Parts of Hatch Printing Black

[Anonymous]

We are having a reoccurring problem at our office. Parts of the hatch used on the windows are printing black instead of gray. Each window is its own block with the hatch inside of that block. The problem only occurs when we are printing from a PDF created using print to DWG to PDF. When printing directly from autocad it isn’t an issue, but we need to be able to send PDF’s to clients and have them print correctly. We have tried a few printers and it always prints the same way. It will appear fine on screen but print incorrectly. Any recommendations would be most welcome. I have uploaded an image of what comes out of the printer.

[imadHabash]

Hi and Welcome to AutoDesk Forum,

Can you please post the hatch area you ask about as a CAD file,and the PDF itself?

[pendean]

What settings are you using? Printing to paper and pdf are identical, so what else is different?
What is your AutoCAD version?

Your picture tells us nothing: share with us the source DWG file and your actual PDF file.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for getting back to me. I have attached the DWG and the PDF I created with it. 

[pendean]

Thanks for the files: here is a screenshot of your PDF's gray windows, I see no black 'windows'. Am I missing something?

[pendean]

Of are you simply zoomed out in your PDF reader that it simply renders the gray black because that's how the pdf reader you are using was coded to handle grays...

[Anonymous]

The PDF will appear normal on screen it is when you print it that the windows become black. If you look at my initial post you can see a photo of the page that was printed. This is happening on multiple printers so I know it is the file not the printer. 

[pendean]

Here are two PDFs I created in AutoCAD2017 using the DWG TO PDF plotter: one with your original 251 color for the window shades, one with that color 254 as a test. Both print to our HP laser printers as gray, no black.

Not sure what's wrong with your PDF, but I suspect your plot style table may be helping create the effect: I did not have it so I was forced to use NONE and assign color 7 to all the other non-color-251 layers.

[Anonymous]

I had thought it might be in the plot style as well so I went in and messed around with the settings to no effect. Is there a way to upload the ctb file? If I plot to PDF the windows will print correctly but the line weights are lighter. If I use the DWG to PDF option it will print with the black squares in the windows. I used the same plot style on both of the printing options which makes me think it is not the ctb file that is the issue.  

[Anonymous]

Ok I figured out how to upload the file. This is the plot style we use in the office. 

[pendean]

I see your problem: you are ignoring the fact that colors 250 through 254 are already gray and you are trying to override them with pen 7 (black) and a shade. Such a waste of time.

Color 250 is gray.

Color 251 is a lighter gray.

Color 252 is even lighter.

Color 253 is even lighter.

Color 254 is even lighter still.

Instead of fighting these colors and overriding their already excellent settings, set them like this instead. When you need a light gray, use color 254 as is. Wen you need a dark gray use color 250, when you need something in between use one of the others like 251, 252 or 253. See example below on how I think your 250s colors out to be set. Don't fight the program, work with it.

[Anonymous]

I did just as you said for all of the gray scale colors, and I went back into the AutoCad file to make sure the colors corresponded correctly. It is still printing with the same black squares in the windows. 

[pendean]

Draw 5 rectangles and fill with solid hatches, each a color 251 through 254.

PLOT to your PDF driver using NONE for a plot style table. Then test print it to your printer. Still getting black?
If not, repeat using the ACAD.CTB plot style table that we all have from Autodesk. Still getting black? If not, open it, scroll down to pens 251-255 and replicate those settings in your plot style table, then test your plot style table.

if you get black with the first test, it might be your PDF viewer setting or your printer driver settings.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

We solved it. It wasn't the pen settings but some sort of corruption that happened to the block. The shading in the windows was all the same dynamic block so we went into the original, re-hatched it, and then re-defined it on the elevation. That seems to have fixed the problem. 

[Anonymous]

I used to have this problem all the time and I never knew how to fix it. Good work JuliaL6YRD!