Inventor - some drawings ignore Windows printer user Preferences

[garyg0]

I am not the experienced Autodesk user. I’m managing issues as the IT guy.

We have a Xerox 7030 printer in Engineering.

I created 3 printers in Windows for users, using the same IP address with 3 differently named TCP/IP ports.

That’s like 10.10.xx.yy_B&W 11x17  and 10.10.xx.yy_Color (letter) and  10.10.xx.yy_B&W (letter) .

Xerox B&W 11x17 printer has fixed Device settings and fixed users Preferences. 

I have Device settings on Tabloid and Tray 4 is set for Tabloid.  I have printer Preferences set to Tabloid under the Advanced button.

(I'm using Windows default interface because the Xerox interface was clunky.)

We verified that these settings are fixed, do not change.

When engineers open some drawings in Inventor, open to Print window, and click Properties button (which is same as Preferences in Windows settings), click Advanced button, Tabloid will be selected for paper size as it should be.  For some drawings this paper size reverts to Letter, ignoring the Windows printer Preferences.  This prints the image, but smaller.

We tried creating a new drawing with an existing Model.  Check Properties (i.e. Preferences) as above from within Inventor. It is Letter. 

Switch back to a different drawing, one that is already opened.  Properties within Inventor say Tabloid.

Check Windows printer settings, everything is still fixed at Tabloid.

Maybe the size is somehow stored in the model, but forum posts says this should go by Windows printer settings.
Engineers more familiar know of no area where print prefs would be stored in drawings or in models.

Maybe Inventor is changing preferences on the fly, based on characteristics of the drawing or model. Is that possible?

Has anyone experienced something similar?

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I could be wrong but I don't think Inventor changes the printer settings based on sheets, though some users want it to change. From Inventor's perspective, the printer settings always persist the last used one.

Many thanks!

[garyg0]

I'm know, right?  That's why it's so weird that settings DO change.

pic below is the Device dialog in Properties (system settings).  There's a similar window for Preferences (user settings).

Preferences on engineers' workstations is set the same as this Device tab, for Tabloid. 

When this user Preferences dialog is opened from within Inventor (open drawing, Print, Properties-or-Preferences button, Advanced), then in one drawing or Model it will say Tabloid, as expected, but another drawing or Model, will say Letter.

Engineers (if they forget to check) they randomly print 11x17 pages with tiny drawings that are 8-1/2 x 11.

We can't figure out what is changing that. This is not across-the-board for every drawing in Inventor (so not an  obscure Inventor system setting) but this varies by drawing.

(We tested 2 drawings opened at once, same 11x17 printer selected.  One defaulted to Tabloid, other defaulted to Letter.)

My goal is that drawing Preferences should always be Tabloid for every drawing, from that dialog that is shown from Inventor, Print, Preferences, so it always prints Tabloid size to this machine/tray 4, so Engineers do not need to verify the size each time they print.

Users shouldn't need to check it every time they print and need to change it manually some of the time.

No pattern I can find for why it's not doing that.

[garyg0 · Accepted solution]

CLARIFICATION and ANSWER.

TL;DR: Paper size must be manually selected each time the drawing size is switched within a single instance of Inventor.

Windows printer settings says Paper Size is in the Application.

Inventor says Paper Size is in Windows printer settings.

I have our Windows users set-up with 3 separate Windows printers, on 3 separate ports but the same IP address, with 3 separate sets of default settings and user settings (B&W-Letter printer, Color-Letter printer, and Tabloid-11x17 printer) all pointing to the same physical Print Device (that is, the same Xerox printer).

When a user opens two or more instances of Inventor, for example, one instance with a job with a Letter size drawing and the other instance with a job with a Tabloid size drawing, the correct paper size is pre-selected correctly, when the user selects the appropriate Windows printer. Preview button window and printer output are both correct.

HOWEVER, when a single instance of Inventor contains both Tabloid and Letter size drawings (i.e. some drawings are in Tabloid frame and some drawings are in Letter frame), the Preview button window  (and the actual printer output) defaults to the previous paper size used.  Xerox presets don't lock in paper size, only other settings.

For example, if user selects a drawing made in a Tabloid size frame, using the Tabloid settings printer, and Preview button works correctly, but then user chooses a drawing in a Letter size frame and selects a Letter size printer, the Preview button (or printer output) appears as a small Letter size drawing in the center of a Tabloid size paper.

If the user then manually selects the correct paper size as Letter, then Preview (or output) is corrected.

If the user then goes back to a Tabloid size drawing and chooses the Tabloid size printer, now the Preview (or printer output) shows a drawing filling a Letter size paper with much of the perimeter of the larger drawing cut off.  Choosing Tabloid paper size in Windows printer settings corrects that, but then going back to Letter size drawing and Letter size printer, this repeats the problem that Tabloid size paper is now selected.

I hope this is clear enough, it's complicated to explain, easier with screenshots.

Paper size must be manually selected each time the drawing size is switched within a single instance of Inventor.