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Anyone still use inkjet plotters?
Posted by algallop on November 19, 2016 at 1:10 amThe Land Court in my state is giving us the hardest time about subdivision maps! They require that all maps be printed on mylar, and they also require that they be printed in “black india drafting ink”. This means that modern-day toner-based printers will not do the job. The guy at the Land Court office says that toner leaves a raised surface and is not easily erasable, as opposed to ink-based plotters.
The problem I have is that I can’t find a printing company in my area that still has a functional inkjet plotter! My trusty HP 500 bit the dust a few months ago, and after many visits by the repairman, I have lost all hope that it will ever be fixed…
I am wondering if the rules of my local Land Court system are out-of-date, i.e. from a previous time when inkjet was the latest and greatest…
Anyone know of a company that can produce C-size mylar maps with an inkjet plotter? Otherwise we might be stuck hand-drafting Land Court maps from now on :joy:.
Thanks,
Arthur
Joe the Surveyor replied 7 years, 9 months ago 15 Members · 17 Replies -
17 Replies
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algallop, post: 400299, member: 8394 wrote: …The guy at the Land Court office says that toner leaves a raised surface and is not easily erasable, as opposed to ink-based plotters.
Huh? So he wants it to be easily erasable?
Ink jet plotters can be still be bought. As a matter of fact I’d say they are the most common type of large format plotter.
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Mark Mayer, post: 400302, member: 424 wrote: Huh? So he wants it to be easily erasable?
Ink jet plotters can be still be bought. As a matter of fact I’d say they are the most common type of large format plotter.
Yeah it kind of blows me away that they prefer a medium that is easily erasable. They are incredibly picky about formatting, and their “logic” is that if there are minor edits that need to be done, they can edit the maps in-house as opposed to having us send a replacement mylar….
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That is so far wrong and so far outdated with today’s technology being what it is.
“Edit my drawing over your dead body” would be my answer.
I am sure that anyone editing my drawing would immediately void the warranty of my certification and be visited by the DA. -
Back in the day we had a “photo mylar ” from the print shop, can your print shops do this ?
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algallop, post: 400312, member: 8394 wrote: … their “logic” is that if there are minor edits that need to be done, they can edit the maps in-house …
That has the aroma of unlicensed practice. Maybe your state board can lean on them.
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Mark Mayer, post: 400352, member: 424 wrote: That has the aroma of unlicensed practice
No. Unlicensed practice is saying “my professional opinion is … ” without the license to back it up.
Fraud is saying “HIS professional opinion is” which is different from what he expressed on the original drawing.
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Totally opposite problem here – All the surveyors in this area still use inkjet plotters and we just got over a problem with the local platting authority about using ink instead of laser /toner.
– – Because the new manager can wet a paper towel and rub off the ink he has said that he will no longer accept inkjet. He said that inkjet is not good enough to archive the document. We called around and even talked with HP about paper and ink and all agreed inkjet is acceptable for archival documents. We solved the problem by using the old mylar fixative over the ink so now you can‰Ûªt scrub it off.As far as editing excuse, do you think its ok for them to be editing your plats?
It would be better for surveyors and the public to stand up for what is the right thing to do whichever way it goes instead of bending to what they want just because they are the government.
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I’m guessing that this is Mass, since it’s Land Court. I haven’t dealt with them for some time, but it’s the first that I’ve heard of them talking about making edits to the Surveyor’s (File) plan.
Sure, they re-draft and create the Decree Plan, sometimes ending up a little different from what you actually submitted, intentionally or unintentionally, and then put your name on it.
I remember them going from linen to reverse washable mylar, then to straight mylar, but have no idea where they’re at right now, and I’m glad.
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Ink-jet mylar submission to Mass. Land Court are not a problem. I’ve never heard of them trying to alter the surveyor’s submitted plan. In fact, I had to resubmit a plan recently just to show radial lines on a couple of road curves. Fortunately, they reviewed it before it was sent to the Planning Board for their review and signatures. There are a number of U.S. states with a title registration system, as well as Australia which has political subdivisions called states. Instead of “Where’s Waldo?”, we can play “Where’s algallop?”
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algallop, post: 400312, member: 8394 wrote: Yeah it kind of blows me away that they prefer a medium that is easily erasable. They are incredibly picky about formatting, and their “logic” is that if there are minor edits that need to be done, they can edit the maps in-house as opposed to having us send a replacement mylar….
That is a TERRIBLE idea.
“Here sign this, and then after all other signatures are finalized, we want to be able to erase and change parts of it.” -
Peter Lothian – MA ME, post: 400641, member: 4512 wrote: Ink-jet mylar submission to Mass. Land Court are not a problem. I’ve never heard of them trying to alter the surveyor’s submitted plan. In fact, I had to resubmit a plan recently just to show radial lines on a couple of road curves. Fortunately, they reviewed it before it was sent to the Planning Board for their review and signatures. There are a number of U.S. states with a title registration system, as well as Australia which has political subdivisions called states. Instead of “Where’s Waldo?”, we can play “Where’s algallop?”
No, I’ve never heard of the Court Engineers messing with the File plan. I’ve seen Decree plans that varied quite a bit from what the surveyor submitted, and also where the math on the Decree plan didn’t work – shows the danger, in my opinion, of their policy of re-drafting the plan.
Pete, does the Court require CAD files now, something to make their re-drafting a bit more streamline and efficient? I know that it used to take about two years for the Decree plan to come out.
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What they are aiming for is “Archival Quality” prints on mylar.
NO PLOTTER can provide that.
Some photo shops or printing shops still have copy cameras. THAT is the only way – other than India Ink, hand drafted plats – to achieve archival quality.
They are simply asking for what is mostly no longer available. They need to do the research and see what is available to fill their needs. They are being lazy and relying on you to solve their problem. (I do wish I still had my old copy camera and my photo lab. That was fun. BUT plotters killed that business by claiming to be able to provide the desired product.)
Our area modified the requirements to plotter copy on a minimum 20 lb bond with Chartex backing. -
Given that our filed maps are scanned for distribution via the GIS website, it is the originals stored in flat files that await visual inspection if necessary.
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algallop, post: 400299, member: 8394 wrote: The Land Court in my state is giving us the hardest time about subdivision maps! They require that all maps be printed on mylar, and they also require that they be printed in “black india drafting ink”. This means that modern-day toner-based printers will not do the job. The guy at the Land Court office says that toner leaves a raised surface and is not easily erasable, as opposed to ink-based plotters.
The problem I have is that I can’t find a printing company in my area that still has a functional inkjet plotter! My trusty HP 500 bit the dust a few months ago, and after many visits by the repairman, I have lost all hope that it will ever be fixed…
I am wondering if the rules of my local Land Court system are out-of-date, i.e. from a previous time when inkjet was the latest and greatest…
Anyone know of a company that can produce C-size mylar maps with an inkjet plotter? Otherwise we might be stuck hand-drafting Land Court maps from now on :joy:.
Thanks,
Arthur
I have a HP Designjet 500 and I am willing to make a plot for you.
I am in Candia, NH
603-483-3096 -
We use Canon IPF series plotters. I can probably print you out a mylar.
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