Topic: Plotting standards

[Mark]

How do you deal with multiple hardware? How do you setup one title/border that works on many plotters? What about 1/2 size prints?

thanks for any/all input

[JohnK]

I just set up my title block in a way i like to call ``the right way''.  ...That's it, that's all there is to it.

[mjfarrell]

In theory one has a Named Page Setup for each type of plot device, and or page size required residing in the drawing template.
This is even more true for you Mark with the need to have properly identified named the layout tabs, so that when you use them for your plan production tools that you can easily import the correct plan type and scale.

[Mark]

I just set up my title block in a way i like to call ``the right way''.  ...That's it, that's all there is to it.

I thought is was "just that easy" too, until OCE plotters came into the picture.

[JohnK]

I just set up my title block in a way i like to call ``the right way''.  ...That's it, that's all there is to it.

I thought is was "just that easy" too, until OCE plotters came into the picture.

*lol* fun huh?

[Mark]

In theory one has a Named Page Setup for each type of plot device, and or page size required residing in the drawing template.

For us that would be a lot of page setups. Our big problem at the moment is plotting the same files to different plotters. i.e. HP and OCE, not to mention half sizes. When ever I plot a drawing on this HP or 1/2 size the title border always gets cut-off. It has something to do with the Plot Offset origin not being 0,0. What a pain!

[David Hall]

what kind of Oce?  I have a 9300, 9400, and a TDS320 and TDS98something, and a 9800

[JohnK]

Mark,

Give this one a try. I have added a few scalable items to the print for checking.

Plot to extents & Center the plot.

[Dinosaur]

For us that would be a lot of page setups. Our big problem at the moment is plotting the same files to different plotters. i.e. HP and OCE, not to mention half sizes. When ever I plot a drawing on this HP or 1/2 size the title border always gets cut-off. It has something to do with the Plot Offset origin not being 0,0. What a pain!

It shouldn't mean that many setups at all Mark especially if you are consistent with you title block location on your sheet tab and plot the layout.  Your template would have one plotter designated as default, a named page setup for the alternate plotter (full size) and a named half size setup for the plotter designated for those plots.  You may also want a named set up for PDFs or DWFs.  If you have different sheet sizes you are plotting you would need a set for each but these are an easy modification of paper size for each one.  Recent ACAD products have included the option of importing these named setups from another file if your drawing did not have them included in the template.  I am not sure when the ability to import these page setups became available, but the option has been there as long as I have been using the tabs.

[Bryco]

Agreed the Oce is a real bear

[Mark]

Your template would have one plotter designated as default...

They do, it's for their OCE which has margins of 0.03. In this office I don't have any problems using any printer/plotter, of course we don't have an OCE here either.

[Mark]

what kind of Oce?  I have a 9300, 9400, and a TDS320 and TDS98something, and a 9800

not a clue David, I can find out if it makes a difference.

[M-dub]

In theory one has a Named Page Setup for each type of plot device, and or page size required residing in the drawing template.

Same here...

A-Mono-Landscape
A-Mono-Portrait
A-Colour-Landscape
A-Colour-Portrait
B-Mono-Landscape
B-Mono-Portrait
B-Colour-Landscape
B-Colour-Portrait
thru to
E-Colour-Portrait and then, PDF's as well


It took a while to set them up, but man, was it ever WELL worth it!

[Bryco]

I found it better to make a template using  printers (All the drivers are loaded on the server so it can handle different operating systems) off the server than using a pc3.
However that just won't work on an Oce. For the Oce I needed to put acad 2006 pc3 in a different folder than the 2007 & 2008 and adjust the options in each computer (FILES-> PRINTER SUPPORT PATH ->PRINTER CONFIGURATION SEARCH PATH) to look in the correct folder. Our hp works fine without a pc3 and the printer in the configuration is called by the name of the server\printer  i.e. \\designserver\Hpdj, so instead of plotting through a pc3, it plots directly to the server printer

[Dinosaur]

Your template would have one plotter designated as default...

They do, it's for their OCE which has margins of 0.03. In this office I don't have any problems using any printer/plotter, of course we don't have an OCE here either.

That shouldn't be a problem for you . . . the origin along with all of the other plotter options can vary between named page setups.  Just ignore the default completely and make a named page setup for your plotter with the origin it needs.  If you plot that page setup, the Oce' origin will not affect your plot.

edit

Bryco is very correct regarding the pc3 files and the need for different folders in the support paths.  We found this desirable if not necessary even before our Oce' arrived.

[Mark]

That shouldn't be a problem for you . . . the origin along with all of the other plotter options can vary between named page setups.  Just ignore the default completely and make a named page setup for your plotter with the origin it needs.  If you plot that page setup, the Oce' origin will not affect your plot.

But the title block was drawn to fit the OCE margins. When I use one of my page setups the line work is off the printable area. One could write a book on just plotting from AutoCAD.

[Bryco]

One of the extra things that can mess you up is the cut size, you set everything right but this and it will cut off the bottom

[David Hall]

That shouldn't be a problem for you . . . the origin along with all of the other plotter options can vary between named page setups.  Just ignore the default completely and make a named page setup for your plotter with the origin it needs.  If you plot that page setup, the Oce' origin will not affect your plot.

But the title block was drawn to fit the OCE margins. When I use one of my page setups the line work is off the printable area. One could write a book on just plotting from AutoCAD.

I dont know of a way around that.  If the border was drawn to work with 0.03, an HP with .23 just wont work

[MP]

One could write a book on just plotting from AutoCAD.

Sure wish one would!

[mjfarrell]

Sure wish one would!

If one put it in a book; then what would we do with our magic wands, spells, and pointy hats?

[MP]

Concentrate on real work?

[Dinosaur]

I dont know of a way around that.  If the border was drawn to work with 0.03, an HP with .23 just wont work

it all depends on just how big your title block really is . . . try setting the origin to 0,0 and tell it to plot to fit centered on the sheet - the scale factor required for this will display in the box . . . if the number is greater than 1.00 you have no choice but to redraw the borders or plot to fit (or have the main office send you a new Oce') . . . If less than 1.00 you still have a shot . . . plot a drawing with the origin at 0,0 at 1:1 scale centered on the correct size sheet and scale the plot  from each sheet edge to each line of the border - the differences between top-bottom and left-right (minus a hair over 1/2 the plotted line width) will be your origin offset (our Oce' offsets thus determined are -0.125,-0.125)

[Krushert]

One could write a book on just plotting from AutoCAD.

Sure wish one would!

Second that.

[Mark]

Your template would have one plotter designated as default...

They do, it's for their OCE which has margins of 0.03. In this office I don't have any problems using any printer/plotter, of course we don't have an OCE here either.

That shouldn't be a problem for you . . . the origin along with all of the other plotter options can vary between named page setups.  Just ignore the default completely and make a named page setup for your plotter with the origin it needs.  If you plot that page setup, the Oce' origin will not affect your plot.

Did something similar yesterday afternoon. I had a set of 97 sheets plotted at ( roughly ) half size in 15 minutes, and that includes converting the files back to 2004. Awesome stuff those page setups!

[pmvliet]

Something else to keep in mind with the Oce, not that we are picking on Oce.
If you have two identical plotters and they have different firmware updates on their print controller,
you will have to tweak each plotter to get the same results.  I had to deal with this pain
for a while and the only authorized people that were allowed to update the firmware was
Oce Techs. Then one of our controllers was not able to be upgraded to the latest and greatest
as the other two were. We had two plotters with firmware 1.9 and a third stuck at 1.8.
Once you do get things running really nice, they can get messed up royally with a simple firmware upgrade...  :pissed:

They plot real nice, but the setup and configuration will make your hair turn grey.

Pieter

[Mark]

They [OCe] plot real nice, but the setup and configuration will make your hair turn grey.

I would have to do a LOT of plotting before I thought about purchasing an OCe plotter.

[TimSpangler]

To show you just how bad the sale of the Oce's are, When we (my Co.) bought 3 large format laser printers Oce' gave us 4 Large format inkjet printers (TCS500).  The ink cartridges alone cost 150 ea, and it seems as though they are down more than they are up.  Give the old HP1050 any day

[Mark]

It looks like we're down to two possibilities, page setups or importing Layouts using Design Center.

[Dinosaur]

I didn't discover and start using the page setups until r2007, but now I plot nearly everything by layout with a hand full of named page setups.  Even old drawings that date before this get a good page setup copied from a new drawing that has them and tweaked as necessary.  Now the plots just always work and it takes less time to generate them.

[ronjonp]

Pagesetups coupled with sheet set manager and overrides are the only way to go . Currently I manage about 85 here at work that use 9 different printers .

Honestly, I don't think any of my co-workers know how to print without them.

Ron