Vinyl plotters are machines that cut graphics on vinyl sheets with adhesive backing, which can then be peeled and applied on a surface or substrate. Vinyl graphics have been the staple of sign production since the mid 1990s and prior to this; signs were either hand painted or handmade. The production of the first vinyl plotter ever made was in the early 1980s. Only one company produced this machine and it retailed for $10,000. During the 1990s when personal computing began to be more common, other companies started to create and produce more affordable and efficient vinyl plotters. This enabled smaller sign shops to produce higher volumes of signs more quickly and helped them to compete with the bigger sign franchises.
Towards the late 1990s hybrid plotters started to emerge which were capable of printing full color images onto printable vinyl material. Customers were no longer restricted to picking only a few colors, but now had the option to choose from thousands of colors and use full color pictures and logos. Nowadays more sign companies are using both cut vinyl and digital printing to produce countless amounts of signage that are not only cost effective, but can be produced in a short amount of time. If you are a business or individual interested in these types of signs, please contact us at (510) 357-2000 or e-mail us at info@signworks.us.com.