Author Topic: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print  (Read 12007 times)

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alanjt

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Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« on: February 18, 2022, 03:30:53 PM »
I've been dealing with this issue for some time.
I have a plan with multiple hatches, set with various transparencies.
If I create a PDF (using DWG to PDF.pc3) with 'plot transparency' checked, the PDF looks fine, but when if I send the PDF to the actual plotter, Adobe crashes or part of the PDF will print.
If I uncheck the 'plot transparency' and create a PDF, this PDF will print to the plotter without issue (except the hatch all looks terrible).

Is anyone else dealing with this issue or able to plot large maps with several objects using transparencies?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Civil 3D 2019 ~ Windohz 7 64bit
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ronjonp

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Re: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2022, 03:43:17 PM »
Are you using Bluebeam nevermind see that you are using Adobe...

There is a print setting in Bluebeam under advanced where I change printing engine from Image / Vector / Grid to only Image and that has helped me in the past. Not sure if Adobe has a similar setting?
« Last Edit: February 18, 2022, 03:48:31 PM by ronjonp »

Windows 11 x64 - AutoCAD /C3D 2023

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alanjt

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Re: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2022, 08:23:34 AM »
I cannot seem to find such a setting. Will keep digging.
It's just so bizarre. I can't be the only one suffering from this.
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steve.carson

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Re: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2022, 02:58:38 PM »
I've never seen that issue and we do create large maps and sometimes use hatches with transparency. Have you tried a different pc3? We (as a company) stopped using DWG to PDF.pc3 a while back. I had assumed autodesk took it away because it isn't even on our systems anymore. Could be that my cadd manager got rid of it. We use "AutoCAD PDF (High Quality Print).pc3". In the past I've used PDFill for pdf printing too.

alanjt

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Re: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2022, 04:44:51 PM »
I've never seen that issue and we do create large maps and sometimes use hatches with transparency. Have you tried a different pc3? We (as a company) stopped using DWG to PDF.pc3 a while back. I had assumed autodesk took it away because it isn't even on our systems anymore. Could be that my cadd manager got rid of it. We use "AutoCAD PDF (High Quality Print).pc3". In the past I've used PDFill for pdf printing too.
I tried that also. It prints to PDF fine, but when I try and print the PDF with Adobe, it just sits at "flattening" and if/when it finally comes out of the plotter, it only prints part of the document.
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ronjonp

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Re: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2022, 11:04:46 PM »
I've never seen that issue and we do create large maps and sometimes use hatches with transparency. Have you tried a different pc3? We (as a company) stopped using DWG to PDF.pc3 a while back. I had assumed autodesk took it away because it isn't even on our systems anymore. Could be that my cadd manager got rid of it. We use "AutoCAD PDF (High Quality Print).pc3". In the past I've used PDFill for pdf printing too.
I tried that also. It prints to PDF fine, but when I try and print the PDF with Adobe, it just sits at "flattening" and if/when it finally comes out of the plotter, it only prints part of the document.
Just as a test .. try opening the PDF in a browser and then printing.

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tombu

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Re: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2022, 01:38:05 PM »
If the option is available to you upgrading to 2023 might be worth doing.
I had drawings with GIS background images that needed to be saved as PDFs to plot in 2021.
Now they plot faster than simple drawing used to in 2023 since Multi-core Background Publishing which uses a separate core for background printing or publishing makes printing anything a snap.

They'd already added using a separate core for hatching in 2022 which was a big help as well for anyone who ever struggled modifying hatches.
Tom Beauford P.S.M.
Leon County FL Public Works - Windows 7 64 bit AutoCAD Civil 3D

idayrarecorded

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Re: Autocad Plotted PDF with transparency will not print
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2022, 04:24:54 PM »
You can try a few things to fix this issue: 1. Check your plotter configuration to ensure transparency is enabled. 2. Make sure your PDF file has no transparent objects on layers that are set to not print. 3. Try printing the PDF to a raster file format (TIFF, JPEG, etc.) instead of directly to the printer. This may help to preserve the transparency in the file. 4. If all else fails, you can try converting the PDF file to a DWG file using a PDF to DWG converter. This will preserve the transparency in the file, but you will lose any vector data in the original PDF. If this will not work for you, I can recommend finding the answer on https://forgehub.net.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2022, 07:55:19 AM by idayrarecorded »