#Plot Questions
5 messages in this thread
I am using R11C2 with a Hewlett Packard Draftpro 7575 DXL plotter and I
have a couple of questions:
1. Every time I plot a full-page drawing, ACAD complains that the drawing
is too large to fit and asks if I want to plot anyway. I answer YES and
the drawing plots correctly! Is ACAD getting incorrect paper size
information from the plotter? Can I fix this?
2. ACAD wants the plotter set to even (or was it odd?) parity while all
other software on my computer and on all other computers connected to the
plotter requires the plotter to be set for no parity. This difference
causes problems for everyone. Can I somehow change the parity setting in
ACAD or use some other trick to use the plotter with the parity off?
Ray Emplit
Ray:
John Intorcio could give you a more detailed (and probably more accurate)
explaination of how AutoCAD and the HP plotter determine the paper size. The
hard clip limits, which the HP manual will refer to as P1 and P2, are
calculated when the plotter scrolls the paper back and forth and moves the
pen carrier across the paper. And these limits *ARE* determined taking the
"normal" and "expand" DIP switch setting into consideration. But then
AutoCAD looks at what you told it to plot.
If you told it to plot to the limits and the limits are 2 scale inches
outside the actual area covered by entities (and two inches outside the
available paper area), AutoCAD reports back that the plot will exceed the
paper, even though the actual entities won't.
Although the paper you put in may be big enough, the plotter may see it as
being 0.01 too small and AutoCAD will still report that it won't fit. You
know it will so you tell it to go ahead anyway. Try to window an area you
know is several inches less than the plottable paper area. AutoCAD shouldn't
give you the "plot won't fit" message. If you get too close to what will
actually fit, you'll likely get the message because it's hard to get the
paper absolutely straight.
David
David,
I wonder why it keeps getting the wrong answer. BTW, who is John Intorcio?
Ray
Ray:
The HP plotters are funny about that (when working with AutoCAD). If the
drawing is even a single plotter step (0.001) bigger than the hard clip
limits, AutoCAD give you that message.
John Intorcio is the author of the Plot Manager shareware program and
several other excellent AutoCAD utilities available here on the forum. Since
he has written software to drive these plotters, I defer to his better
understanding of how AutoCAD adjusts for the hard clip limits. (He's also
fun to drink beer with <g>.)
David
(John, if you're listening…next time I'm in Bean Town, it's your turn to
buy <g>)
As a plug, look at the WHO-S.WHO file in What's New. It lists biographical
information submitted by the members themselves. You can give me your own
bio and I'll update the file.
Brian