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Difference Between Printer and Plotter | Plotter vs Printer

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: September 25th, 2023

There is various difference between Printer and Plotter. Both the printer and plotter are a type of output device. They are used to produce the output. The major difference between printer and plotter is that printers are commanded over the network whereas plotters are commanded over the computer.

Both the printer and plotter can produce images. The difference between printer and plotter is that the speed of producing images in a printer is better than that of a plotter. Here we will first learn about printer and plotter then we will discuss in detail the difference between printer and plotter in the upcoming sections.

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Difference Between Printer and Plotter

There are various similarities between printer and plotter such as both being hardware devices used to produce desired outputs and a lot more. But there are a few differences between the two which are explained in the table provided below.

Printer Plotter
A printer can process files in the following formats: JPG, PDF, TIFF, BMP, etc. A plotter can process files in the following formats:Al, CDR, DWG, etc.
They receive commands over a network. They receive commands from the computer and not over the network.
Printers are cost-effective and cheap. Plotters are expensive and less cost-effective
Printers operate at high speed. Plotters operate at low speed.
They cannot draw continuous lines. They can draw continuous lines.
Examples: Ink Printers, Business Inkjet, LED Printers, 3D Printers, Home Inkjet, Laser Printers, etc. Examples: Pen plotters, Inkjet plotters, Flatbed plotters, Electrostatic plotters, Drum plotters, etc.

After checking the difference between the plotter and printer, let us check more details about printer and plotter in the coming section.

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What is a Printer?

A printer is a type of hardware that is used to produce output. It is used to convert the information in soft copy to the hard copy of the same information. Printers are operated via a network where a command is given from another device. It can be connected to multiple devices at a time.

Printers are able to read PDF, JPEG, BMP, etc formats and can produce the desired output on command. There are added features to the printers such as copying, scanning, faxing, etc. There are various types of printers which are mentioned below.

  • Toner-based printer
  • Liquid ink printer
  • Solid ink printer
  • Dye-sublimation printer
  • Inkless printer

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What is a Plotter?

A plotter is also a type of hardware used to produce outputs from devices such as computers. They produce graphical information on a sheet of paper. They produce output with the help of a pen, pencil, etc. Their work is different from the printers which only use a single phenomenon to produce images.

There are various types of plotters as well which are mentioned below.

  • Drum Plotter
  • Inkjet Plotter
  • Cutting Plotter
  • Flatbed Plotter
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