Plot preview issue - grayscale display

[amcdougall]

I'm having an issue with plot preview. Whenever I preview a drawing (plotting from PS) it displays in grey-scale even with a color plot style (however it plots correctly). I've tried "display plot styles", "plot with plot styles" and color in display settings in the options menu with no success. I'm sure this something simple that I am missing. If anyone can help with solve this it would be appreciated. I've also attached a screen shot of the print preview (this drawing should be displayed completely in color)

[M_Hensley]

The color of plotting is determined by the plot style table. Acad usually plots in color, monochrome all black, greyscale in shades of gray etc.

[pendean]

Post your DWG file along with your plot style table and let's all have a look for ourselves.

[amcdougall]

The issue is not drawing or plot style specific, it occurs on all drawings/ color plot styles (but I have attached a drawing / plot style combination on which it occurs).

[amcdougall]

Thank you for your reply M_Hensley, I am aware of the operation of plot styles. Plotting itself is not the issue, the plots come out fine (correct colors, lineweights, etc). The issue is with the plot preview window, where only displays drawings in greyscale regardless of the plot style used (at least with the ones that I have). The only acception I have found to this is attached images which appear to be displaying in color (seen in the sample file I have attached to my other reply).

[jggerth]

I took at look at the drawing, and it's previewing with color on my machine.  I Don't have your pdf plotter, so I reset the plot device to DwgToPDF, and it looks fine.  Possibly your PDF plotter has a grayscale setting in the pc3?

Otherwise, i'll suggest running AUDIT on the drwings, and then if the problem persists, try a REPAIR of acad from Control Panel

[pendean]

Does it happen to all drawings/all plot styles if your chosen plotter was something other than PDF_XCHANGE PRINTER LITE2012?

I substituted the default DWG TO PDF.PC3 file and see your preview in color: if I substitute my monochrome printer I get grayscale, if I substitute my color printer and plotter I see a color preview.

[inchul.lee · Accepted solution]

Hi Andrew,

Like James and Dean already pointed out, it could be a specific setting of your PDF plotter.

Can you check Graphics settings of your printer's properties?

[Anonymous]

Replying to an Old Post.....but every once in awhile this hits me too.

AND its so right there!

Possible solution:

Remember that on the PLOT Box there's an arrow- down at the Bottom Right corner, on the right side of the HELP button.

Hit that arrow to open Extended PLOT Menu to the right of all currently viewed menu.

PLOT STYLE TABLE is at the Top with the color options

Change Grayscale.ctb to ACAD.ctb there.

attached JPEG, if needed.

K.Cromie, Key West

[woodlands16]

I have a similar problem. In print preview stage the drawing is in grey but he drawing will print in colour with a colour *.ctb. The printer Vector Graphics is greyed out so can't be changed to colour. Any idea please?

John Boyle

[lvet06065]

I have the same problem.

Maybe We should create a new post. This is marked as solved, but I am unable to change the graphic to colour.

[woodlands16]

How do I do that?

[lvet06065]

I also have that problem when ploting no my Hp Office jet printer.

But when I plot from DWG to PDF I don't have it.

What I do is I pu the DWG to PDF ploter and PLOT PREVIEW,

and then change to HP Office ploter to PLOT.

It's a solution, but the problem is still there...

[lvet06065]

I also have that problem when ploting no my Hp Office jet printer.

But when I plot from DWG to PDF I don't have it.

What I do is I pu the DWG to PDF ploter and PLOT PREVIEW,

and then change to HP Office ploter to PLOT.

It's a solution, but the problem is still there...

[lvet06065]

Go to the right side and them click on

POST TO THE COMUNITY.

[lvet06065]

Go to the right side and them click on

POST TO THE COMUNITY.

[mustafakahraman]

Hi,

I reinstalled the printer drivers and it seems that it worked.

[jackemys]

hi, i from PERU,, I have a HP DESKJET 3545, AND AUTOCAD 2016 english, i have the same problem, gayscale display in plot preview. i called to HP solutions but not solved the problem. i think its a problem of AUTOCAD. help me! thanks! 

[matthew-fullerbim]

We have just installed a new HP DesignJet T730 and are having the same issue.

Just to clarify, we are using a .ctb plot style that has colours.

We have used the same plot style for years, and it still works fine with old HP 1050C plotter, as well as Ricoh A3 printers, and to PDF.

It will actually print in colour. The issue is with the Plot Preview.

We cannot amend the Graphics settings in plotter configuration editor as these are greyed out. In any case, a change here should also affect the final printed output, not just the preview.

The suggested workaround of previewing with a PDF and then printing to the HP plotter will work, but it is not good for me to persuade my users to start doing something more complicated than they are used to just so that they can print to a new (supposedly better) plotter.

I have tried Autodesk support, but as usual they do not read the problem description so they cannot address the problem.

Has anyone found a solution to this?

[woodlands16]

Sorry, I have not been able to sort it out either.



Regards



John