how to plot multiple copies with the command line prompt

Hopefully I should be asking this question here and not the customisattion
group.

This is the exract of the help file in AutoCAD dealing with plotting from
the command line. It does not mention multiple copies (or am I blind?).

If you enter -plot at the Command prompt, the following prompt is displayed
on the command line:

Detailed plot configuration [Yes/No] <No>: Enter y or n or press ENTER

No
Indicates that you do not want a detailed plot configuration for this
plot.

Enter a layout name or [?] <current>:

Enter a page setup name < >:

Enter an output device name or [?] <current>:

Write the plot to a file [Yes/No] <current>:

Enter file name: <dwgname-layoutname.plt>:

Save changes to layout [Yes/No] <No>:

Proceed with Plot [Yes/No] <Y>:

For information about these prompts, see the description for Yes.

Yes
Specifies detailed page settings for the Model tab or layout tab you
are plotting.

Enter a layout name or [?] <current>: Specify the name of the layout
tab you want to plot

Enter an output device name or [?] <current>: Specify the name of the
output device to which you want to plot the Model tab or layout tab you
selected

If you enter a new device name without an extension, AutoCAD assumes
that the device is a PC3 file (Autodesk HDI plotter configuration file). If
no PC3 file is found, AutoCAD searches for a Windows system printer with
that device name.

Enter paper size or [?] <current>: Specify the paper size to use for
the plot or enter ? to view the actual list of paper sizes defined for the
plotter driver

You must specify a paper size exactly as it is defined by the plotter
driver.

Enter paper units [Inches/Millimeters] <current>:

The Enter Paper Units prompt is not displayed if you are plotting a
raster image, such as a BMP or TIFF file, because the size of the plot is
assumed to be in pixels.

Enter drawing orientation [Portrait/Landscape] <current>:

Portrait

Orients and plots the drawing so that the short edge of the paper
represents the top of the page.

Landscape

Orients and plots the drawing so that the long edge of the paper
represents the top of the page.

Plot upside down [Yes/No] <No>:

Orients and plots the drawing upside down.

Enter plot area [Display/Extents/Limits/Layout/View/Window] <current>:

Display

Plots the view in the current viewport on the Model tab or the current
view in the layout, depending on which tab you select to plot.

Extents

Plots all of the objects in the current viewport, except objects on
frozen layers. From a layout tab, plots all the geometry in paper space.
AutoCAD may regenerate the drawing to recalculate the extents before
plotting.

If you plot the drawing's extents with a perspective view active and
the camera position is within the drawing extents, this option has the same
effect as the Display option.

Limits

Plots the drawing area defined by the grid limits. Available only when
the Model tab is selected.

Layout

Plots everything within the printable area of the specified paper
size, with the origin calculated from 0,0 in the layout. Available only when
a layout tab is selected.

View

Plots a view saved previously with the VIEW command. You can select a
named view from the list provided. If there are no saved views in the
drawing, this option is unavailable.

Window

Plots any portion of the drawing you specify. This option prompts you
to specify the corners of the window.

Enter lower left corner of window: Specify a point

Enter upper right corner of window: Specify a point

Enter plot scale (Plotted Inches = Drawing Units) or [Fit] <current>:
Specify the scale of the plot

Plotted Inches = Drawing Units

Calculates the plot scale based on the inches or millimeters to
drawing units that you specify. You can also enter a real number as a
fraction (for example, you can enter 1=2 or .5).

Fit

Calculates the scale to fit the area on the sheet of paper.

The default scale setting is 1:1 when you are plotting a layout,
unless you modified and saved the setting. The default setting is Fit when
plotting a Model tab.

Enter plot offset (x, y) or

<current>: Specify the plot
offset in either the X or Y direction, or enter c to center the plot on the
paper

Plot with plot styles [Yes/No] <current>: Specify whether to plot
using the plot styles applied to objects and defined in the plot style table

If you specify Yes to plot with plot styles, AutoCAD displays the
following prompt:

Enter plot style table name or [?] (enter . for none) <current>:
Enter a plot style table name, ? to view plot style tables, or . (period)
for none

All style definitions with different property characteristics are
stored in the current plot style table and can be attached to the geometry.
This setting replaces pen mapping in earlier versions of AutoCAD.

Plot with lineweights [Yes/No] <current>:

Scale lineweights with plot scale [Yes/No] <current>:

Note The Scale Lineweights with Plot Scale prompt is displayed only
when you plot from a layout tab. Settings for the shaded plotting type are
available only when you plot from the Model tab. To control shaded plotting
settings of viewports in a layout tab, use the Shadeplot option of
the -vports command when you create a viewport.

Enter shade plot setting [As displayed/Wireframe/Hidden/Rendered] <As
displayed>: Enter a shade plot option

Specifies how model space views are plotted.

As Displayed

Specifies that a model space view is plotted the same way it is
displayed.

Wireframe

Specifies that a model space view is plotted in wireframe regardless
of display.

Hidden

Specifies that a model space view is plotted with hidden lines removed
regardless of display.

Rendered

Specifies that model space view plots are rendered regardless of
display.

Write the plot to a file [Yes/No] <current>: Enter y if you want to
write the plotted drawing to a file, or press ENTER to plot to an output
device

If you specify Yes, AutoCAD displays the following prompt:

Enter file name: <dwgname-layoutname.plt>: Enter a file name

Save changes to page setup? Or set shade plot quality?
[Yes/No/Quality] <No>:

If you enter y, the current settings in the Page Setup dialog box are
saved. If you enter q, you are prompted for the shaded plotting quality and
are given the option of providing a custom dpi. Then you are prompted to
save the page setup with the added quality settings.

Enter shade plot quality
[Draft/Preview/Normal/pResentation/Maximum/Custom] <Normal>: Enter c if you
want to specify a dpi, or to use a preset dpi, specify a different quality
option

Enter custom dpi <150>:

Save changes to page setup [Yes/No]? <No>:

Plot paper space first [Yes/No] <current>:

Paper space geometry is usually plotted before model space geometry.
If you enter n, the model space geometry is plotted first, and paper space
geometry is plotted last. This option is available only if you are plotting
from a layout tab.

Hide paperspace objects? [Yes/No] <No>:

Specifies whether the Hide operation applies to objects in the paper
space viewport. This option is available only from a layout tab.

Proceed with plot [Yes/No] <Y>:



I have a lisp (sample below) that that allows me to plot an A3 or A1
to our standard settings and another that enables me to due a previous plot
which are both great, except I can only do a single plot. I have duplicated
the plot line of the lisp in the past as a temporary measure however this
effectivley runs two plots which isn't as effiecent as doing a plot with
multiple copies. (No I don't like the photocopier and nither do some of our
clients)

Cheers,

Daniel Bennett



;;Plots CW drawings on an A3 sheet at half scale to the HP5000
(Defun CA3 ()
(progn
(COMMAND "UNDO" "BEGIN")
(COMMAND "CMDECHO" "0")
(COMMAND "-PLOT" "Y" "" "hp5000.pc3" "A3" "M" "L" "N" "W"
"19.5,14" "833.,574.5" "1=2" "C" "Y" "CW Half.ctb" "Y" "N" "N" "N" "N" "Y"
"Y")
(command "qsave")
(COMMAND "UNDO" "END")
)
(princ)
)
(princ)(prompt "\nPA3 To PLot Connell Wagner A3 drawings.")

;;Performs a plot using the previous plot paramaters - note does not
work for plotfiles, use PPP
(Defun CP ()
(progn
(COMMAND "UNDO" "BEGIN")
(COMMAND "CMDECHO" "0")
(COMMAND "_PLOT" "n" "" "<previous plot>" "" "" "y" "")
(command "qsave")
(COMMAND "UNDO" "END")
)
(princ)
)
(princ)(prompt "\nPP To PLot At Previous Plot Parameters.")​

 

Thanks Dean,

That's what I've done in the past however it has two draw backs. One It
ties up your machine longer than specifying two (or more) plots would. And
two it has the same affect at the printer. (I am thinking about thoes times
I need 10 plots)

I must admit that I haven't played with publish much yet, and since
upgrading to 2005 last week it the publish feature seems a lot better than
it was in 2004. The draw back is when you want to plot it to a plot setting
which is not the default, but I will tidy up my templates to help in that
area.

Cheers,

Daniel.

 

I have a tips on this here:
http://www.jtbworld.com/autocadtips.htm

--
Best Regards, Jimmy Bergmark
CAD and Database Developer Manager at www.pharmadule-emtunga.com
Blog: http://jtbworld.blogspot.com
JTB FlexReport (FLEXlm report tool) - www.jtbworld.com/jtbflexreport
SmartPurger (Purges automatically) - www.jtbworld.com/?/smartpurger.htm
or download some freeware at www.jtbworld.com
More on AutoCAD 2005;
www.jtbworld.com/autocad2005.htm

 

Hy all !.

I have also a Lisp to do the very same thing, but I would like also to
set in advance the number of copies I would like the plotter to print.
Because I still don't do that I make a cicle too as many times I need.
Ok, but what I want to say is that there is a command in VLisp that I
think it will solve that problem "vla-put-NumberOfCopies".
I use very few VLisp commands, but I think this is the one for the
question.

Vxc

 

Cheers Jimmy.

I used this code from your site

(progn
(command "-plot" "no" "" "previous plot" "" "" "Y" "N")
(setq plotnr 3)
(setq ad (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object)))
(setq plot (vla-get-plot ad))
(vla-put-NumberOfCopies plot plotnr)
(vla-PlotToDevice plot)
)

but in reality it still send the plot 3 times rather than plotting 3 copies.
The other problem is that in 2005 publish then locks you out from doing
another plot until this is all processed. It wouldn't be hard to adjust the
number of plots using this code by either presetting or on the fly, but I
want the end result to be able to create one plot file that contains several
copies.

Cheers,

Daniel.

 

<<I use very few VLisp commands>>

Ditto... I just don't vla-get-it

Daniel.

 

What you want is not as easy as it seems. I believe one of the printer
languages in the Laserjet 5000 is PostScript; so using a PostScript driver,
you may be able to ask it to produce 3 copies by sending the string "<<
/NumCopies 3 >> setpagedevice" to the printer first. You'll have to use a
PostScript driver that does not produce a PJL header, so perhaps one for
printers from another manufacturer (e.g. QMS). Plot to file and then use
GoPlot is probably easier

Govert