Help with missing page sizes after reconnecting printer

[Anonymous]

Okay, I'm not really familiar with plotters and all of that anyhow, but when I started working for this company a couple years ago, although a co-worker and I always had the same computer set up and the same plotter, we always had different page sizes for the same printer in autocad. However, there wasn't a custom printer .pc3 file so they didn't seem like they were custom pages, maybe just different drivers. Anyhow, all 3 people in the building connected to this particular plotter have lost the ability to print to at least once. I've managed to get it working for myself, and a second guy, but the third person lost the ability to use it this past week, and IT has messed with it a few times to no avail, and I just spent an hour deleting the old printer, and reconnecting it. It will print now, but it is a HP 2300TG roll plotter, and it only has like legal or A4 etc. sizes. We print large map sections, and used to have a page size on this printer for Oversize ACAD which would print out as much paper was needed regardless of size, and cut it right at the extents of the drawing. However, we can't do that now, as the page size is unavailable. I also tried to make a custom page size for it, and once I get to the printer properties dialogue box, it won't let me add a new size. The button for "add" is not enabled. If somebody could point me in the right direction to either adding a custom page size, or copying the page sizes from the old printer setup to the new printer setup or explain to me why this thing seems to like being the bane of my existence, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance, 

Damon

[Anonymous]

Try deleting the plotter in your PC and then reinstall using the plotter driver.

[chriscowgill7373]

Would you be able to post some screenshots of your various dialog boxes.  We might be able to coach you through how to add custom paper sizes.  some are located in add paper sizes, some in custom properties, and some in the printer properties themselves, depending on the model of the printer and driver.  There have been issues with some hp plotters and windows 10/autocad 2018 that require a universal plotter driver.

[BeKirra]

IMO Setting up a set of templates is the starting point. You will use templates when starting new drawing.

In the template files (*.dwt), you setup page border and title block on "Layout", then look into "Page Setup".

And the setup files for plotter/printer may be

(1) "PC3" - AutoCAD Plotter Configuration File

(2) "PMP" - AutoCAD Plotter Model Parameters File

(3) "CTB" - AutoCAD Color-dependent Plot Style Table File

You can modify "PC3" and "CTB" files by double-clicking them.

You may also bowse "File" tab in "Options" to locate your templates (*.dwt), "PC3", "PMP" and "CTB" files.

HTH

[beyoungjr]

All default paper sizes are available via the driver file so deleting in your Device Manager and re-installing should help as stated.  Custom sizes and such would be in the custom files also stated.

All Windows versions will work best by uninstalling the printer via Device Manager in Windows.  Then restart your PC and let the printer re-install as a PnP device.  A little more detail on the solution already given by @Anonymous.

BTW... don't turn off or disconnect the printer to do this or you will need to "show non-present devices" to be able to see the unavailable printer in the device manager.  Look that quoted phrase up online if you wish to see what that's all about.

Cheers,

Blaine

[beyoungjr]

Hi again,

I also suggest getting the drivers from the manufacturer in both standard and post-script.  You can rely on those drivers a bit better than the PnP ones that Windows update assigns when acquiring as PNP.

Blaine

[Anonymous]

Okay, so IT is looking at the problem now, but this is the second time he's done so and I'm not sure he'll fix anything. Our IT department has little to no experience when dealing with AutoCAD. If he doesn't get it straightened out today, I'll post some screen captures.

I have deleted the plotter that she had been using, although it's pc3 files still show up as they weren't deleted when deleting the plotter. I have tried to edit those pc3 files and don't see anything in there I think will help, but will check again. Until I can get some screens posted, the process I'm using and have used previously for custom pages is to run the "plot" command, and then selecting the printer I just added yesterday through device manager. Then I click the button for "printer properties" and I select the "custom page sizes" from the window, and then where it says to add modify or delete, all buttons are disabled.

One thing I did not try is getting the driver from HP, and instead I used the ones generated from the device manager update driver selection. I will try to find my own driver.

Really what has happened is that there is a custom file somewhere that an ex-employee has made for this plotter and I need to find it, but don't know what it's called or where it's at. So I either need to find the custom file with more page sizes, or recreate it, and maybe the HP driver will do that. Will post an update as I figure more out. Thanks all who responded.