What is a plotter??

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Hello all, I have just done my very first progress test for my A+, and it gave me a couple of questions that had me confused (not difficult I know). First of all I had to tick output devices from a multiple choice list for PC's (easy enough you would think). However when I finished the test and reviewed my answers it said that a plotter was an output device. Ihave never heard of a plotter - it isnt in the study notes I was supplied with from the college, and Ive not heard it mentioned before - what is a plotter? :hhhmmm
Also I had to tick all common printer types from a list, one of which was called thermal inkjet. I have only ever heard it called an Inkjet printer before, so assumed that the thermal inkjet was a specialsed version and not a common printer and so I didnt tick it as one. I failed that question too, even though in the colleges study manual its not called a thermal inkjet. I emailed the college to let them know I want that question to be corrected as I feel I got it right.
Anyway I failed the test by 3% (70% instead of 73%) thanks to that stupid question! So I hope they correct that answer that I gave!!

 

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Google is a wonderful thing. Here's the variious web definitions I came up with for a plotter:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&oi=defmore&q=define:Plotter

I went to HP to find out about thermal printers:

http://www.hp.com/oeminkjet/evaluate/

Don't be dismayed at this point. What you learn by missing answers will end up being more important than if you got perfect scores all the time. This forces you to do a little more research and to look outside of your texts for additional answers.

 

Came up with a better definition of "thermal inkjet"

 

Plotters are usually used by engineers to print out CAD drawings. rather than using a single sheet of paper (ie a4), they use a roll of paper which feeds into the machine. its just another printer basically

 

A plotter can also be a device on which vinyl graphics are cut.

 

a plotter is unique in the way it prints. it draws lines continuously like you would with a pencil, moving over the page seemingly randomly, as oppose to the horizontal printing of regular printers. its reallt quite interesting to watch!

 

I agree with all of the above, but like so many other things the name plotter which originally described a printer that used a series of pens drawing charts and lines etc has evolved over the years and now it is also commonly used to describe large format inkjet or laser printers A0 / A1 size machines.

If I were your teacher, I would say you flunked this question

Inkjet is exactly that, it sprays a jet of ink onto the paper or other output material. Thermal Inkjets do it with heat but there are better methods nowadays. I have scrapped more thermal inkjet printers because the inkjet mechanism has blocked up than I care to remember. I personally would not class them as reliable.

Pete