Batch Plot to PDF lighter lineweights CAD 2015

[SAicieng]

Hi, I'm running into an odd plotting issue when using batch plot. When I batch plot using the "publish to PDF" the result is that the lineweights are lighter then when I plot the files individually. I've tried "publish to plotter named in page setup" and the files plot correctly, but it asks for the "save PDF file as" after each drawing which kinda defeats the purpose of batch plotting. Does anyone know a way to setup the default PDF to plot exactly whats on the layout with the correct plot style?

The image on the left is what the PDF is supposed to look like. The image on the right is the result of batch plot using the "publish to PDF" option. The difference might be subtle on the screen but when printing its very noticeable.

Thanks in advance! 

[pendean]

Based solely on your descriptions, you are using the wrong top/master pagesetup in PUBLISH. You must use one that includes your preferred plot style table or LWEIGHT option.
Share a DWG file here with all it's required parts (through ETRANSMIT command) so we can see your setup. Picture files like your JPEG shed no light on the problem.

[SAicieng]

Hi Dean, thanks for your response. Attached is a drawing with our standard lineweights and layering.

[pendean]

On the PUBLISH pop-up, after you select PUBLISH TO PDF, are you assigning a Page Setup (has it's own column)? That's where you tell AutoCAD to go grab a pagesetup defined in a fine that will pick up your ICI CTB file to use for lineweights. Ideally this is a template file you have preset for page size and plot style table choice.

If you leave it at NONE, nothing is used, so you get color lines (I believe that's your experience/problem, correct?).

[SAicieng]

Leaving the Page Setup as NONE and selecting a preset page setup gives the same results, it still prints as if the lineweights were scaled down. 

Or do you know how to tell AutoCAD to save the files as shown in the SHEET NAME column when selecting PUBLISH TO PLOTTER NAMED IN PAGE SETUP? 

[pendean]

Depends if your ADOBE.PC3 file is set up to override the name or pass it through: I don't have whatever driver that is meant to be so I cannot test it here.

[SAicieng]

Would you know how to "PUBLISH TO PDF" without lowering the quality of the print or scaling the lineweights?

[zalant]

As Dean stated, it's the lack of a page setup which leads to your plot style not being applied during publish operations.  In fact, your PDF should be coming out in color, except that you likely have the Adobe PDF driver set to output only black & white (greyscale).

Within the Page Setup Manager, I created a page setup for your Plot layout called B&W (see attached DWG).  It is set to use our PDF driver and your CTB file.  When you go to publish the drawing, leave the Plotter setting at "PDF".  If it's not already there, click the pull-down for Page Setup, and select B&W.  Then your PDF will come out like the one I've attached here.  Lastly, I changed the Screening value of color 253 to 100 in your plot style table, so it would come out solid black like everything else.

Please post back here and let us know how this works out for you.

[SAicieng]

Hi Zac, I did try your suggestion with your attached dwg and did get the same results. However, that's not how the lineweights should be coming out as. I went to a different drawing and did create a page setup named "setup1" and went through the batch plot and still had the same scaled down results. I even tried your "B&W" page setup and still had the same results. Is there something else I could be missing?

[zalant]

The reason your line weights are not being displayed is that they are too thin to be represented at the paper size chosen.  To see a visible change, go into your CTB and click 'Edit Lineweights'.  Then, change .0831 to .4.  Set Red to use that lineweight, and see how the preview looks.  You should definitely see that the red line is much thicker than the rest.  Obviously, .4 is an extreme example but it should help you to get an idea of how much you'll need to edit the various line weights to get them to show up on an E1 sheet of paper (or PDF, for that matter). 

[SAicieng]

Since this publish to PDF isn't working the way I need it to, would you know how to override the "prompt for name" option when batch plotting and selecting "plotter named in page setup"? Ideally I would like the sheet names set up in the publish option to override the "prompt for name" setting in the page setup. 

[zalant]

If the plotter named in your page setup is a 3rd party PDF driver, AutoCAD will treat it like any other physical plotting device.  The publish option where you set it to not prompt for name only applies to our PDF/DWF drivers.

When you say, "this publish to PDF isn't working the way I need it to," what specifically isn't working for you? Did you try adjusting the line weights in your CTB?

[SAicieng]

The plotter is the adobe PDF converter by Autodesk.

The publish to PDF that isn't working is the resulting lineweights. Currently I can't change the CTB because it is our company standard. 

I've attached a full size of my results, directly plotting and publish to PDF using batch plot. Even printing at 11x17 the batch plot is slightly lighter. 

[m_rogoff]

I've noticed in Acad 2015 LT the gray scales on my prints are very light. Some gray hatches don't appear on paper, even though the resulting print preview shows the hatch. 

[zalant]

@SAicieng 

In the drawing you had sent me, the plot device was set to "Adobe PDF.pc3".  This is not the PDF device provided by us, but rather a PC3 file that's configured to use the Adobe PDF driver which is included with several Adobe products, like Acrobat Professional.  When publishing, if you select "PDF" in the Publish to: pull-down, then you are indeed going to our PDF device.  If you cannot modify the CTB that is in use, I suggest that you copy the company standard CTB and then modify (and use) the copied version.  I'm seeing no difference between plotting and publishing to the Autodesk-provided PDF device, with your sample file or any others that I've tried here.

@m_rogoff 

To clarify, your hatches do actually plot, but it is lighter than what is shown in the program and in the plot preview?

Are you screening the output of your hatches via a modified plot style (CTB/STB)?

Do you have certain line types applied to your hatch objects?

Are you publishing or plotting, and is it to paper or to PDF?

If you'd like to attach a sample DWG, along with your plot style table, I'll be happy to check it out for you.

[SAicieng]

Thanks for your help Zac and Dean. I've setup the page to plot to the default Adobe PDF plotter. When I publish to PDF and select the saved page setup it does produce a PDF that is still slightly lighter then normal plotting, but here's the kicker...printing hardcopy at full size shows no discrepancy in lineweights. Anything printed on a smaller size sheet will show the lighter scale in lineweights. On the computer screen the difference in lineweight quality is also apparent. This is unfortunate because we normally plot half size and 11x17 sheets when doing mark-ups/reviews and my boss is quick to point out that the lines look light. Too bad the quality has to decrease as the size sheet decreased.

[mwilsonNFZXC]

This seems to be an issue with ACROBAT / ADOBE.  Could be a dithering setting???

If I open the same PDF in foxit reader or Nitro PDF, I can view/print it fine.