Plotting Costs & Estimates
- Courtney Morshed
- Cole Marchant
Plot Cost per Linear Foot by Paper & Coverage
Samples of paper type and print quality are on display near the Technology Desk and are available for reference on the Plotting Cost Examples page.
Pricing is based on the linear feet of paper used, and the amount of ink/toner used. These values can only be estimated in advance, as the plotters use a live monitoring system to measure exactly how much toner or ink is used on each print job. Since the 'tooth' of the paper can vary from print to print, so can the amount of toner or ink used, even if they are plotting the same file. We provide the minimum, average, and maximum cost per linear foot (LF) for each paper type so that students can estimate the cost of their plots.
Linear Foot Estimates for Plots
| Plotter | Paper | Media Type | Cost per Linear Foot | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ink/Toner Coverage | |||||
| Min | Average | Max | |||
| KIP | Standard Bond | KIP | 36" | 24# | Xero Bond | $0.75 | $0.78 | $1.17 |
| Heavy Weight Bond | KIP | 36" | 40# | Xero Presentation Bond | $0.90 | $0.96 | $1.35 | |
| Vellum | KIP | 36" | 20# | Xero Vellum | $3.00 | $3.09 | $3.27 | |
| HP | Standard Bond | HP | 60" | 20# | Hi-Brite Bond | $1.25 | $1.70 | $4.20 |
| Heavy Weight Bond | HP | 60" | 45# | Super Heavy Weight Bond | $1.50 | $2.10 | $5.65 | |
| Mylar | HP | 36" | 4 mil | Matte Film | $4.50 | $4.56 | $4.86 | |
| Photo | HP | 60" | Satin Gloss Photo | $7.50 | $8.35 | $9.80 | |
| Watercolor | HP | 44" | 210 gsm | Cotton/Cellulose | $8.00 | $8.62 | $11.45 | |
Values for the Most Common Plot Sizes
Printed copies of this information are available at the Tech Desk.
| Plotter | Paper | 2 Linear Feet | 3 Linear Feet | 4 Linear Feet | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ink/Toner Coverage | Ink/Toner Coverage | Ink/Toner Coverage | ||||||||
| Minimum | Average | Maximum | Minimum | Average | Maximum | Minimum | Average | Maximum | ||
| KIP | Standard Bond | $1.50 | $1.56 | $2.34 | $2.25 | $2.34 | $3.51 | $3.00 | $3.12 | $4.68 |
| Heavy Weight Bond | $1.80 | $1.92 | $2.70 | $2.70 | $2.88 | $4.05 | $3.60 | $3.84 | $5.40 | |
| Vellum | $6.00 | $6.18 | $6.54 | $9.00 | $9.27 | $9.81 | $12.00 | $12.36 | $13.08 | |
| HP | Standard Bond | $2.50 | $3.40 | $8.40 | $3.75 | $5.10 | $12.60 | $5.00 | $6.80 | $16.80 |
| Heavy Weight Bond | $3.00 | $4.20 | $11.30 | $4.50 | $6.30 | $16.95 | $6.00 | $8.40 | $22.60 | |
| Mylar | $9.00 | $9.12 | $9.72 | $13.50 | $13.68 | $14.58 | $18.00 | $18.24 | $19.44 | |
| Photo | $15.00 | $16.70 | $19.60 | $22.50 | $25.05 | $29.40 | $30.00 | $33.40 | $39.20 | |
| Watercolor | $16.00 | $17.24 | $22.90 | $24.00 | $25.86 | $34.35 | $32.00 | $34.48 | $45.80 | |
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