topic Re: Autocad plotter configuration in AutoCAD Forum

Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 19:33:40 GMT

Hello everyone,

My coworker and I would like to start using AutoCAD 2016 but the only thing holding us back is the way our plotter prints. It is completely baffling us! When we plot a hard copy from autocad itself either the image that is printed is rotated 90 degrees or (when playing around with a few settings) it prints at the right rotation but with no lineweights whatsoever. The odd thing about this all is that if we PDF first and then print from PDF file it works just fine! The closest we,ve gotten is in the plotter manager under device and document settings and custom properties and playing around with a few settings in there. We are completely at a loss! Please help!

Thank you guys in advance!

P.S. the printer we are using is an HP Designjet t2300 PS HPGL2

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

rkmcswain — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 19:39:39 GMT

jlabbeT2HT4 wrote:
..... if we PDF first and then print from PDF file it works just fine!

Is it super important that you can print directly to the hard copy device?

I have not done that in probably 4 years, I print/publish everything to PDF first so I can review it on screen, and then physically print it if that is even needed.

Having said that, are you printing to the system printer or have you made a PC3 file?

Are you printing basic line drawings or more involved things like transparencies, colors, etc.?

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

pendean — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 19:45:22 GMT

... and are you plotting to the PS driver or the HPGL2 driver?
Does that driver have an AUTOROTATE feature? I haven't had to rotate a plot to any of our HP plotters in over 15-years, the driver does that for us.

Show us your expanded PLOT dialog box too, let's see what your settings and options are.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 19:53:27 GMT

Thank you for the quick reply! I am a little new at autocad therefore I am not too sure what you mean by if it is printing by a system printer or a PC3 file where can I find this information? I have attached a screen view of my plot settings.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

rkmcswain — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 20:00:07 GMT

Your screenshot show the Bluebeam PDF.

What hardcopy device are you printing to?

Here is what I'm talking about

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 20:04:18 GMT

Sorry about that! I attached a new screen shot of the printer. It looks like it is being sent to a system driver.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

pendean — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 20:25:42 GMT

May I ask why you are not plotting to any scale? See those red makrs in the preview, it means your plot is larger than the sheet you selected.

ARCH C Landscape also means you are plotting to a 24" roll on the plotter.

Does your system driver offer the option of AUTOROTATE?

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 20:56:23 GMT

I meant to put it as a half size because the title block is actually an Arch D. As for the AUTOROTATE yes it does offer it.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

jackshield — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 21:36:28 GMT

half size of arch d ISNT arch c

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 21:52:22 GMT

I apologize for my ignorance but my problem is with the rotation of the paper not the scaling . When I send the hard copy from autocad 2016 it works perfectly fine from ealier versions just all of a sudden the 2016 version doesnt seem to want to cooperate.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Emmsleys — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 22:23:48 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

@Anonymous wrote:

I apologize for my ignorance but my problem is with the rotation of the paper not the scaling . When I send the hard copy from autocad 2016 it works perfectly fine from ealier versions just all of a sudden the 2016 version doesnt seem to want to cooperate.

Could you share a file with us?

What are your operating system specs?

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 13:56:21 GMT

Hi Emmsleys,

I have attached a test file with a titleblock and a couple page setups. Our operating system is windows 7 professional.

Thanks again for looking into this.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

sthompson1021 — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:57:27 GMT

As a test, try doing a plot without a page setup. In the plot dialog box, set page setup to none and change the plotter name to HPGL2. Do not use the pc3 file. Setup the rest of the plot the way you want it.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:17:55 GMT

Hi,

That worked in the rotation perspective but when the rotation is right I lose all lineweights.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

sthompson1021 — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:23:58 GMT

Did you make sure that the plot object lineweights box was checked?

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

pendean — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:29:04 GMT

Well, you did not include your CTB at all and you seem to be plotting to BLUEBEAM and not this HP that you want to use, PLUS your sheet is D-size in the layout.

May I ask, without sounding rude on my part, is this your first time really using AutoCAD and plotting? Any reason your Layout is not ARCH C if you need ARCH C? Or are you trying to print a no-scale leave-it-to-the-plotter-to-scale test plot that will ultimately mean nothing and be somewhat useless as a record document?

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 18:03:50 GMT

Hi all,

Yes I have made sure the plot object lineweights is checked off. Pendean dont worry you dont sound rude. I have been an autocad user for a while but I am new to professional drafting which is why I have a harder time with the CAD lingo. I have plotted before on earlier versions and have had NO problems with it. It is just in autocad 2016. We use an arch D layout for PDFs for record purposes or for clients and we use an arch C for quick office mark-ups that do not need to be scaled. I appologize for not attaching the PEN Settings but the forum is telling me that the CTB file is not a valid extension?

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

pendean — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 18:48:00 GMT

ZIP my friend, it's been built into Windows for some time now, and it still works.

What size sheet roll is in the plotter? That's usually the trigger for your plotter to autortate (or not) if turned on in the driver. If the sheet is wide enough, no rotation, if not wide enough, it rotates.

I substituted by own plot style table and to our HP printers/plotters with autorotate on, your D-size plots to C-size, B-Size and A-size with lineweights just fine over here. Same to PDFs and DWFs.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:23:27 GMT

Okay...Thanks alot for everyones help and time.

Re: Autocad plotter configuration

Emmsleys — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 22:57:27 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

Hi Emmsleys,

I have attached a test file with a titleblock and a couple page setups. Our operating system is windows 7 professional.

Thanks again for looking into this.

@Anonymous

Try using ETRANSMIT at the command line, this will include the pen styles (CTB).

Were you able to resolve your issue with any of the post/posts made in the thread?