Bought a $300 plotter and it's been a paperweight for 6 months

I finally got tired of hand-lettering every survey note and caved on that big drafting plotter. The salesman in Austin swore it would cut my time in half, but I've used it maybe three times since February. The software it came with is clunky, the drivers don't play nice with my CAD version, and every roll of paper jams halfway through. I'm out $300 plus another $80 on media that's just sitting in my garage. Turns out my old pen plotter did the job fine for small residential stuff, I just wanted the shiny thing. Anyone else drop cash on equipment that sounded great but never fit your actual workflow? What did you end up doing with it?

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1 Comment

terry_barnes1mo ago

Wow, that stings! I read a piece last month about how like 40% of big ticket hobby tools end up in the back of a closet within a year, and plotters are apparently one of the worst offenders. I totally get the lure of the shiny new thing, though. I almost did the same with a laser engraver, but I kept hearing horror stories about the software and the setup time, so I held off. Honestly, for you, the best move is probably to just sell it on Craigslist or a local Facebook group. You might take a hit, but at least you get some cash back and free up garage space. And hey, your old pen plotter is clearly the reliable workhorse, so just stick with what works and don't feel bad about the wasted money. We've all been there with gear that sounded great in theory.