andrewsr@remus.rutgers.edu (Rich Andrews) (08/17/90)
Hi all! Some good friends of mine are interested in getting an Amiga system. However, they MUST have the capability to use a high quality plotter---specifically, a Ruby-lith plotter (spelling?). They need to have the plotter cut a image onto this ruby-lith and then peel it off and use it for silk screen generation (used in T-shirt/Sweatshirt production). They have seen such a beast running on an $18,000 graphics machine, so I know it does exist. I wonder if there is a driver for it on the Amiga? If so, what kind of software would help utilize it? Any help/experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. -Rich -- // Rich | "Like any good philosophical discussion, the | // \X/ Andrews | conclusion is left unresolved." -McLaughlin | \X/
xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) (08/19/90)
[I broadened the distribution to try to get some input from the comp.graphics folks for the original poster.] BAXTER_A@wehi.dn.mu.oz writes: >andrewsr@remus.rutgers.edu (Rich Andrews) writes: >> Hi all! >> >> Some good friends of mine are interested in getting an Amiga system. >> However, they MUST have the capability to use a high quality >> plotter---specifically, a Ruby-lith plotter (spelling?). >> >> They need to have the plotter cut a image onto this ruby-lith and then >> peel it off and use it for silk screen generation (used in >> T-shirt/Sweatshirt production). >> >> They have seen such a beast running on an $18,000 graphics machine, so >> I know it does exist. I wonder if there is a driver for it on the >> Amiga? If so, what kind of software would help utilize it? >> >> Any help/experience would be greatly appreciated. >> >> Thanks in advance. >> -Rich >Ask them, but I suspect it will run on HP-GL commands. I either case, you >would not use a "driver" as such, but a program that supports the plotter >command set. If it runs on HP-GL, just about every vector mapping program >will handle it (IntroCAD is probably cheapest). I can't imagine it being >the sort of thing you want to use with your wordprocessor or appointments >manager. >Regards Alan A couple of additions: if that is the rubberized paint on plastic stuff our printer shop used about 15 years ago, the plotter can be a fairly ordinary plotter, but the plot head is a chisel, and is capable of both moving and turning, so that the chisel edge always faces the direction of travel. There are several fairly special things a plot program for such a medium must do, like cutting lines both ways to kick out the cruft that has fallen back into the channel, and doing a 360 degree turn at any turn more than a small number of degrees to assure that the lines join without a gap. Your friends should look very carefully at the software they get; I _think_ just grabbing any plot package and going with it will work at best not to well, and may not work at all. That doesn't mean that they can't, for example, make all their lines run both ways in the plot data, but for sure it will take a lot of extra work. They should talk to the manufacturer of the _plotter_ for that $18,000 graphics package and ask if source code for a ruby-lith plotter driver is available for porting to the Amiga, or, best of all, already ported. It will be more than a _small_ matter of programming to make the Amiga and that plot medium work really well together. Lots of luck, and let us know how it goes. Kent, the man from xanth. <xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us>
BAXTER_A@wehi.dn.mu.oz (08/19/90)
In article <Aug.16.22.03.50.1990.12065@remus.rutgers.edu>, andrewsr@remus.rutgers.edu (Rich Andrews) writes: > Hi all! > > Some good friends of mine are interested in getting an Amiga system. > However, they MUST have the capability to use a high quality > plotter---specifically, a Ruby-lith plotter (spelling?). > > They need to have the plotter cut a image onto this ruby-lith and then > peel it off and use it for silk screen generation (used in > T-shirt/Sweatshirt production). > > They have seen such a beast running on an $18,000 graphics machine, so > I know it does exist. I wonder if there is a driver for it on the > Amiga? If so, what kind of software would help utilize it? > > Any help/experience would be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks in advance. > -Rich Ask them, but I suspect it will run on HP-GL commands. I either case, you would not use a "driver" as such, but a program that supports the plotter command set. If it runs on HP-GL, just about every vector mapping program will handle it (IntroCAD is probably cheapest). I can't imagine it being the sort of thing you want to use with your wordprocessor or appointments manager. Regards Alan