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Bantam Tools has announced the release of NextDraw, a series of plotters the OEM calls “drawing and handwriting machines”.

The NextDraw series encompasses three devices of varying drawing areas: the 300 x 218 mm NextDraw 8511, the 430 x 297 mm NextDraw 1117, and the 864 x 594 mm NextDraw 2234, each of which corresponds to a specific paper size (A4, A3, and A1, respectively).

Besides size, the only major difference between the plotters is the machined aluminum central beam present on the 1117 and 2234 – but not the 8511 – which boosts accuracy and stability. That, and their price tags, which are size-aligned at $699, $1,099, and $1,699.

Otherwise, the plotters in the NextDraw series are essentially the same. This goes for functionality – “Even the largest Bantam Tools NextDraw can draw on a postage stamp and the smallest Bantam Tools NextDraw can be placed on the center of a mural sized piece of paper,” Bantam Tools writes in a blog post introducing the devices – hardware, firmware, and software.

The plotters are all compatible with a variety of writing implements, including “Sharpie fine and ultra-fine point markers, most rollerball and fountain pens, whiteboard markers … pencils, chalk, charcoal, brushes, and many others”.

They also feature accuracy-enhancing “auto-homing”, built-in cable strain relief, and a “brushless pen-lift motor” that works to allow the devices to use writing implements that require applied pressure, like ball-point pens. Bantam Tools claims each of the plotters can work at a maximum travel speed of 38 cm per second and achieve reproducibility of better than 0.1 mm “at low speeds”.

The plotters run Inkscape-tailored software developed by Evil Mad Scientist, which Bantam Tools acquired in January – a move that was announced alongside the reveal of the NextDraw series and which saw the end of the popular AxiDraw range.

The NextDraw series is now available for purchase on Bantam Tools’ website. The NextDraw 8511 and 1117 are set to ship the week of May 13, while those who purchase a NextDraw 2234 can currently expect a four-to-six-week wait for shipment. In the meantime, head Bantom Tools’ blog for a general introduction to the devices.

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License: The text of "Bantam Tools Releases NextDraw Plotter Series" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.