AutoCAD 2012 Mac slow printing

[Anonymous]

When I use the print (plot) function in the Mac version, their is a long period of time - 5mins before the print job is complete.

CPU usage goes to 100% during the print job. A message in the activity monitor - AutoCad LT is "not responding" is also present during the print job. Any patch for this problem?  

[David_Stacey]

Are you printing to a network printer?
This problem can also occur if one of your printers in system preferences is a network printer (doesn't necessarily have to be the one you are printing to).
Also check to make sure you have the latest drivers.

[Anonymous]

Yes, network HP printer with latest drivers. I also have the the long delay when plotting a PDF to my desktop. 

[HawkAIA]

I haven't had any problems in 2012.  Large files in 2011 took a while, but nothing like 5 minutes.  I usually just click the preview button and then save the file from the Preview App.   It sounds to me like you are running out of memory (RAM).  Autocad tends to chew up large chunks of RAM the longer it is open. You can open the Activity Monitor app in the Utilities Folder to check on this.  Opening that might give you a clue as to what is going on when you print. 

[Anonymous]

Activity Monitor reports 1.5G free ram. For some reason %CPU ramps up to 100% and i see "AutoCAD LT not responding" during the print process. Ater the print job completes %CPU drops back to 1%. It must be some resources issue just not sure were to look. Its goos to hear your system is printing correctly.

[HawkAIA]

Mine is Autocad 2012.  I didn't know they had LT for Mac.

[Anonymous]

David, i have the same problem. But mine isn't a network printer. I have a HP Officejet Pro k8600 and it takes about 5 minutes to print.
I have tried with other HP and Epson printers and they don't present any delay.
I have autocad 2012 for mac

The Officejet Pro k8600 works perfectly on any other mac aplication

What can i do?

[Anonymous]

I have experienced the painfully slow print function on AutoCAD Mac v.2011, 2012 & 2013. I am not printing to a network printer and get the same delay with printing to a PDF. This is a "not ready for release" or Beta type issue. Memory leaks are an issue across platforms, but this is a serious workflow problem. I have done beta testing and software development and cannot believe they are in their third year of release and have not resolved this glaring issue. When I want to print, I have to go do something else and come back when it is no longer locked up. The computer is pretty much useless until the hangup is resolved.

[HawkAIA]

I've never had a problem. Use the save as PDF a lot. Sent from my iPhone

[maxim_k]

Hi kman13,
What printer model)s) do you have in your System?

Maxim

[Anonymous]

HP Officejet Pro K8600 OSX Snow Leopard

[maxim_k]

....the same as aduvial has. Have you tried to install another System printer and use it with AutoCAD for creating PDF files? In my practice I use HP DesignJet 450 (Gutenprint) configured to output to "localhost" and never have delays in printing.
Maxim

[HawkAIA]

HP 750 or HP 755cm or 1055cm are also good choices. I have used those in the past and save as PDF with no problems Sent from my iPhone

[maxim_k]

Hi,

Just checked HP Officejet Pro K8600 on my system, the same delays.

Looks like there is some conflict between AC for Mac and this driver (from Apple)

Have checked also HP support site - the last drivers for this model was for 10.5

Maxim

[nigma]

Seemed this is a snow leopard  and HP K8600 printer specific problem.

[Anonymous]

Let me say again that the problem is not printer related or specific. It takes a very long time just to open the printer dialogue box before I can even choose to print or to save as a PDF. This has been the same across Snow Leopard & Lion as well as AutoCAD versions 2011, 2012 and 2013. I am just going to give up on the idea of using AutoCAD on my Mac and set up a Windows work station specifically for CAD work.

[maxim_k]

Hi kman13 (sorry - don't know your real name),

Nigma had in mind not printer as hardware, but rather software driver for the specific printer model (driver created by Apple, by the way).

There are a lot of printers, that successfully work with AutoCAD for Mac. I can not say about all printers supported by Apple in Mac OSX, because I know about one other printer (more precisely plotter) that also has some problems with output from AutoCAD, it is DesignJet 500 plotter from HP (you see - again HP and Mac OS conflict).

In your case I can advice you to install some another plotter in Mac OSX System Preferences, use it with AutoCAD and when you need to print to real printer - in Print dialog select "Open PDF in Preview", then print this temporary PDF from Preview application to real printer, that cases problems with AutoCAD. This would be faster and cheaper, than use Windows workstation for CAD work.

Maxim