I’m Frank and I am looking to buy Sketchup software. I’m an Electrical Contractor and developer from the State of Pennsylvania. I’m interested in a Windows based system with a plotter printer. Any assistance would be appreciated. Regards,
You should get a decent computer, then, (There are several threads on that topic.) and of course you’ll need SketchUp Pro and LayOut. Unless you have other uses for a plotter, I wouldn’t buy one. If you need to make large format prints for the township or for construction documents, you can send the PDFs to your local office supply store or Kinkos for printing.
I would also consider getting a large format printer rather than a plotter? As sketchup can help illustrate architectural drawings with textures and other images, having the capability to incorporate that on your prints can be handy, as well as having the option to make large raster prints for other purposes? I use a 42" wide format printer myself.
But as Dave says, unless you have the need for it in house, it is a big expense and with the upkeep might be easier to send the files elsewhere to print.
For what it’s worth, a couple of years ago I wanted to make some C-size (17x22 inch) black-and-white prints and was pleasantly shocked that Staples.com printed them for less than two US dollars each as I recall, on plain-ish paper stock.
Old-timers like me might call any large format printer a plotter. The original plotters used pens (shiver) and I think that they are all in the afterlife or landfill by now (signmakers still use versions with a cutter instead of a pen).
whiterabbitdesigncompany:
I would also consider getting a large format printer rather than a plotter?
Old-timers like me might call any large format printer a plotter. The original plotters used pens (shiver) and I think that they are all in the afterlife or landfill by now (signmakers still use versions with a cutter instead of a pen).
As to buying a large format printer, don’t, unless you are needing one all the time. Otherwise, outsourcing the printing is a much better and even cheaper solution. The printers that an individual or a small office can afford are all inkjets, and if your use is only occasional, you might have to use more time to clean clogged print heads than actually printing. That said, the Canon printer we have had at work (using about 600 mm wide roll paper) has been relatively trouble free, except for a glitch that occasionally makes it print about 10 sheets of empty paper without any provocation.
UPS store , Kinkos or most any print store has large format printers/plotters. For a few dollars you can print up your set there, most you can even email them the PDF/PLT files and they will have them ready for you to pickup. No sense in getting a plotter if it will only see minimal use. Take into account the maintenance, and ink for them as well as their large footprint.
Look on craigslist in your area. Likley to find one there pretty cheep if you really need one.
I’m a sole practitioner in Pittsburgh. I use Revit, Sketchup, Lumion, Architectural Desktop, and a bunch of other smaller programs. I ended up buying my own D-size plotter, just for convenience. I would constantly need to print things right before heading out to a meeting, and my local FedEx Kinkos frequently had some issue - printer down, network down etc.
I have a T120 HP 24" roll printer. I think I paid about $500 for it. I sits on two file cabinets. I can print up to arc D on it, which is fine for what I do.
Next to that I have an HP 7740 Wide format, that prints and scans 11x17. It’s only shortcoming is that the automatic document feeder only does letter/legal. It would be ideal if the ADF also did 11x17. I have to scan 11x17’s one sheet at a time.
I built my own desktop PC, but the specs aren’t outrageous. Ryzen 1700X, 32GB Ram (I started with 16GB and it was fine), GTX 1070, 512GB SSD. I think I was about $1000 all said and done. If I were to buy a system from a retailer, I’ve always had good luck with the Dell outlet. I’m sure you could fine a system from Dell for less than $800 that would work well.