• Letter/A4 size drawing area.
• Significant speed increase with updated firmware and brushless pen lift motor.
• Auto-homing feature improves ease of use.
• Sturdy electronics enclosure has easily accessible on-off switch, hardware pause and reset buttons, and built-in cable strain relief.
• Familiar software with improved experience in Inkscape, with available command-line and python interfaces.
• FCC certified.
• Internal Edition CE certified.
• Manufactured in New York.

The New Bantam Tools NextDraw™ 8511 is the proven and reliable computer-controlled plotter that provides versatile solutions to artists, innovators, educators and handwriting enthusiasts.

The Bantam Tools NextDraw™ 8511 pen plotter has an 8.5x11" or European A4 size drawable area. This is both the smallest and most popular size of pen plotters in the Bantam Tools NextDraw™ series of drawing and handwriting machines. This plotter has all the power, speed and features of the two larger machines in the series, but because of its size, it is set up for the most standard paper sizes. The Bantam Tools NextDraw™ 8511 has a compact form factor which makes it the most popular solution for artists, innovators, educators and handwriting enthusiasts.

The drawing head extends beyond the body of the machine, making it possible to also draw on flat objects bigger than the machine itself. For example, you can set it right on top of a box to write an address or add decorations. You can even set it on top of a poster board, chalkboard, or whiteboard to draw graphics in place.

The pen holder fits a wide variety of pens, including Sharpie fine and ultra-fine point markers, most rollerball and fountain pens, whiteboard markers, and so forth. It can even hold a fountain pen at a proper angle of 45° to the paper. You can also use implements that aren't pens, such as pencils, chalk, charcoal, brushes, and many others.

As an added bonus, the brushless pen-lift mechanism empowers users to use writing implements that need pressure on the paper, welcome news to lovers of ball-point pens.

The Bantam Tools NextDraw™ is a hardware and software ecosystem designed for a range of innovative applications not limited to drawing and handwriting. The ecosystem features a variety of accessories available to expand your capabilities and help you explore your creative frontier.

The familiar Bantam Tools NextDraw software, originally developed by Evil Mad Scientist and tailored for Inkscape, offer enhancements that streamline the plotting process. There are also advanced API features for custom applications. Incredibly versatile, the Bantam Tools NextDraw software is compatible with Mac/PC/Linux platforms.

The solid construction of the Bantam Tools NextDraw™, lush with beautifully machined details, its fully featured software, and fine quality and performance, is a proven solution that sets a new standard in plotters.

Getting Started Guide
Software Download 

Usable pen travel (inches): 11.81 × 8.58 inches.
Usable pen travel (millimeters): 300 × 218 mm.
Vertical pen travel: 0.7 inch (17 mm).
Vertical pen travel: 0.3 inch (7.5 mm) typical when using spring.
Maximum XY travel speed: 15 inches (38 cm) per second.
Native XY resolution: 2032 steps per inch (80 steps per mm).
Reproducibility (XY): Typically better than 0.004 inches (0.1 mm) at low speeds.

Holds pens and other drawing instruments up to: 5/8" (16 mm) diameter.
Overall dimensions: Approximately 21.5 × 16 × 4 inches (55 × 40.5 × 10 cm).
Maximum height with cable guides: Approximately 8.5 inches (22 cm).
Footprint: Approximately 17 × 5 inches (43 x 13 cm).
Physical weight: 5.1 Lb (2.3 kg).
Shipping (Dimensional) weight: 25 Lb (11 kg).

Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Driven directly from within Inkscape,
using the Bantam Tools NextDraw™ software.
Programming is not required
but additional programming interfaces are available.