FAQ: Do I have to make plot files first, or can I just send my drawing files?
We can not print directly from your AutoCAD
DWG files. It is necessary to use your CAD program to plot
to a file.
FAQ: How do I make a "plot file"?
The plot dialog box in AutoCAD offers
a checkbox option for "plot to file" and a place to assign a file
name. The default name used is the drawing file name with the extension
PLT. Just make sure you have selected an HPGL/2 plotter as
the output device. If you don't have drivers for any of these,
you can follow
our step by step procedure for downloading and installing our recommended
driver. Other applications may require you to use the Windows
print manager to control where the printed output goes. In
this case, go to Settings/Printers, select the appropriate plotter
and use the Connect option to specify "File" instead of a COM or
LPT port. When you print to the device, Windows will prompt
you for a file name.
Need
more information? We provide a procedure
that walks you through creating
a plt file from AutoCAD that should answer any detailed questions
you may have.
FAQ: What other information do
I have to give you for my plots to be correct?
-
- Plot by extents, display, limits
or view (if view, give view name)
- Page size
For plot files, you have already selected
the scale when you plotted, but the page size is not always obvious
-- especially if it is non-standard.
FAQ: What pen choices do I have?
The choices are entirely yours. Use
anything from .13mm (.005 inches) on up. Our plotters will
read your pen assignments.
FAQ: I used several different
colors in my drawing and I told you what the pen sizes should be,
but all my lines came out the same thickness. What happened?
Most likely you sent us a plot file in
which all the colors were assigned to a single pen, making it impossible
to differentiate between them. This is a common occurrence
in the pen setup for HP's DesignJet color plotters, where everything
is derected to pen 7 (black) for monochrome output and the width
is controlled independently.
Some drivers put this width information into the plot file, and
others do not. To be safe, it is best to change your plotter
setup or create a new one in which color 1 goes to pen 1, color
2 to pen 2, and so on.
FAQ: I sent you a "PLT" file
but it didn't print, why not?
Most likely you used the wrong driver.
You may have forgotten to select the plotter as your printing device,
or you may be configured for a type of plotter that our software
does not recognize. Check your driver, then make sure you
have selected the right device before plotting again. Also,
beware of confusing terminology. Some people refer to "plot"
files meaning "drawing files that are to be plotted" -- in other
words, the main CAD files ;that contain various xref drawings that
are not plotted by themselves. The plot files we need are
the ones that contain data, as it would be output to the plotter
if it were connected to your computer. Some batch plotting
utilities use "PLT" as the extension for an itermediate file that
contains only information that the utility uses ;to control the
printer on a second pass. The actual output files may be called
something else like "HP" or "HGL" -- these are the ones we need
to print from, regardless of the naming convention.
FAQ: What plotter drivers can
I use?
Many drivers will work. The best choices
are raster image plotters like the HP DesignJet series. We
recommend the driver for the HP750 located
on our FTP site. Here are some other options:
- HP 7600 Color -- use the color model
because it supports 255 pens.
- HP DesignJet 650c or 750c -- these
allow 36 inch wide paper and color.
- Do NOT try to use drivers for laser
or bubblejet desktop printers -- these devices use a different
and incompatible set of instructions.
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