Tokyo Street Network – Vintage Pen-Plotted Map Art

Pen plotting technology is a unique printing method that employs a mechanical arm to accurately draw designs on various media, such as big size paper or fabric. This technology is often used for creating intricate and detailed artworks nowadays, where in the nineties it was mostly used in PCB and electronic schematic design and Architectural/CAD design businesses.

A pen plotter is a specialized computer controlled printing device that uses a pen to draw very precise, high-quality graphics on paper.

You can compare it to a modern 3D printer, but it uses the Z-axis only to lift the pen up from the paper. 

We have plotters where the paper is static on the bed and where the arm moves in X and Y direction. We also have plotters that pull the paper back and forth and where the arm only moves in one direction. 

There is also a kind that can freely travel, like the Pen Mouse. These are fun, but we don’t use this for serious business. 

Modern inktjet plotters are pretty fast, use ink cartridges and produce photo quality prints. They are all around us and some versions are even found in homes. We like the old vintage plotters, because they challenge us. They are not easy to operate, often break and require care and attention. Watching the pen slowly working to the endresult is above all very pleasing and satisfying to watch. 

We have a bunch of them in working and none working condition. We dedicated a page on them here. 

Vintage plotters are not easy to find secondhand anymore. We have bought some plotters that were stored in moist environments and needed lot’s of maintenance and repairs. The costs are often much higher than the profit. So not at the moment, but maybe some day when commercially feasable. 

For black and white, we use new old stock disposable or refillable Rapidoplot or Koh-i-Noor plotter pens. They are quite similar to Rotring technical drawing pens. 

For color we use various pens, felt tip, to ink pens, whatever fits the plotter. (speed, pressure, size)

Designing or creating code various depending on complexity. The plotting process itself can take anywhere between 30 minutes for small plots to even 5 hours for A1 plots. This is depending on pen travel distance, complexity and maximum usable drawing speed. 

Pen plots are expensive due to the specialized equipment, quality materials and expertise involved. The complexity and duration of the plotting process add to the cost. We provide a high-quality niche product that guarantees excellent results for our clients.

You will receive a product with a distinct and unique quality.

Pen plotting requires careful preparation. Both the pens and the media need to be set up properly. It’s important to do a few test plots before starting the actual one. After these steps, the main plot should go smoothly. Subsequent plots require less effort. After plotting, regular maintenance of the pens is important, as they can dry out quickly.

We ship large formats rolled. Small, less bendable products mostly flat. When appropriate we’ll use postbox sized packaging, to keep (shipping) costs down.

We ship to most countries from our HQ in The Netherlands. Except for some countries that are notorious for losing packages.

We use PostNL postal services with tracking and optional insurance. 

Contact us if you have special requests. 

That can be arranged. Contact us for possibilities. 

Contact us and we’ll figure something out.