Pen Assignment Problem

Hi all,

I don't know whether to post this here or to the print-plot group. I just
start this job for about three weeks now, and they still haven't told me how
to use their layer / color / pen assignment even though I asked for many
times. I have to go look for myself in the *.ctb file and figure out myself
which one is the boldest, thin, etc. and use it. However, the drawings
won't come out as I want on the big plotter, everything so thick, and seems
like everything on one size pen setting, from thick to thicker, but when I
print to another printer (smaller, 11x17 size), it came out exactly as I
want.

1. Is there anyway to fix this? Is this the driver problem?
2. Am I imagining things, or do they hate me??? All my other jobs they tell
people layer setting and pen setting on the first day. *sigh*

 

Sounds like somebody in you office needs to be assigned the role of CAD Manager. Does the boss know how disorganized the system is?

Your problems sounds like you just neet to find (or generate) a .ctb file for the big plotter. We have seperate .ctb files for each of our plotters/printers and in some cases a couple of differenct ones for a specific printer depending on how it is to be printed.

 

Well... heheh ... I just started so I wanna know how their system work
before goes out and tells everybody they have a problem (even though I
notice they don't use paper space in their drawings. Scary!!!!!) But
thanks, Rick, I never thought of creating new ctb file, since I always use
the same ctb for every plotters before. Is there a way to determine how to
set the pen settings same w/ the plotter? Or should I just change pen
thickness to smaller value?

Manager. Does the boss know how disorganized the system is?

for the big plotter. We have seperate .ctb files for each of our
plotters/printers and in some cases a couple of differenct ones for a
specific printer depending on how it is to be printed.

 

Are you the only cad person in the firm?

Why not humble yourself and go ask one of the others if there are others?

If you are the only cad person, then you are in the cat-bird seat, if you want to
look at the situation in a positive light. You can set the system up the way you
would like.

One thing you can do is find a large sized printed set of drawings that has good
quality line thicknesses. Open that drawing file on your computer and examine what
was used to plot. See what ctb file was used, and check for polylines in case they
were used to create the different line thicknesses.

Try to match the old set of drawings because if you do not, and someday someone wants
to plot the old set, you will be admonished for the lousy way it plots now, while it
plotted so nice before.

Every plotter driver will plot line thicknesses slightly differently then another.
This is a very annoying fact of life. If you only have one plotter, large sheets,
and one for 11 x 17, then you can get away with two ctb files.

Another fact to worry about is the operating systems on the various computers that
will be plotting. When you create a plotter in AutoCAD, the resulting PC3 file is
sensitive to the operating system on which it was created. Therefore, if you have an
XP system, and you create a PC3 file, and another guy has Win 2000, and he tries to
plot using your PC3 file, he will have problems plotting.

If you prefer, you can use the default Monochrome.ctb file which will use lineweights
by object. This will enable you to set up lineweights in the Layer Manager, by Layer
Name, instead of doing it in the ctb file by color. There are some advantages to
doing this in Layer Manager, and you will see them when you start doing things that
way.

Jack Talsky

 

why is the lack of pspace usage scary?
we use strictly model space, forced into that when i started, but as long as you have some concept of scale factors, everything is gravy.
and no, i dont scale the objects, rather i blow up the tblock.

 

<<why is the lack of pspace usage scary?
we use strictly model space, forced into that when i started, but as long as you have some concept of scale factors, everything is gravy. and no, i dont scale the objects, rather i blow up the tblock. >>

The only thing scary about it is the hoops required for multiple scale details on one drawing and tracking the dims.

 

i use multiple scales in one drawing, annotate as such, and dimlfac settings handle the rest

 

That works, but there are newer and better ways. Not using paper space is
like never moving beyond Release 10 (ca 1988).
--
David Byrnes/Vancouver BC
AutoDesk Discussion Group Facilitator

settings handle the rest

 

i dont have a choice, as i have stated before in other threads, from the time i started here, my final output must be a pure 2d drawing that resides in model space only. i know the bennies of pspace, tried to point that out, grew weary and became a conformist. still use 3d, just get 2d output for drawing sheets, my 3d models reside in design file only(keeps others away from my projects, job security?)