In 1999, CalComp went out of business entirely. That might have been the end of the thermal plotter market, except that thermal plotters had become very popular in the oil and gas exploration and seismic markets. The Imaging Systems Group's i36 ImageMaster direct thermal printer prints up to five D-size plots per minute. Inc. The i36 ImageMaster is based on a combination of iSys's own technology and technology it acquired from CalComp. The printer also supports a wide range of thermal media, including premium papers, vellum, clear film, and synthetic paper.
Thermal printing uses no consumables other than thermal paper.
The output is as crisp as anything you'll find, and, unlike thermal faxes, it remains stable for many years when stored in anything approaching a reasonable fashion. The only real downside with thermal prints is that if you run them through a very hot mercury- vapor blueline machine, they can turn black. That's becoming less of a problem as wide-format copiers replace blueline machines. The savings come both in consumables and in maintenance costs. As a rule of thumb, it should pay for itself in savings over an inkjet or LED plotter if you run 50,000 linear feet of plots or more per year.