"Some" text in blocks fo NOT follow plot thickness settings?!?!?!

[phlyx]

We have some electrical drawings that uses block for the different parts of the schematics.  It seems that no matter what we do, certain text in the blocks always print light or faint.  Have exploded the blocks and the text all appears to be the same font and properties, but some of it still prints light.  Created a new plot style and selected every color and made everything the same pen thickness to plot like it was hand drawn with a dull Sharpie marker.  The preview looks the same as the output:

 

These are just un-exploded blocks stacked along.   This is what it looks like when I reduce the line thickness of all colors in my new style:

The text on the left and the right is part of the same block with the text in the middle.  As I change the line thickness globally for all colors, the lines and the text in the middle changes, but the text on the left and the right stay the same thickness no matter what I do.  

Also tried all the tricks with CONVERTPSTYLES and stuff and turned transparency on and off and everything.  Is there any way to force AutoCAD to plot EVERYTHING the same line thickness no matter if it's part of a block or anything????   There are hundreds of drawings with thousands of blocks so this is rather frustrating.

Thanks in advance.

[john.vellek]

Hi @phlyx,

Can you attach a sample file that contains some of these blocks as well as the CTB file you are using? I am happy to take a look at this for you.

Are the colors set to a non-index color?

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

[ara_neresesian]

hi

in the plot style check lineweigth  try to reduce it

or go to layer and  reduce the lineweight of  layers

[phlyx]

The thicker lines are not the issue, can easily reduce that.  The problem is the thinner lines never get thicker no matter what I try.   I segregated the block we're having an issue with and it can be accessed HERE.

The text in the middle of the block follows the plot line thickness but the text on the left and the right stays the same thickness no matter what we have tried.

[beyoungjr]

Hi,

I openned the block in the Block Editor.

You should look at Properties for the text attributes on the outer left and right vs. the text itemns in the middle.  You will notice that the Text Style is different.  Visibly I can tell that the outer attributes are using a true type font so that's where I'm starting!

I'll post again when I finish dissecting;)

[john.vellek]

Hi @phlyx,

Please attach your CTB file also so I can try to duplicate the exact behavior.

When I plot with a built-in CTB everything looks fine.

Thanks!

[beyoungjr]

Okay done!

I changed the text style for the attributes from Standard to WD so that it was not TTF and it matched the style of the inner text.  That immediately remedied your problem with lineweight plotting so that all text would be the same lineweight.  Since all objects in your block appear to be on the zedro layer and have color assigned "Bylayer" (except for the red dashed line)  I could not figure out the blue text but no matter.

Please let us know if this helped.

Cheers

[beyoungjr]

When I plotted DWG to PDF using the acad.ctb  I clearly saw the heavier stroke of the outer attribute characters vice the inner attribute characters.

[phlyx]

I changed the text from "standard" to "WD", too, and it still looked the same on the print preview so I didn't even try to print it.  Let me go back and try again.

As far as the CTB file, just using the generic ones like monochrome.

[phlyx]

Okay, going totally batty here.  Was messing around and messing around and stumbled across something that worked (which included changing text to WD).  I saved that copy and went into another copy of the same drawing and did what I "thought" I did for the other ones and it doesn't work.  So I proceeded to backtrack as much as I can and right now I checked the block properties, the text in the block properties, and all the printer settings.  Have both versions open in the same AutoCAD session in different tabs.  From left to right, this is the block properties, the text in the block properties and the monochrome print settings along with a print preview where you can see what the side text does (I over-exaggerated the line thickness to clearly see if the side text was following the line thickness settings) :

You can see what the side text does.  These are the settings for the one that works:

They are both using the same monochrome setting, same printer settings, same settings in the main print window same WD font.  I have been thru everything I can find and now can't seem to stumble across what I did.... again.  

Any way to look at some property to see what might the difference be between these two?

[john.vellek]

Hi @phlyx,

So let's recap a bit. The words "Blank" are or are not printing correctly? Or is it the small letters (A and B) contained within the linework?

I know that the "Blank" text style is using Arial which is always going to be heavier than the font that you have within the linework.

You also indicate that you are using the out of the box plot styles but you have linewieghts assigned in your screenshot

So, with out making any changes to the drawing itself, I open PLOT and select monochrome as my plot style.

Here is the outcome with the Arial text plotting a bit heavier as expected.

Here is what my plot window looks like.

How are you doing this differently?

[john.vellek]

Hi @phlyx,

I am checking back to see if my post or others helped you with your problem. Please add a post with how you decide to proceed and your results so other Community members may benefit.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if a post or posts solves your issue or answers your question.

[phlyx]

Sorry for the delay in reply, been swamped.  Looked at the the things mentioned in this thread and the single block drawing appears to do the same thing for me as for you.  The text "BLANK" on the sides of the main block are thicker than the text and lines for the rest of the block.  But in the main drawing that I started with it seems to be the exact opposite.  The block and main text plot thick while we have found it pretty much impossible to make the text on the sides thick.  So instead of messing more and trying to see what's up with the block and block definition, it might be something odd with the dwg file itself.  So I am attaching a copy of the drawing with the issues.  Let me know if you have any problems accessing it.

If you get a chance please look at this and see if it does the same for you and if you can see what might be doing this.

Thanks for the assistance.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

HI @phlyx,

I made a new text style based on Arial. I assigned the text on the far left and far right to this style. I moved everything into a new drawing file as well.  I reset all entity colors to ByLayer. After I did all of this I ran BATTMAN to sync all the attribute properties.

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

[phlyx]

All that worked when I did it, too.  But then I tried one other thing.  I just ran the BATTMAN routine, selected the block I was having the issue with, did a SYNC and everything plotted fine.  Didn't have to do anything but that.  Now have to see how many blocks have the issue as there are dozens of blocks in these drawings.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi @phlyx,

So everything is resolved other than doing the work? 🙂

Please take a moment to mark a post or posts that gave you the solution.

[phlyx]

Going to try it on a full drawing today but so far it looks like the medicine this ill drawing needed.

Thanks!

[phlyx]

This is my final documented method to fix offending light text nested in blocks:

- Create new font based on Arial (i.e. Arial1)
- Set new style to Current
- Block Editor on offending block
- Select all text in the block
- Set color to Bylayer and Font to Arial1
- Save Block
- Run BATTMAN and sync block
- Plot monochrome

Thanks for the help.  Case closed  :O)