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Print Problem - Dashes Disappear

29 REPLIES 29
Reply
Message 1 of 30
dgi
Explorer
432 Views, 29 Replies

Print Problem - Dashes Disappear

When I print, my lines all become very thin. My main problem is that dashed lines (hidden lines, center lines, threads, etc) are printed the same as all other lines, making the drawing impossible to understand. I noticed that the border and title block also gets thinned.

This is clearly visible in Print Preview, as well as on the actual paper. I'm using IV prof.11, with HP LaserJet 1320 PS driver. It also happens when I try to print to CutePDF. Anyone ever seen this before?

Any ideas of how to get my dashed lines back?
29 REPLIES 29
Message 2 of 30
aardvark
in reply to: dgi

Can you post a screen shot? I think I know what is happening but I want to be certain.
Message 3 of 30
dgi
Explorer
in reply to: dgi

Thanks for your help. It's hard to see in this screenshot, but the bend lines, which are dashed in the drawing, come out thin and solid in the print preview. I noticed that where I used to have several line weights in my prints, now I only have one thin solid line weight.
Message 4 of 30
dgi
Explorer
in reply to: dgi

When I had this problem a few days ago, I tried everything I could think of, even uninstalled Inventor. The problem persisted. I tried deleting some Registry keys when I uninstalled inventor, but that didn't help either. So I completely erased my hard drive and reinstalled Windows. That fixed the problem and my lines were normal again. But then after one day the thin lines came back. Looking back over my last few prints, it seems that it may have started when I did a "Save a Copy As...DXF" and this caused some irreversible change in my printouts.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can make any suggestions, otherwise I don't know what else to do except reformat my hard drive again.
Message 5 of 30
aardvark
in reply to: dgi

I have tried to duplicate your problem using every inventor based print control I can think of and I've got nothing. The only thing I can find to have you try is in the print menu there is a check box that says "remove object line weights", make sure that isn't checked.

I thought I had a solution for you, sorry. I hope one of the others here can give you another solution other than reformat your hard drive every time you save a dxf.
Message 6 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

As luck would have it, I have the same exact HP 1320 printer, and I also use
CutePDF. Output from both IV IDW and the PDF to the 1320 are identical, with
all geometry showing correctly. I have had no such issues....

I then ran a test.. in the IDW, I then changed the sheet size from A to C.
Then, I rescaled all the views upward to fit on the C sized sheet.
Reprinting the same IDW, this time, changing the image size from 1:1 to
"fit", the results match what you are experiencing.

To fix this, change your sheet size to match the printer paper size, and
your line weights should display properly in the printed page.

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5543481@discussion.autodesk.com...
When I print, my lines all become very thin. My main problem is that dashed
lines (hidden lines, center lines, threads, etc) are printed the same as all
other lines, making the drawing impossible to understand. I noticed that the
border and title block also gets thinned.

This is clearly visible in Print Preview, as well as on the actual paper.
I'm using IV prof.11, with HP LaserJet 1320 PS driver. It also happens when
I try to print to CutePDF. Anyone ever seen this before?

Any ideas of how to get my dashed lines back?
Message 7 of 30
dgi
Explorer
in reply to: dgi

Thank you folks for the help. Unfortunately, I still have the problem of all lines printing solid and thin.

My sheet size is A and my print setup size is also A. I also tried printing a B to B, and a C to C, but the same thing happens. I tried Model 1:1, Best Fit, and Custom 1, and every page size setting in the File->Print Setup menu, as well as changing the page size in Print/Properties/Advanced.

I don't think this problem is exclusive to the HP 1320 or CutePDF because I get the same output with two other different HP printers with different drivers.

I noticed that at the same time this started happening, my toolbar/feature browser and Inventor menus started updating very sluggishly. Sometimes it takes 30 seconds for the toolbar view to update, for example if I drag the divider between the button panel and the browser panel. Sometimes it never updates until I switch to a different Windows application and back.

So, I guess I will have to reformat my hard drive again. Can anybody tell me how to delete all Inventor registry keys? It seems that when I uninstall Inventor without reformatting my hard drive, some setting stick somehow and perpetuate this problem I am having. I'm guessing it's in the registry. If I knew how to make a fresh start without reformatting my hard drive, I might just be able to get through this project.

thank you
Message 8 of 30
aardvark
in reply to: dgi

Go here and follow the directions.
http://www.mcadforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5057&highlight=clean+install
Message 9 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

In Format _ Styles Editor >current style >layers, did you try checking the
"Scale Linetype" checkboxes? Perhaps you recently changed styles in your
drawings?

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5543980@discussion.autodesk.com...
Thank you folks for the help. Unfortunately, I still have the problem of all
lines printing solid and thin.

My sheet size is A and my print setup size is also A. I also tried printing
a B to B, and a C to C, but the same thing happens. I tried Model 1:1, Best
Fit, and Custom 1, and every page size setting in the File->Print Setup
menu, as well as changing the page size in Print/Properties/Advanced.

I don't think this problem is exclusive to the HP 1320 or CutePDF because I
get the same output with two other different HP printers with different
drivers.

I noticed that at the same time this started happening, my toolbar/feature
browser and Inventor menus started updating very sluggishly. Sometimes it
takes 30 seconds for the toolbar view to update, for example if I drag the
divider between the button panel and the browser panel. Sometimes it never
updates until I switch to a different Windows application and back.

So, I guess I will have to reformat my hard drive again. Can anybody tell me
how to delete all Inventor registry keys? It seems that when I uninstall
Inventor without reformatting my hard drive, some setting stick somehow and
perpetuate this problem I am having. I'm guessing it's in the registry. If I
knew how to make a fresh start without reformatting my hard drive, I might
just be able to get through this project.

thank you
Message 10 of 30
dgi
Explorer
in reply to: dgi

Dennis:

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm not sure if I understand. When I go to Styles Editor, and click the "Layers" TreeView, I can look at my current Layer Styles. When I edit this style, all the "Scale by Line Weight" boxes ARE checked. I think this is what you meant for me to check.
Message 11 of 30
dgi
Explorer
in reply to: dgi

Aardvark, thank you for the pointer. Unfortunately, even when I follow those instructions and delete those registry keys, I still immediately have the problem that all my lines become solid. I guess I need to reformat my hard drive again and then get a new computer.
Message 12 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

That is correct... not sure what is going on there... can you post or email
me your files? (Zipped of course)

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5544167@discussion.autodesk.com...
Dennis:

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm not sure if I understand. When I go to
Styles Editor, and click the "Layers" TreeView, I can look at my current
Layer Styles. When I edit this style, all the "Scale by Line Weight" boxes
ARE checked. I think this is what you meant for me to check.
Message 13 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

I doubt that there is a need to read format your hard drive or even to
reinstall inventor and all the service packs. There is something else going
on here, and it's probably related either to your workflow, or to your
styles Library.

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5544168@discussion.autodesk.com...
Aardvark, thank you for the pointer. Unfortunately, even when I follow those
instructions and delete those registry keys, I still immediately have the
problem that all my lines become solid. I guess I need to reformat my hard
drive again and then get a new computer.
Message 14 of 30
dgi
Explorer
in reply to: dgi

Mr. Jeffrey:

Thank you for your interest. I still don't know why I am having this printing problem. I am attaching my styles. My whole department uses these styles and I get them off a file server.
Message 15 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

OK.. got the styles... can toy send a corresponding IDW that exhibits this
behavior?

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5544621@discussion.autodesk.com...
Mr. Jeffrey:

Thank you for your interest. I still don't know why I am having this
printing problem. I am attaching my styles. My whole department uses these
styles and I get them off a file server.
Message 16 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

Sorry, my fingers got in the way of my typing. Can you post or send me some
example files-IDW and part file?

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
"Dennis Jeffrey" wrote in message
news:5544724@discussion.autodesk.com...
OK.. got the styles... can toy send a corresponding IDW that exhibits this
behavior?

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5544621@discussion.autodesk.com...
Mr. Jeffrey:

Thank you for your interest. I still don't know why I am having this
printing problem. I am attaching my styles. My whole department uses these
styles and I get them off a file server.
Message 17 of 30
dgi
Explorer
in reply to: dgi

Thanks for your patience.

I'm attaching an IDW/part file that I have been opening each time I change something, to see if my dashed hidden lines have come back. But each time, they still don't print.

However, I don't think the IDW is the problem. I can open the same file on my neighbor's computer just fine, and print it with the dashed lines intact. And even when I create a new part and new drawing from scratch using my computer, the hidden lines print as solid.

The remaining possibilities are that my configuration is broken, or that my computer hardware is different. The configuration is the same because we are both using the same Windows/Inventor install disk, the same service packs, the same styles and the same printer driver (Ghostscript/CutePDF).

Therefore, there must be something wrong with my computer. This is my computer:

Asus A8N-SLI NForce4 Motherboard
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+
2 GB Crucial D400
PNY Nvidia Quadro FX 540 PCI Express x16
80G Seagate Barracuda SATA HD

Any other ideas? It seems I will have to throw these away and start over if I want to use Inventor.
Message 18 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

I'll take a look later tonite.....

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5545310@discussion.autodesk.com...
Thanks for your patience.

I'm attaching an IDW/part file that I have been opening each time I change
something, to see if my dashed hidden lines have come back. But each time,
they still don't print.

However, I don't think the IDW is the problem. I can open the same file on
my neighbor's computer just fine, and print it with the dashed lines intact
And even when I create a new part and new drawing from scratch using my
computer, the hidden lines print as solid.

The remaining possi
bilities are that my configuration is broken, or that my computer hardware
is different. The configuration is the same because we are both using the
same Windows/Inventor install disk, the same service packs, the same styles
and the same printer driver (Ghostscript/CutePDF).

Therefore, there must be something wrong with my computer. This is my
computer:

Asus A8N-SLI NForce4 Motherboard
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+
2 GB Crucial D400
PNY Nvidia Quadro FX 540 PCI Express x16
80G Seagate Barra
cuda SATA HD

Any other ideas? It seems I will have to throw these away and start over if
I want to use Inventor.
Message 19 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

I can print to fit on my Dell 1700 with lighter lines for Hatch, Hidden,
Center, Dims and the Title block boarder is lighter than the Boarder, but if
I print using Adobe Acrobat 6.0pro it crashes Adobe and I get a file dump
into notepad, strange....

Blair

"Dennis Jeffrey" wrote in message
news:5545418@discussion.autodesk.com...
I'll take a look later tonite.....

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5545310@discussion.autodesk.com...
Thanks for your patience.

I'm attaching an IDW/part file that I have been opening each time I change
something, to see if my dashed hidden lines have come back. But each time,
they still don't print.

However, I don't think the IDW is the problem. I can open the same file on
my neighbor's computer just fine, and print it with the dashed lines intact
And even when I create a new part and new drawing from scratch using my
computer, the hidden lines print as solid.

The remaining possi
bilities are that my configuration is broken, or that my computer hardware
is different. The configuration is the same because we are both using the
same Windows/Inventor install disk, the same service packs, the same styles
and the same printer driver (Ghostscript/CutePDF).

Therefore, there must be something wrong with my computer. This is my
computer:

Asus A8N-SLI NForce4 Motherboard
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+
2 GB Crucial D400
PNY Nvidia Quadro FX 540 PCI Express x16
80G Seagate Barra
cuda SATA HD

Any other ideas? It seems I will have to throw these away and start over if
I want to use Inventor.
Message 20 of 30
Anonymous
in reply to: dgi

The problem that you are having is related to linewidths in your Drawing
Style. While you have many linwidths set to .020, you have the Visible
Edges-PIG set to .014. I changed the linewidth to .028, and got the attached
result.

If you like, you may download a video of this at:
http://teknigroup.com/AUGI/Videos/layerstyles.zip

--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-312-6188
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
Inventor 11 Professional SP2, MDT 2007 SP1
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5545310@discussion.autodesk.com...
Thanks for your patience.

I'm attaching an IDW/part file that I have been opening each time I change
something, to see if my dashed hidden lines have come back. But each time,
they still don't print.

However, I don't think the IDW is the problem. I can open the same file on
my neighbor's computer just fine, and print it with the dashed lines intact
And even when I create a new part and new drawing from scratch using my
computer, the hidden lines print as solid.

The remaining possi
bilities are that my configuration is broken, or that my computer hardware
is different. The configuration is the same because we are both using the
same Windows/Inventor install disk, the same service packs, the same styles
and the same printer driver (Ghostscript/CutePDF).

Therefore, there must be something wrong with my computer. This is my
computer:

Asus A8N-SLI NForce4 Motherboard
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+
2 GB Crucial D400
PNY Nvidia Quadro FX 540 PCI Express x16
80G Seagate Barra
cuda SATA HD

Any other ideas? It seems I will have to throw these away and start over if
I want to use Inventor.

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