Topic: HP designjet 500 Plotting thru Server Woes

[Dinosaur]

I already know the solution to this, but I don't know the "why".  We finally set up our plotters to run through the server, but the IT crew did not quite finish their jobs to get AutoCAD to like the new setup - no pc3 files were created.  Of course, various staff tried plotting through the system printer which in our case throws an error code that shuts down the plotter for random times ranging from minutes up to 8 hours - once requiring a $250 service call.
I created the pc3 files and made them available, but apparently inconvenience and expensive service calls are insufficient motivation for some users.  I am now using the hammer approach and hiding all system printers on every machine but I am still being questioned about why they can't plot throught the server when they could plot locally with no problems.
I do not know the answer but am hoping a valid technical one is available that would help persuade them to accept the working solution and cooperate.

[mjfarrell]

you might want to review your printer plotter settings, the issue could be that they are NOT spooling the plot locally first...

[Dinosaur]

The driver on the server is set to spool documents and start printing immediately rather than wiiaiting for the last page to finish.  Print spooled documents first is also selected.

[mjfarrell]

I would suggest that you let it wait until the document(s) finishes to initiate the printing.

[Dinosaur]

You think just that could shut the plotter down for several hours?  I guess I can change that setting, but given what happens, I am not testing it ... the next poor shmo who decides to bypass my PC3 files will get that honor.

[mjfarrell]

imagine, that somehow due to network traffic, or other issues the print job starts......

.....

.....

wait for it.....

...
..
.
.
..
...
....
no end of file is sent to the printer

[Dinosaur]

This solution has been applied and has had zero effect.  The plotter still shuts down.  Additionally there is a new wrinkle with even files plotted through the pc3 files also crashing the plotters - yes we have twin plotters and both are affected although one seems to get over it's snit a little quicker.
The message both will throw first is an instruction to power down.  Occasionally this will clear the problem on one machine.  Always on the second machine and usually on the other, when we turn them back on an error code demanding maintenance on the trailing cable which has been checked and found to need no attention.  After varying amounts of time with repeated checks, the error code clears.  No other actions have been taken.

[mjfarrell]

OK...time to PUNT in a more efficient manner, I mean Print!

Go get Two(2) HP JetDirect devices, and connect the printers up as network devices, with their own IP address, etc, and Have a Nice Day!

[Dinosaur]

OK...time to PUNT in a more efficient manner, I mean Print!

Go get Two(2) HP JetDirect devices, and connect the printers up as network devices, with their own IP address, etc, and Have a Nice Day!

They ARE 2 separate plotters connected to the server each with it's own IP address.  That is where the problem started.  They were working fine until IT moved the drivers from the user machines to the server and probably still would.  My next option is to at least temporarily ask them how to revert to the previous setup.

[mjfarrell]

OK...time to PUNT in a more efficient manner, I mean Print!

Go get Two(2) HP JetDirect devices, and connect the printers up as network devices, with their own IP address, etc, and Have a Nice Day!

They ARE 2 separate plotters connected to the server each with it's own IP address.  That is where the problem started.  They were working fine until IT moved the drivers from the user machines to the server and probably still would.  My next option is to at least temporarily ask them how to revert to the previous setup.

In the suggested configuration the user machines would HAVE to have the correct drivers loaded locally.
Put the PC3 on the server, Problem solved

[Bryco]

We have the HP 1050c and use it as a system printer. All the drivers used are on the server and it the pc3 is on another server and  works fine. Athough I've found you need to make a separate folder for pre acad2007 versions, 2007 versions and 2010 versions, keeping the pc3 name the same. Each computer  has the printer configuration search path set to the appropriate folder in acad options. This way you can have  computers with different operating systems and acad versions all using the same named pc3.   I don't use this set up for the Oce as it wont go for a network set up, rather the drivers are loaded on each machine,  I've yet to try this out on different os as we all have xp at present

[Dinosaur]

OK...time to PUNT in a more efficient manner, I mean Print!

Go get Two(2) HP JetDirect devices, and connect the printers up as network devices, with their own IP address, etc, and Have a Nice Day!

They ARE 2 separate plotters connected to the server each with it's own IP address.  That is where the problem started.  They were working fine until IT moved the drivers from the user machines to the server and probably still would.  My next option is to at least temporarily ask them how to revert to the previous setup.

In the suggested configuration the user machines would HAVE to have the correct drivers loaded locally.
Put the PC3 on the server, Problem solved

So, you are saying our out (of) house IT staff did the opposite of what should have been done?  We also need the drivers placed on the server for our main design software that can not use a pc3 file.  Would there be any ramifications from that?

[mjfarrell]

pretty much...

by using the jet direct cards, and giving them their own IP, one removes the potential bottleneck, at a 'print server'


it isn't exactly their 'fault' not all IT folks understand the care and feeding of autocad.

in the 'old' days of Windows Servers, they would even ask are there other operating systems that will need other drivers to print to this device?, If you answered yes, and then loaded them, when a client machine connected to the printer in question the specified drivers would be installed from the print server to the client.

In this instance the drivers will or should already be on each client, and or as specified in the network distributed PC3 file.

[Dinosaur]

It appears that each plotter has a jet direct card and I know they each have an IP address.  It is odd though that we were plotting successfully with the current setup for about 2 weeks and then our more troublesome plotter started acting up and now both.  I found out how to clear the error message, but it just happens again with every plot from AutoCAD.  They both plot well from other applications just using the system driver on the server and I don't want to mess that up.