planetPlotter

An interface library for the HP7470A plotter printer, specifically for plotting from ds9 .ctr files and .svg. Commands are issued to the printer in HP-GL through a GPIB connection.

Installation

Requires python < 3. pip install -e .

Usage

contours.py contains functions svg2command, ctr2command to convert .svg and .ctr (from DS9) files into a set of HP-GL commands that are saved in commands.txt. Use python make_command.py to convert file of choice into command.txt. python make_plot.py interfaces with the printer, executing command.txt.

Printer Usage

• Load bespoke pens after turning on the printer.
• Make sure to press P1 when removing a complete sheet and loading a new sheet, so that the printer coordinate system gets reset for the next set of plot commands.
• Use the silver sharpie for black paper.

Example