topic Re: Publish vs Plot Problems in AutoCAD Forum

Publish vs Plot Problems

RocksterB — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:04:40 GMT

I have a pagesetup on a layout tab of a sheet. When I plot this tab, it plot correctly. However, if I publish the same layout using the same pagesetup, I get the following error message: ERROR: The current device does not support the requested media size. The sheet size is 18"x 24" plotting to 24" rolled paper. Why would the process using the same perimeters product different results? I'm using AutoCAD 2015 on a windows based PC.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

VinodBalasubramanian — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:23:00 GMT

Hi RocksterB,

I would check the following things first.

1. Do you have enough papers with the same size in your printer to plot as publish does a batch plot ?

2. Try installing the latest drivers from the vendor website.

3. Are you using any addins or custom applications on top of AutoCAD, if so try unloading them and test the publish command whether it works or not.

Let us know the results for the above.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

inchul.lee — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:30:09 GMT

Hi RocksterB,

I would suggest 2 options as below:

Check if there are multiple layouts and they are set up with the same desired page setup.
Try to recreate the page setup with the same settings and save as a different name.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

pendean — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 15:21:01 GMT

Show us screenshots of your PLOT pop-up and your PUBLISH pop-up from this same file where it all fails, let's see what you've got going on.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RocksterB — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 15:51:49 GMT

VinodBalasubramanian,

Yes, there is enough paper in the plotter to plot the job.
The drivers are fine.
There are no add-in applications.

inchul.lee,

Yes, there are multiple layouts. I'm plotting all of the layouts 24"x36" to C-size 18"x24". In my test, in both the plotting and publishing, I plotter only the first page.
I recreated the page setup with the same settings a the old page setup with a new name. This time publishing plotted the job without errors.

The problem itself occurs only on a few files, but all other files use the same page setup these files fail on.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 17:23:50 GMT

I don't believe PLOT uses what is in the page setup if there is something else saved to the layout. It only defaults to the page setup if you have nothing saved to the layout. So you could have a paper size saved in the PLOT dialog and that paper size is missing in the page setup.

From the page setup dialog, you can import another page setup from a drawing that you know is working, even if it has the exact same name. You'll get a request to override the existing one, choose yes. Then save the page setup, and it should publish correctly.

I have a drawing with previously edited and saved page setups, so I can always import from a source I know works. I try to remember to do that on the first drawing in a new job so it's available in the current job folder..

If you're in a hurry and have a ton of errors in your page setups, while in the PUBLISH dialog, go to a sheet with a page setup that works, move it to the top of the list. Select all files in the list, click it in the pull down, and that page setup will be applied to all.

If print order is important, then you'll need to edit the page setup for the first drawing at the top of the list, but you won't have to do them all.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

VinodBalasubramanian — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 23:57:14 GMT

Hi Rockster,

Just as Dean suggested, send us a screenshot of both your plot and publish dialog to see where the difference is. Also tell us what plotter you are trying to use.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

jerry.ford — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:08:46 GMT

You might also try publishing to PDF and then look at the PDF to see if the pages sizes all look correct. You might then see what the results are if you print the PDF to your plotter.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RobDraw — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 11:15:02 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

I don't believe PLOT uses what is in the page setup if there is something else saved to the layout. It only defaults to the page setup if you have nothing saved to the layout.

Not quite true. The [named] page set-up should be assigned to the layout. If a change is made to the page set-up settings during plotting or otherwise and applied to the layout, the named page set-up is no longer current and needs to be re-set as such. This can be done with the page set-up manager or it can be done in publisher as a temporary override, When doing this the page set-up that was current when the file was last saved will remain current.

The rest of your post is solid advice.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RocksterB — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 13:01:56 GMT

I've attached snap shots of my plot and publish dialog boxes. The page setup works fine when plotting, but not if I publish. The page setup works when publishing from other files. I audited the file and still not publishing properly. I'm plotting to an HP DesignJet Z5200 color plotter.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RobDraw — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 14:03:21 GMT

It is much easier to ensure that the page set-ups are exactly the same, if you utilize named page set-ups. As mentioned earlier, it is even easier with a file that contains your most often used set-ups that you can use to import the set-ups from.

If you are not familiar with how to create named page set-ups, have a look at the page set-up manager, accessed by right clicking the layout tab.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RocksterB — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 14:49:38 GMT

I am using named page setup for plotting and publishing. The problem is I can plot successfully using the named page setup, but I get errors using the same named page setup to publish. I have even deleted the named page setup from the file and imported it back in from my template file and it still errors out when publishing. However, it well plot successfully.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RobDraw — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 14:56:48 GMT

Your screen shot shows "None" for the page set-up. We cannot help you unless you provide accurate information.

If the named page set-up is not current when publishing, you need to set it from within publisher or you can import it from your template and apply it to all the sheets for publishing. This would ensure consistency.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RocksterB — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 16:26:08 GMT

It took me a while to understand your request. In the plot dialog box in the Page setup area I have many named page setups. Once I choose one, the settings are loaded and set. The pull down then changes to <None>. I thought this was normal, but I do have one page setup that continuously show's its name once the page name is chosen. I'll have to figure out why this occurring and report back to the forum thread. We did have drivers updated a few weeks ago. No one reported any publishing issues to date but me.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

RobDraw — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 18:13:44 GMT

If you are trying to assign a page set-up from the plot dialog box, you would need to also apply it to the layout by hitting the button or to have changes automatically applied to the layout. Also, if you are not familiar with it, look into the page Setup Manager.

I'm guessing you are getting different results when None is the current page set-up and not the desired named plot style. As stated earlier, you can apply page set-ups from within publisher. I do this when I think there is any chance that the desired one may not be current in the files I am publishing, which, in a multi-user environment, is almost every time. That is why having a file handy that has commonly used set-ups for importing is such a good idea.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

john.vellek — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 14:41:41 GMT

Hi @RocksterB,

I have seen this occur with damaged (corrupt) PC3 files as well as drawing sets that have corrupt layouts. Is it possible to rebuild one of your PC3 files and assign it to a new Page Setup to see if the behavior continues?

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

john.vellek — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 18:55:35 GMT

Hi @RocksterB,

I am checking back to see if my post or others helped you with your problem.
Please add a post with how you decide to proceed and your results so other Community members may benefit.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if a post or posts fully solved your issue or answered your question.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 15:55:35 GMT

Your named page setup will change to "NONE" if the printer called out is not present, is named differently, if there's any little change from the actual printers in your list and what the page setup called it. _PAGESETUP, MODIFY, and select the correct printer from your list. Save setup, and make it current.

Re: Publish vs Plot Problems

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 16:03:32 GMT

@RobDraw wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

I don't believe PLOT uses what is in the page setup if there is something else saved to the layout. It only defaults to the page setup if you have nothing saved to the layout.

Not quite true. The [named] page set-up should be assigned to the layout. If a change is made to the page set-up settings during plotting or otherwise and applied to the layout, the named page set-up is no longer current and needs to be re-set as such. This can be done with the page set-up manager or it can be done in publisher as a temporary override, When doing this the page set-up that was current when the file was last saved will remain current.

The rest of your post is solid advice.

I didn't explain it very well. From the plot dialog, you can select "Apply to layout". If that setup is not available (for example, the print parameters were picked on the spot and applied to layout, or it is a customer's layout referring to his local printers), it is the current setup, but it won't work because it refers to a printer that doesn't exist. So no matter how many working page setups you have in your drawing, if you don't apply them to the layout by making one current, it will throw out an error when trying to print OR publish. Thus you can have a page setup applied to the layout, that isn't in the list of working pagesetups.