The Framers Forum

also cuts vehicle graphics

Does it have a cake-icing atachment?

btw. I once saw a computerised washline-drawing machine, much along the same principles. It even did the wash by drawing 1000's of close lines. It was amazing to watch. It would use one pen and then drop it and pick up another colour/width.
I don't know whether these machines are still made. Mind you, I had some ready mounted prints once where the lines had been drawn on by machine. The lines vanished completely in daylight. Had to draw them back on by hand.

prospero wrote:Does it have a cake-icing atachment?

No but it does make a lovely cup of tea

prospero wrote: btw. I once saw a computerised washline-drawing machine, much along the same principles. It even did the wash by drawing 1000's of close lines. It was amazing to watch. It would use one pen and then drop it and pick up another colour/width.
I don't know whether these machines are still made. Mind you, I had some ready mounted prints once where the lines had been drawn on by machine. The lines vanished completely in daylight. Had to draw them back on by hand.

I have one of these machines which was developed by Brian Skeets, the guy who once ran DesignLines. I don't think there still available

Its basically a plotter with a piece of software for drawing lines on mounts.
Its good for calligraphy on mounts and putting lines on although it does, as you rightly say, put a wash on by drawing lines adjacent to each other, and this isn't perfect!
.
It does have pens which you fill up with watercolur or it will take metallic gold or silver pens.

Great for a job we produce for a customer which is a 20 x 16 mnt with a single gold line which we produce for him a 1000 at a time and to put the line on by hand would be unthinkable!

Framerpicture wrote:Its basically a plotter with a piece of software for drawing lines on mounts.
Its good for calligraphy on mounts and putting lines on although it does, as you rightly say, put a wash on by drawing lines adjacent to each other, and this isn't perfect!

That could be easier to do than many might think. Assuming a suitably priced computer driven secondhand plotter is obtainable, then all you need is the correct Windows printer driver for the plotter and some graphics software such as Corel Draw.

I've not done it, but I expect one of our resident computer experts will be able to tell us if it can be done and how to go about it!

Brings back memories of the HP desktop plotters that were all the rage in the 80's & early 90's. Can't remember the model numbers but it was the only way for (mortals) to print colour cad & other vector drawings. Facinating to watch the plot process but very frustrating when you realise you have made a mistake !.

Many modern wide bed inkjet printers will accept thick card, my Epson handles 1300 micron and, given some ink settings tweeking, should make a good job of printing a pseudo wash or other decoration.

Perhaps someone has tried this already, if not I will have a go tomorrow.

The Crofter wrote:Brings back memories of the HP desktop plotters that were all the rage in the 80's & early 90's. Can't remember the model numbers

I can remember, they were HP74(A or B) and HP75 (A or B), or was it HP73 and HP74. The A or B versions indicated whether the interface connection was RS232 or HP GPIB. People were always nicking each others working pens and putting their own empty pens in their place.

I could never figure out how they could move the paper back and forth so fast without something slipping and messing up the plot.

Not your average framer wrote:People were always nicking each others working pens and putting their own empty pens in their place.

Don't tell me you worked for Marconi as well!