A3 printer plotter

I have spent a very frustrating afternoon trying to print out some drawings on an HP printer. I only want B&W prints but I can't print anything out as it won't recognise the genuine print cartridges, which it did recognise last time I used it!! Basically I'm fed up with the thing

When I was at school I remember we had a 4 colour plotter that just used 4 biro pens to draw the CAD drawing on a piece of paper.

After searching the net I can't find any nice basic A3 printers or plotters that will only print in B&W.

So, how easy would it be to make such a thing?? If a printer uses stepper motors and some sort of output to tell the cartridge when to print, how easy would it be to either covert an old printer, or build something from scratch, and either use a print cartridge of some sort or a pen that can go up and down?

What would be needed to allow the cad image to be printed?

2 parts are enough?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_fr...p7550&_sacat=0

I have a foison c24 plotter cutter, cuts vinyl or change the blade for the pen and becomes a plotter. Had it 6 years had plenty of use and it has never missed a beat.

I just threw a Roland A3 plotter out, it was cheap as chips on ebay when I bought it.

Cheapest A3 printers I can see are these http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/comput...28091-pdt.html http://www.printerland.co.uk/Epson-W...W-P133275.aspx They do colour though :grumpy: