AutoCAD 2016 crashes plotting to Xerox 6204

[Anonymous]

Our company recently upgraded to windows 8.1 and AutoCAD 2016 and since then, every time I try to plot a drawing, AutoCAD crashes. What can be the causing this?

@Anonymous, 
john.vellek has edited your subject line for clarity: AutoCAD 2016 crashes trying to plot

[rkmcswain]

Only about a million things...
To start testing, can you print to DWF or PDF okay?
When does it crash, as soon as you run the PLOT command, or after you finish the dialog?
Can you publish from a sheet set or the publish dialog okay?


Too many variables to take a guess at this point.

[Anonymous]

I can print to PDF without a problem, but when I try to use our office plotter which is connected via network crashes after the dialog, but the sheet does print.
Thanks,

Juan Ochoa | Fire Sprinkler Designer
S&S Sprinkler Co., LLC
2485 Burden Lane
PO Box 7453
Mobile, AL 36617
Tel: (251) 473-6000 Ext: 126 | Fax: (251) 379-1132 | Cell: (251) 379-0553
E-mai: juan.ochoa@sssprinkler.com
www.sssprinkler.com

[S&S_Logo]

[rkmcswain]

Is the office printer device (inside of AutoCAD) the system printer, or a PC3 file pointed to the system printer?

Do you have any other printers to try (such as a copier or other small format printer).

Can others in the office print successfully using AutoCAD 2016/Win8.1 to this printer?

IOW - It's probably going to take some trial and error to narrow down the culprit here. I don't know of any known issues regarding printing from 2016/Win8.1 combo.

[pendean]

So... is this a WIn8 to Win8.1 upgrade, as Microsoft likes to do it, through a patch install that tries to leave your software unaltered?

Which office printers/plotters exactly? Are you using PC3 files from the "old' PC setups? Or are you plotting to newer Win8.1 system drivers?
Same old server, or did you get a new server?

[Anonymous]

The plotter is an old Xerox 6204 Wide format and I could not use a PC3 file because this model is not on the list, I believe it got discontinued. We're still using the same server.

Juan Ochoa | Fire Sprinkler Designer
S&S Sprinkler Co., LLC
2485 Burden Lane
PO Box 7453
Mobile, AL 36617
Tel: (251) 473-6000 Ext: 126 | Fax: (251) 379-1132 | Cell: (251) 379-0553
E-mai: juan.ochoa@sssprinkler.com
www.sssprinkler.com

[S&S_Logo]

[Anonymous]

It is the system's printer, I could not use a PC3 file because the plotter's model is not on the list (Xerox 6204 Wide Format). I was able to print using the small office printer. All of the designers using the same config. 2016/Win 8.1 have the same problem. A couple that are still using 2016/Win7 have no issues

Juan Ochoa | Fire Sprinkler Designer
S&S Sprinkler Co., LLC
2485 Burden Lane
PO Box 7453
Mobile, AL 36617
Tel: (251) 473-6000 Ext: 126 | Fax: (251) 379-1132 | Cell: (251) 379-0553
E-mai: juan.ochoa@sssprinkler.com
www.sssprinkler.com

[S&S_Logo]

[rkmcswain]

juan.ochoa wrote:
It is the system's printer, I could not use a PC3 file because the plotter's model is not on the list (Xerox 6204 Wide Format).

Contrary to that train of thought, only the old printers are in the list I think you're referring to.... 

You can make a PC3 file using any system printer driver. I was just going to suggest avoiding the PC3 file in favor of the system printer as a test.

Are you on subscription? If so, create a support ticket with Autodesk.

In the meantime while you wait, print to DWF/PDF and then print that to the printer for a hardcopy.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we're on subscription. For right now that's what I'm doing, printing to PDF and then to the plotter.
Thanks I appreciate the help,

Juan Ochoa | Fire Sprinkler Designer
S&S Sprinkler Co., LLC
2485 Burden Lane
PO Box 7453
Mobile, AL 36617
Tel: (251) 473-6000 Ext: 126 | Fax: (251) 379-1132 | Cell: (251) 379-0553
E-mai: juan.ochoa@sssprinkler.com
www.sssprinkler.com

[S&S_Logo]

[g_petkov]

We have exactly the same odd problem. Inventor 2016 and AutoCAD 2016 started to crash after plotting to Xerox 6204 (but the plot is successful). On windows 7 x64 there was no such bug, but as we upgraded to Windows 10 x64, we started to experience this problem. I can't say whether it's an Autodesk bug or a Xerox driver bug (the driver is meant for 7x64 and is probably not completely compatible with windows 8.1 or windows 10).

[Anonymous]

We are experiencing same exact issues.  Just started to move computers to Windows 10.  Civil 3D plotting through network to Xerox 6204 (any size) will crash after the plot is sent.  We can plot to PDF without problem.  If publishing to the plotter with background plotting turned on, the AutoCAD plot instance will crash after plotting, leaving the editing AutoCAD instance open.

AutoDesk error review will state to update Xerox 6204 driver.  Xerox has the following listing of capability to Windows 10.  Page 17 states no Windows 10 support for the 6204.  The last time Xerox 6204 drivers were updated was 2010.

http://www.office.xerox.com/latest/SFTWP-03U.PDF

We had the same issue plotting to 11"x 17" paper on HP 5200 after moving to Windows 7 years ago.  We never found a direct work around and had to plot/publish to PDF and sent the PDF file to printer.  Looks like we may have to do the same with the 6204.

[guido_overath]

Hi, is this issue fixed? I face the same problem and use also a print server. I updated the driver on the server, delete the printer local and reinstalled from the print server by using \\print server\printer. Maybe in a dos box which runs as admin...

In my opinion it causes because of drivers which are to old. Mostly the colleagues from IT infrastructure setup a print server and never touch it again... 😉

Make sure that you have local power user permission. This is required for Autodesk software.

Br

Guido

[g_petkov]

No, alas, the problem remains still unsolved and seems unlikely to get solved. For Rank Xerox it's probably a waste of time and efforts to upgrade drivers for old plotters.

[guido_overath]

I had the same issue with Inventor.

At first I updated the driver on the print server. Then I updated the local driver by deleting the printer an reinstalling the printer by using a dos box.

I run the dos box in Admin mode and run the command \\print server\printer the system installs the new driver automatically from the print server.

My design engineers are singned in with LocalPowerUser permission. This is required because they have to have rights to modify the registry.

But, I'm wondering because only a couple of my design engineers have this issue.

Guido

[Jason.Piercey]

Here is a link to 3 different (PCL5, PCL6 and Postscript) Windows 10 drivers. http://www.support.xerox.com/support/global-printer-driver/downloads/enus.html?operatingSystem=win10... Anyone tried these yet?

I began trying them today with having mixed results. None of them crashed AutoCAD (2016 vanilla) but paper size issues are unacceptable.  Hopefully I'll have some more time tomorrow to investigate. 

[Jason.Piercey]

I assume those using Windows 10 (and crashes) have this driver installed? http://www.support.xerox.com/support/xerox-6204/file-download/enus.html?operatingSystem=win10x64&fil... 

[g_petkov]

Yes, that's the driver we've been using. It says it's for windows 10 x64, but I doubt it's just the old windows 7 driver slightly adapted, but not exactly made for windows 10.

The universal drivers PCL5 or PCL6 in your previous post are absolutely incompatible with large format printers. They do not have the roll paper option and Xerox 6204 rejects any plots, if the paper size is different from 24" roll x length or 36"  x length.

[office]

I believe this is some type of AutoCad Issue,  I have LT 15 on my computer and it prints fine. If i open and print LT 16 or 17 both of them will fatal error and crash, but print the single sheet.  The only thing I've got back from autdesk is to update my driver, which all of you know there will not be a more up to date driver for this xerox printer.  So I usually open 15 to do my plotting just seems easier.

[Jason.Piercey]

I have not found those 3 drivers completely incompatible, but they certainly do not produce desired results.

[john.vellek]

Hi Jason.Piercey,

I just put the Global Print Driver (PCL5) on my Win7-64 workstation so maybe not the best testbed to duplicate the issues. However it has let me see some of the options in the driver. Things I would like you to play with include:

PCL Pass-through

Enhanced Printing Features

Graphics mode

Print Optimization

Please let me know if changing any of the options improves or makes worse the issue with the Xerox. I know you are working this problem through another Post as well and I am watching that one also.