New Plotter/Paperless Office?

[OnB25]

Our office is leaning towards purchasing an Oce 350 plotter. We are currently plotting 12,000 - 15,000 sqft/month, but we would like to reduce that number if possible. We have encouraged the use of 11x17 prints when feasible, but quite a few things are still printed to Arch C or D paper.

 

Just curious if anyone has moved towards a paperless or reduced paper setup, and if you have what sort of hardware are you using?

 

TIA

[RobDraw]

Moving in that direction is more of a mindset than a hardware question. Review/mark-up sets can be done with PDFs. I don't know how your office works but that alone could take your paper usage for drawings down to a fraction of what it is now.

[ReMark]

Take a look at AutoDesk Design Review. Why? Because it is free and works with a wide variety of formats.

 

"Accelerate your design reviews on your desktop with Autodesk® Design Review software. It’s the free*, all-digital way to view, mark up, print, and track changes to Autodesk 2D and 3D files—without the original design software. Work with a wide variety of file formats, including DWF™ and DWFx, DWG™ and DXF™ (requires installation of free DWG TrueView™ software) and Adobe PDF, as well as several image file types including .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .pcx, .pct, .png, .rlc, .tga, .tif, .mil, .cal, and more."

[Mike_Taylor]

We are currently trying to push paperless. All internal reviews are done through the DWF reviewer, we are pushing paperless site site audits as well (also using the reviewer installed on a tablet PC). We have a 54" widescreen TV hooked up to a small computer in our conference room so wwith the DWF reviewer and DWG True view installed. Most clients are quite happy to view things this way, but some still like the prints (which we are happy to oblige them with).

 

The DWF reviewer is a fantastic tool for any reviews. Not only are all the standard mark up tools there, but you can also set up symbol libraries, stamps etc. You can also direclt overlay the sheet over your layout tab in AutoCAD and make your mark ups. The best part is you can mark the markups as complete, for review, or question. The person can look at the mark up they made and give you feedback as required. Everything then becomes documented easy to track.

[OnB25]

Moving in that direction is more of a mindset than a hardware question. Review/mark-up sets can be done with PDFs. I don't know how your office works but that alone could take your paper usage for drawings down to a fraction of what it is now.

 

 

Thanks for the response. You're probably right it's more of a mindset than anything, but what I was referring to with the hardware question was mostly monitors. We are a general contractor & roof/floor truss manufacturer and plans are a mix of pdf's and cad files that are used for re-inputting walls and roof planes into our estimating program. We have a couple of guys doing design work with AutoCad, but we are primarily estimating rather than designing.

 

The complaint with estimating directly from the pdf/cad drawing is navigation of the drawing and having to zoom to tight on an area in order for notes and dimensions to be readable. Most are using 24" monitors right now, and it would seem maybe a larger monitor and/or higher resolution monitor would alleviate some of the problem but I was curious what others were using.

[RobDraw]

Yeah, without having at least two monitors this approach would be difficult.

[Mike_Taylor]

Personally when I am using 2 program which I am consistently witching between (especially when inputing information from one to another) having a second monitor will pay itself off in a few weeks with the time you can save.

 

As Rob mentioned, that would be the best way to go.

[paisis123]

Im so awesome, I have 3 monitors....It has helped tremendously in design, mark ups, and overall production

[Dana W]

Whoever thought we'd have a paperless society has never wiped themselves with an I-phone.

 

EDIT: Sorry, I just came in from facebook.

[dbroada]

Whoever thought we'd have a paperless society has never wiped themselves with an I-phone.

new take on a saying from my era, "a paperless office is as likely as a paperless toilet".

[ReMark]

Paperless toilet = bidet?

[eldon]

Paperless toilet = bidet?

 

Perhaps for squatters?

[ReMark]

No, that would be the "squat" toilet. Like this...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet

[Dana W]

:shock:Oh golly, and I thought I had perfected my skill at deteriorating a thread. you guys still make me look like an amateur.

 

Begs a question. Well, two actually, but I will get to #2 soon. I have a dual monitor capable system, two HDMI capable monitors, and one HDMI cable. The computer I will use is an all in one desktop with one each, HDMI out and HDMI in ports. The extra monitor only has one HDMI port. I don't have any instructions. Will this equipment work.

 

I just realized, I should have started another thread. Ignore me if you wish.

 

Now to the important question. Exactly what makes a bidet paperless, ReMark? Does one walk around wet afterwards?

[eldon]

Now to the important question. Exactly what makes a bidet paperless, ReMark?

 

In my experience, the drainage orifice of a bidet can only handle water and suds. (sorry for answering ReMark's question)

[danellis]

I thought a bidet replaced the paper, rather than the toilet?

 

My understanding is that one does... one's business sat on the toilet, then sits on the bidet to clean up?

 

dJE

[Glen1980]

Replicate the effect of a bidet at home by doing a handstand in the shower!

 

We are currently trying to reduce reliance on paper. All managers and directors have been given Galaxy Tablets and the head of IT is trying to get us Buzzsaw for issuing drawings to contractors and consultants.

[ReMark]

The bidet replaces the paper. A towel is used instead.

[Dana W]

Aw man, I asked you all to ignore the wrong question. I didn't think bidets were for boys any way.

 

My office is pretty much paperless, but it is impossible for me to go duel (pun intended) screen there, as a sub-contractor. I think I used the same computer maybe three days in a row at that place. I take in my laptop, and email or flash drive myself the redlined pdf's, then get the drawing up on the PC and fix it with the pdf on my laptop.

[Dana W]

The bidet replaces the paper. A towel is used instead.

 

So you're saying, to save 0.000001012% of a tree, one takes a butt only shower?