Printing layer colors in gray

[lbellino4]

Hello.

I have a couple of questions regarding this topic. 

One is, what is the purpose for changing the viewport layer color vs. the main color for the layer? Has anyone used this? (See image below.)

Also, is there a way to keep the colors I want in the main color column, but when printing, I can have them print in different shades of gray? We've tried the "Shades of gray" option within the viewport for our 3D models, but it just has one gray shade when it prints and the items in the drawing looks muddled and don't look as crisp. We've printed with different shades of gray and that is the look the company I work for wants to go with. I'm just trying to figure out a way where I can keep the main color as selected for each layer, but when printing, it's the shade of gray that we've selected for these layers. Without have to change the main color layer each time I want to print. I'm currently working in ACAD 2016. Thanks in advance for your help.

[gotphish001]

I've never used the change the color in viewport, but I guess you could use it if you wanted to changed something in just one viewport but not all. Like you have a full floor plan in one viewport and then in another you have just one room of that floor plan at a bigger scale. You might want to change a color in the enlarged version. I've never found a need for that but that could be one use.

We rarely print anything color. If we do, it is just for a sketch up model to show a client a rough design so they understand it better. The way I do my grey scale is we use the default monochrome.ctb for most everything. All my color lines in model space we use index colors. This makes all those colors print black. For things I want a grey shade I use true colors. True colors print color even in monochrome so it forces it to print the grey I pick. To keep it simple and less confusing I always use the same 3 numbers. Like true color 161,161,161 or 192,192,192. Doing it that way it's easy to lighten or darken up a line. You can open up the color you want to change click on the slider bar and keyboard arrow up or down the slider. 

 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> what is the purpose for changing the viewport layer color vs.

>> the main color for the layer? Has anyone used this?

It's not only color, also lineweight, linetype, transparency that can be set global or by viewport.

If it's an advantage to be able to do that depends on your type of drawings, for me it's necessary to have a general map in one viewport just in grey or black&white while in the detail viewports I want to see the same objects in color, maybe more lineweight, ...

>> Also, is there a way to keep the colors I want in the main color column,

>> but when printing, I can have them print in different shades of gray?

Well, that is what you can do by viewport overrides or by plot style tables.

>> We've tried the "Shades of gray" option within the viewport

>> for our 3D models, but it just has one gray shade

I guess therefor we might need the dwg-file to see what your objects have assigned.

- alfred -

[gotphish001]

I missed that you said you wanted to keep the colors but print in grey scale. To do this you need to make a plot style table that has that in it. You can set it so all lines that are drawn in one color will print in another color(grey you pick). The reason I don't like to have a custom plot table is if you send your drawings to other people you need to make sure they have that plot table or when they print it won't look like how you want it to look. I avoid this as many people can't follow directions and you will still get calls asking why your drawings don't print right.

If you do set up a plot table, I'd pick maybe 5 grey colors at most and set them to colors. It takes a while to remember which colors are which gray scale. I like to print all 5 grey colors out and then write which color those actually are in model space to make myself a little cheat sheet until I get used to it. Just remember if you make blue print a grey scale everything blue will print that grey. Take the time to make sure you pick the right 5 colors to make grey scale that you don't think you'll want to use for other things.

[Anonymous]

Regarding the second question, the layer pen styles need to be adjusted. This is usually a trial and error process. I recommend printing lines in different colors, and setting your printer accordingly.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/learn-explore/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Assign-n...

[lbellino4]

Thanks everyone for your input and I'll have to try these ideas to see which one will work for my situation.

[lbellino4]

So I finally had some time to try this out and want to see if I'm doing this correctly. I created a plot style with the colors that I wanted in it. Which is shown in the first image below. So then I went to each layer I wanted to plot in gray (while keeping the layer color shown on the screen) and selected the plot style table and the color that I wanted. I chose the same color for all since this seemed to be the lightest gray and I wanted to see if there was a difference without selecting this new plot style. I also did this for the viewport layer as well. Not sure if it made a difference or not to change both, but I did so. That is what is show in the last two images. So when I plot to a printer that only prints 11x17 and I didn't select the color option, it seemed to work where I saw a difference in the gray scale. But when I plotted to our HP plotter the same size print, it printed in color, even though I select the plot style I created (3D Gray 8.stb). Shouldn't this have printed the gray color and not the colors shown on the screen? And if this is correct, how to I fix this? I can't remove/edit the "Normal plot style that comes with Autocad and I believe that's why it still printed in color. I'm sure I'm doing something incorrectly or not understanding this process and any help is appreciated and thanks again for the help. 

[lbellino4]

Also, am I stuck having these missing plot styles in the box below or can these be removed and how? This also shows up on other plot style tables that I have not edited, such as the main ACAD. STB file that is not currently active in this image.

[lbellino4]

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong to have my prints print out in grayscales that I've chosen, but can't seem to get what I'm looking for. Below is what I'm trying, but not working. I've changed the color for the viewport color both when the viewport is active and when it's not. Tried to do the grayscale and monochrome plot style tables and that's not working. Even tried creating a new plot style table and that doesn't seem to work. Is there a setting I'm missing or what am I not doing correctly? Also help with my previous issues/questions, would be much appreciated.

This first image, it changed it visually to the gray, but doesn't not print in gray, but prints in this beige color, which is not what I'm looking for and I'm sure ACAD can do this, even with a color printer.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

can you please upload the dwg-file?

Because 3d rendered views follow different rules (and much more settings like light, material) than 2D wireframe settings.

- alfred -

[lbellino4]

Here you go.

I've also included the plot style table that I tried to create. So any help with that, if that's the way I should go, please let me know.

[john.vellek]

Hi @lbellino4,

Because your viewport was set to REALISTIC visual style, the colors are not Index Colors (1-255) so they are not controlled by the plot style. I changed the VS to Shaded with Edges. Does this look better?

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[lbellino4]

This may work, but would really like to use the "Conceptual" view. Sorry if it was set to realistic. Will it work like the photo I'm attaching? This was printed off a black and white printer that only prints 11x17 size. 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

in case of rendered views like realistic or conceptual keep in mind that not the layer colors decide about the object, it's the light, the environment and the material (and the settings in the visual styles, all together is responsible for the display result.

Maybe creating materials and assigning them to the objects gives you the most control (as long as the result from @john.vellek is not what you like).

- alfred -

[john.vellek]

Hi @lbellino4,

Here is possibly another option for you then. Leave the visual styles as you have them set currently. Print to a PDF which will result in a colored PDF (see attached PDF1)

Then, open the PDF in your favorite Reader and print it to another PDF using the Microsoft Print to PDF and select Print in Grayscale. (see attached PDF2)

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[lbellino4]

So I would have to create two pdfs to eventually print to my large plotter for D & E size prints to be in grayscale? Couldn't I do this with a custom plot style in ACAD to be all grays, which I was trying to do, but can't seem to figure it out? Or is that not possible? 

[john.vellek]

Hi @lbellino4,  

Because the views are using True Colors as opposed to Index colors, there is no way to do this from AutoCAD. If however you print to PDF first and then send a print job to the plotter, you might be able to set the monochrome preference in the plotter print options.

Which device are you printing to?  I can try to install the driver and take a look.

[lbellino4]

I'm using a HP DesignJet T770

[john.vellek]

HI @lbellino4,

When you start your print job to the T770, go to Preferences and then select the Color tab. You can indicate that you want to print in Grayscale of B/W.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[lbellino4]

Hi John.

I really want to try to this because I'm hoping this is the answer to my problem, but I've tried three times and I keep getting this fatal error (twice in one drawing and once in a different one), which then closes out my AutoCAD. Any way to fix this? 

I don't want to set this printer (in the control panel) to print gray scale all the time, since I know other prints require color, so I'm trying to change this color preference while I'm in the plot command. I've done it before on other printers with no problem.