this technology for Varian. More penplotter competition, a.o.: Houston Instrument, Zeta Graphics Versatecs could plot complicated graphic images many times faster than the conventional pen plotter technology of the day, but because they were "raster" or dot oriented devices instead of "vector" or line oriented like a pen plotter, significant computing resources were required for successful implementation. Early eighties IBM introduces the "PC" (IBM 5150) in September 1981. It ran on a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft´s MS-DOS operating system. Other penplotter vendors: Zeta, Ioline, ... Houston Instrument "a Bausch & Lomb company" CAD on Minicomputers and Unix workstations; raster displays Apollo Computer and Sun Microsystems, another early entrant in the work station market, optimized their machines to run the computer-intensive graphics programs common in engineering. First PC based CAD, a.o. AutoCAD (first release Dec '82), DOGS, Cadvance. Seen as "toys" by the existing CAD suppliers. Versatec acquired by Xerox Benson acquired by Schlumberger CalComp acquired by Sanders ('80) First Hewlett Packard large size penplotters, HPGL plotting language, interfacing PC’s; then for a revolutionary price Multipass color electrostatic plotter (Versatec 42”), target applications IC design, seismic, cartographic AMF also owned one of the (pen)plotter companies, but which was it? Zeta or Houston Instrument perhaps? Mid eightiest Strong growth in PC based CAD More & cheaper pen plotter offerings Paperless E-size checkplotter (was it Hawkeye?? - something like that), actually a projection display system Sanders (incl. CalComp) acquired by Lockheed ('86) CalComp electrostatic plotters (5700 & 5800 series), based on Japanese technology (? at least they were different from Versatec/Benson) Single pass color electrostatic plotter (Benson) Re the Benson single pass electrostatic plotter: from freepatentsonline (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4734788.html): A color printer/plotter includes a frame having a paper inlet, a number of print stations, and a paper outlet. The paper is pulled past the print stations by a single driver at the paper outlet. Each print station includes a electrostatic charging head having a flat charging surface against which a first roller, typically having a foam outer surface, presses with the paper therebetween. Immediately downstream of the charging head a toner roller supplies toner to the paper, the toner adhering to the charged areas on the paper. A second pressure roller presses the paper against the toner roller. The second pressure roller is offset slightly upstream of the center of the toner roller to aid toner roller-paper contact. The sizing and positioning of the toner and second pressure rollers is such so as not to significantly deflect the paper from the substantially straight paper path between the paper inlet and paper outlet. Registrations marks are printed along the lateral edges of the paper to allow the printer/plotter to compensate for any lateral shifting or longitudinal stretching of the paper. Second half eighties Growing penplotter competition a.o. Ioline, Zericon (a 1500$ D-size plotter), Enter (later Encad), Optical Computer Inc (OCI), United Innovations' "Mural" flatbed plotter and from Japan: Mutoh, Graphtec, Roland JDL offers a first (and only) dot matrix impact plotter "OmniPlotter" Japanese electrostatic plotters (oem’d from Matsushita): Mutoh, Seiko, Toyo Denki, Graphtec; C.Itoh sold in the US only First laser electrophotographic (laser) plotter Xerox-Versatec, based on engineering Fuji Xerox 2210 engineering copier (Versatec 8836) HP selling OEM’d japanese electrostatic plotters, monochrome and (multipass color) to get a foot in the large size market for (faster) raster devices; interfacing PC’s. HP 7600 Model 240D and E, 250, 255, 355. HP expected to sell large numbers. Actually they prepared the market for their coming inkjet plotters Xerox-Versatec renamed Xerox Engineering Systems (XES) More color electrostatic plotters from: Synergy (ex-Benson engineers; single pass) aiming at high end, fast output, Precision Image (ex-Benson CEO and engineers), aiming at lower priced PC-CAD market with a drum based electrostatic design and a moving narrow head. Synergy was founded by a group of hardware and software technical experts, with broad, in-depth experience in electrostatic technology. Recognizing the need for a true electrostatic plotting system (rather than just a plotting peripheral) which could off-load the complex and time-consuming graphics data processing task from the host computer or workstation, they founded Synergy Computer Graphics to design and manufacture such an advanced system.With internal processing power equivalent to an eighty four MIPS computer, the ColorWriter 400 was capable of on-board processing of such complex hierarchical data formats as GDS-2, Calma Stream or IEGS, freeing the host computer or workstation to perform the design process for which it they were intended. In addition ColorWriter 400 was a true networking device, accepting and processing data from as many as eight different sources, in eight different formats, simultaneously. The ColorWriter 400 was the ideal solution for engineering and design analysis (CAD, CAE, CAM), physical science research, seismic, and geophysical applications, as well as biological and chemical research and the graphic arts. Even before the product was formally introduced, Nippon Steel Corporation, one of the largest manufacturing organizations in Japan, ordered five ColorWriter 400 systems for use in their design centers (Nippon Steel also became their main investor). First laser electrophotographic plotter from Japan: Asahi Optical (Pentax) LP600 A1 device; limited to the Japanese market. Marubeni (unsuccessfully) tried to sell this plotter outside japan. Schlumberger Graphics acquired by Océ Raster Graphics starts with electrostatic plotters, metal belt to hold the paper and counter electrode, industrial PCB based head KIP (Japan) developing plain paper engines and laser engines More color electrostatic plotters from: Raster Graphics Xerox-Versatec introduces a cheaper electrostatic plotter (Cadmate 8510); for its vector (to raster) processing it depended on the driving workstation rather than a separate expensive controller Early nineties Phoenix Precision Graphics, formed in 1992, Sunnyvale (CA) produces an affordable electrostatic plotter; primarily for the graphic arts market Affordable plotters based on raster technology start competing with penplotters at the low end and electrostic plotters at the high end First direct thermal plotters: Rikadenki based on array of narrow (A4, A-size) heads First large size monochrome inkjet plotters from Encad (Novajet introduced in 1991) en from HP (DesignJet 600) More direct thermal, a.o. CalComp, Océ, Graphtec, Roland Increasing environmental concerns for liquid toner in electrostatic technology End of life for monochrome electrostatic plotters Color electrostatic moving to graphic arts markets (posters) Katsuragawa Electric Co. Ltd. (aka KIP) electrophotographic machine marketed by a.o. Oce: Oce 9500 series Synergy out of business (1993?) Oce and CalComp introduce inkjet plotters based on Canon engines; Canon sold these inkjets also under their Selex name Mid nineties CalComp Solus 4 LED electrophotographic plotter, introduced in 1993, first D size (A1) later E size (A0) (engine OEM'd from Katsuragawa Electric Co. Ltd.) Color inkjet HP, Encad, Oce, CalComp - both CalComp and Oce OEM'd their plotting engines from Canon, combined with their own controllers Canon sold these inkjets also under their Selex name (I believe with the CalComp controller) Inkjet plotters start being used as printers for graphic arts markets (POS, posters); vendors introduce dedicated products for this market End of life for direct thermal plotters Zeta Graphics Company went out of business on Oct 25, 1995 Late nineties End of life for color electrostatic plotters CalComp out of business (1999) Calcomp Technology, Inc. and it subsidiaries, have shutdown all of their operations and transferred all of its businesses to these companies: * Technical Services and spare parts - CalGraph Technology Services, Inc. * TechJet 5500 Large Format Inkjet Plotter / Printer Information - Dayton Associates.* Digitizer, Tablets and scanners - GTCO CalComp, Inc. * Film Imaging Systems - EcoPro Imaging * Cutter and sign maker products - Westcomp * CalComp Japan activities taken over by Oce Raster Graphics acquired by Onyx (RIP maker) Introduction of high end high speed plot/copy production machines by Oce (Oce 9800, Oce 9700, Oce 9600), Xerox KIP starts selling machines from their Japanese factory Katsuragawa Electric Co. Ltd. Early 2000 Phoenix Precision Graphics bankrupt Onyx (a.o. the Raster Graphics plotters) acquired by Oce Encad acquired by Kodak Wide format printing becomes booming business for display graphics; many new names. I'll not concentrate on those Technological evolution: Technological Historical overview of companies and their products: CalComp Benson; Schlumberger Graphics Versatec (Xerox, XES) Oce Hewlett Packard KIP Gerber Houston Instrument Zeta (Nicolet Zeta, Bruning Zeta) Other Various (may be used later)
	Wiki using TigerWiki 2.17 2010/09/07 10:27 -- 38.107.191.89

History of Plotting

Last changes : 2010/08/11 05:22

Edit

No presence or future without a history... This is the preliminary framework of an article on the history of plotting and large size printing; like so many other things that you find on my site: "work in progress". Main source: my memory (from what I have read and written about plotting in a previous life) and further all I can find on the web..... So what's the relevance? Honestly, I don't know... Perhaps the first sentence in this introduction. Regarding the content: any contribution is welcome!.

Fifties

XY recorders, technology predecessors of penplotters
Xerox 914 first plain paper copier ('59)
Gerber invented the world's first truly digital drafting machine, or "photoplotter."

Sixties

Mainframe based CAD systems; vector displays; output on CRT recorders (a.o. IBM 740)

First commercial applications of CAD were in large companies in the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as in electronics. Only large corporations could afford the computers capable of performing the calculations.

The IBM 740 could draw vector graphics images on 35 mm photographic film (i.e. microfilm). The 740 film recorder contained digital to analog converters and a 7 inch, high precision, electrostatic CRT. The raster size was 1024 by 1024, but only 256 resolved spots could be displayed on an axis line.

In 1959, the General Motors Research Laboratories appointed a special research team to investigate the use of computers in designing automobiles. In 1960, IBM joined the project, producing the first commercially-available Computer Aided Design program, known as DAC-1. Out of that project came the IBM 2250 display terminal as well as many advances in computer timesharing and the use of a single processor by two or more terminals. From http://www.computerhistory.org.
Ivan Sutherland of the Lincoln laboratory at MIT demonstrated a program called Sketchpad in 1963. Sketchpad allowed engineers for the first time to generate drawings by using an interactive graphics terminal, and to manipulate them by using a light pen and keyboard. A characteristic of the early years of CAD was that architectural uses of CAD lagged behind engineering applications. This was due, in part, to economic considerations—CAD typically required investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here's some more readworthy information about the early days of CAD and computer graphics: http://accad.osu.edu/~waynec/history/lesson3.html

First penplotters. Pioneers are Benson, CalComp, Gerber; dedicated controllers and interfacing

The Calcomp 565 drum plotter XY plotter driven by step motors, introduced in 1961 was one of the first computer graphics output devices sold. The computer could control (in 0.01 inch increments) the rotation of an 11 inch (280 mm) wide drum and the horizontal movement of a pen holder over the drum at a rate of 250 steps per second. A solenoid could lift or lower the pen and press the pen against paper scrolling across the drum. This arrangement allowed line drawings to be made under computer control. A version with a wider drum was also available. The computer history museum (http://archive.computerhistory.org) has a manual from 1969. IBM sold the Calcomp 565 as the IBM 1627 for use with the IBM 1620, and, later, the IBM 1130 computers. It became perhaps the first non-IBM peripheral that IBM allowed to be attached to one of its computers.

CalComp showed an application of their plotters in computer art. June 29, 1968; “Krystollos” was one of many computer/plotter drawings by CalComp exhibited at an informal showing in the New York Room of the Statler Hilton in Los Angeles announcing the First International CalComp Awards Competition for computer/plotter art. For lack of a better word, it's called computer/plotter art, a little known but increasingly important art form which was demonstrated at an informal showing held at the New York room of the Statler Hilton, Los Angeles. (http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/scienceservice/8small.htm).

Seventies

Mainframe based CAD systems (IBM, Computervision)
Varian develops electrostatic printing technology, based on dielectric paper, special printheads and liquid toner; early product: Varian Electrostatic Printer/Plotter , model 4115
Electrostatic devices (b&w) from Versatec, Benson. Both companies started by people who formerly worked on this technology for Varian.
More penplotter competition, a.o.: Houston Instrument, Zeta Graphics

Versatecs could plot complicated graphic images many times faster than the conventional pen plotter technology of the day, but because they were "raster" or dot oriented devices instead of "vector" or line oriented like a pen plotter, significant computing resources were required for successful implementation.

Early eighties

IBM introduces the "PC" (IBM 5150) in September 1981. It ran on a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft´s MS-DOS operating system.
Other penplotter vendors: Zeta, Ioline, ...
Houston Instrument "a Bausch & Lomb company"
CAD on Minicomputers and Unix workstations; raster displays

Apollo Computer and Sun Microsystems, another early entrant in the work station market, optimized their machines to run the computer-intensive graphics programs common in engineering.

First PC based CAD, a.o. AutoCAD (first release Dec '82), DOGS, Cadvance. Seen as "toys" by the existing CAD suppliers.
Versatec acquired by Xerox
Benson acquired by Schlumberger
CalComp acquired by Sanders ('80)
First Hewlett Packard large size penplotters, HPGL plotting language, interfacing PC’s; then for a revolutionary price
Multipass color electrostatic plotter (Versatec 42”), target applications IC design, seismic, cartographic
AMF also owned one of the (pen)plotter companies, but which was it? Zeta or Houston Instrument perhaps?

Mid eightiest

Strong growth in PC based CAD
More & cheaper pen plotter offerings
Paperless E-size checkplotter (was it Hawkeye?? - something like that), actually a projection display system
Sanders (incl. CalComp) acquired by Lockheed ('86)
CalComp electrostatic plotters (5700 & 5800 series), based on Japanese technology (? at least they were different from Versatec/Benson)
Single pass color electrostatic plotter (Benson)

Re the Benson single pass electrostatic plotter: from freepatentsonline (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4734788.html): A color printer/plotter includes a frame having a paper inlet, a number of print stations, and a paper outlet. The paper is pulled past the print stations by a single driver at the paper outlet. Each print station includes a electrostatic charging head having a flat charging surface against which a first roller, typically having a foam outer surface, presses with the paper therebetween. Immediately downstream of the charging head a toner roller supplies toner to the paper, the toner adhering to the charged areas on the paper. A second pressure roller presses the paper against the toner roller. The second pressure roller is offset slightly upstream of the center of the toner roller to aid toner roller-paper contact. The sizing and positioning of the toner and second pressure rollers is such so as not to significantly deflect the paper from the substantially straight paper path between the paper inlet and paper outlet. Registrations marks are printed along the lateral edges of the paper to allow the printer/plotter to compensate for any lateral shifting or longitudinal stretching of the paper.

Second half eighties

Growing penplotter competition a.o. Ioline, Zericon (a 1500$ D-size plotter), Enter (later Encad), Optical Computer Inc (OCI), United Innovations' "Mural" flatbed plotter and from Japan: Mutoh, Graphtec, Roland
JDL offers a first (and only) dot matrix impact plotter "OmniPlotter"
Japanese electrostatic plotters (oem’d from Matsushita): Mutoh, Seiko, Toyo Denki, Graphtec; C.Itoh sold in the US only
First laser electrophotographic (laser) plotter Xerox-Versatec, based on engineering Fuji Xerox 2210 engineering copier (Versatec 8836)
HP selling OEM’d japanese electrostatic plotters, monochrome and (multipass color) to get a foot in the large size market for (faster) raster devices; interfacing PC’s. HP 7600 Model 240D and E, 250, 255, 355. HP expected to sell large numbers. Actually they prepared the market for their coming inkjet plotters
Xerox-Versatec renamed Xerox Engineering Systems (XES)
More color electrostatic plotters from: Synergy (ex-Benson engineers; single pass) aiming at high end, fast output, Precision Image (ex-Benson CEO and engineers), aiming at lower priced PC-CAD market with a drum based electrostatic design and a moving narrow head.

Synergy was founded by a group of hardware and software technical experts, with broad, in-depth experience in electrostatic technology. Recognizing the need for a true electrostatic plotting system (rather than just a plotting peripheral) which could off-load the complex and time-consuming graphics data processing task from the host computer or workstation, they founded Synergy Computer Graphics to design and manufacture such an advanced system.With internal processing power equivalent to an eighty four MIPS computer, the ColorWriter 400 was capable of on-board processing of such complex hierarchical data formats as GDS-2, Calma Stream or IEGS, freeing the host computer or workstation to perform the design process for which it they were intended. In addition ColorWriter 400 was a true networking device, accepting and processing data from as many as eight different sources, in eight different formats, simultaneously. The ColorWriter 400 was the ideal solution for engineering and design analysis (CAD, CAE, CAM), physical science research, seismic, and geophysical applications, as well as biological and chemical research and the graphic arts. Even before the product was formally introduced, Nippon Steel Corporation, one of the largest manufacturing organizations in Japan, ordered five ColorWriter 400 systems for use in their design centers (Nippon Steel also became their main investor).

First laser electrophotographic plotter from Japan: Asahi Optical (Pentax) LP600 A1 device; limited to the Japanese market. Marubeni (unsuccessfully) tried to sell this plotter outside japan.
Schlumberger Graphics acquired by Océ
Raster Graphics starts with electrostatic plotters, metal belt to hold the paper and counter electrode, industrial PCB based head
KIP (Japan) developing plain paper engines and laser engines
More color electrostatic plotters from: Raster Graphics
Xerox-Versatec introduces a cheaper electrostatic plotter (Cadmate 8510); for its vector (to raster) processing it depended on the driving workstation rather than a separate expensive controller

Early nineties

Phoenix Precision Graphics, formed in 1992, Sunnyvale (CA) produces an affordable electrostatic plotter; primarily for the graphic arts market
Affordable plotters based on raster technology start competing with penplotters at the low end and electrostic plotters at the high end
First direct thermal plotters: Rikadenki based on array of narrow (A4, A-size) heads
First large size monochrome inkjet plotters from Encad (Novajet introduced in 1991) en from HP (DesignJet 600)
More direct thermal, a.o. CalComp, Océ, Graphtec, Roland
Increasing environmental concerns for liquid toner in electrostatic technology
End of life for monochrome electrostatic plotters
Color electrostatic moving to graphic arts markets (posters)
Katsuragawa Electric Co. Ltd. (aka KIP) electrophotographic machine marketed by a.o. Oce: Oce 9500 series
Synergy out of business (1993?)
Oce and CalComp introduce inkjet plotters based on Canon engines; Canon sold these inkjets also under their Selex name

Mid nineties

CalComp Solus 4 LED electrophotographic plotter, introduced in 1993, first D size (A1) later E size (A0) (engine OEM'd from Katsuragawa Electric Co. Ltd.)
Color inkjet HP, Encad, Oce, CalComp - both CalComp and Oce OEM'd their plotting engines from Canon, combined with their own controllers
Canon sold these inkjets also under their Selex name (I believe with the CalComp controller)
Inkjet plotters start being used as printers for graphic arts markets (POS, posters); vendors introduce dedicated products for this market
End of life for direct thermal plotters
Zeta Graphics Company went out of business on Oct 25, 1995

Late nineties

End of life for color electrostatic plotters
CalComp out of business (1999)

Calcomp Technology, Inc. and it subsidiaries, have shutdown all of their operations and transferred all of its businesses to these companies: * Technical Services and spare parts - CalGraph Technology Services, Inc. * TechJet 5500 Large Format Inkjet Plotter / Printer Information - Dayton Associates.* Digitizer, Tablets and scanners - GTCO CalComp, Inc. * Film Imaging Systems - EcoPro Imaging * Cutter and sign maker products - Westcomp * CalComp Japan activities taken over by Oce

Raster Graphics acquired by Onyx (RIP maker)
Introduction of high end high speed plot/copy production machines by Oce (Oce 9800, Oce 9700, Oce 9600), Xerox
KIP starts selling machines from their Japanese factory Katsuragawa Electric Co. Ltd.

Early 2000

Phoenix Precision Graphics bankrupt
Onyx (a.o. the Raster Graphics plotters) acquired by Oce
Encad acquired by Kodak
Wide format printing becomes booming business for display graphics; many new names. I'll not concentrate on those

Technological evolution:
Technological

Historical overview of companies and their products:
CalComp
Benson; Schlumberger Graphics
Versatec (Xerox, XES)
Oce
Hewlett Packard
KIP
Gerber
Houston Instrument
Zeta (Nicolet Zeta, Bruning Zeta)
Other

Various (may be used later)

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