These are objects from a time when people were willing to watch machines work, not just get instant output.

Today, even if small DIY plotters were cheap to build, they’d mostly live in the “art / hobby” space: most users won’t wait several minutes for a page when a laser printer does it in seconds.

That said, it would be great if a simple, well-documented DIY standard (protocol + format) emerged that hobby plotters could implement and that common tools (Inkscape, CAD, etc.) could support out of the box.

> That said, it would be great if a simple, well-documented DIY standard (protocol + format) emerged that hobby plotters could implement and that common tools (Inkscape, CAD, etc.) could support out of the box.

I know just about every CAD program, inkscape and many others use the text based DXF. Might be a bit overkill in some cases so perhaps a simple plotting language such as the plot format: https://man.9front.org/6/plot

HPGL and HPGL2 exist, and most CAD tools have ways to export to it. Not sure about inkscape, but it should be doable.

Hell, some plotters used to come with handbook of HPGL, even

I had one of the Panasonic models a long time ago, and I used to love typing with it.

I didn't have a reliable source for pen cartridges though, so I usually saved it for things that were "important" at the time.

Everything else was typed on an IBM Wheelwriter, which in my mind is still the pinnacle of typewriter technology.

Supposedly you can still order the film ribbon cartridges for them online.

I had a plotter that took these pens. I couldn't afford to buy new pens, so I sawed one in half and soldered a threaded insert in to make a cap, so I could refill it. Refilling worked, though wasn't as reliable as a new pen.

Yeah, I had one when I was going to a community college in the 80's. I think I got it because it was actually less expensive than some other standard kind of electric typewriter.

Man, I wish I still had it now seeing all the plotter functionality that I was not taking advantage of…

On our way to synesthetic live-typing!!

https://youtu.be/aj6u8cEjDK4

I wonder if any of them are still usable. I would guess that new pens are NLA and whatever pens that might be around are long dried out.

You might be surprised, I picked up a box of new/oldstock sealed in packaging pens for the HP 7475A, they still work just fine. Also I have some of the weird little ballpoint pens that are used for the Atari 1020, they also continue to work.

I have one. The pens work fine.

Oil-based ballpoint inks tend to last a really long time, especially if sealed.

I have a penwriter. Haven’t used it much because I have far more capable plotters, sadly…