Plot Viewing

Does any one know of any program out there for viewing plot files? I am
looking for something along the lines of Reprodesk or Print Exec but at a
cheaper price. I have heard of different programs but people have always
said you have to know if the plot file was created in Hpgl2 format or not. I
want a program where I don't have to worry about all these things. If I try
to tell my clients and even some of my consultants that they need to make
sure plot files are created as hpgl2 they will look at me like a deer caught
in the headlights.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions

--
Mike Brester
Cad Support Technician

MulvannyG2 Architecture
1110 - 112th Avenue NE, Suite 500
Bellevue, Washington 98004

t: 425.463.2000
f: 425.463.2140
d: 425.463.1974
e:
w: www.MulvannyG2.com

Celebrating 32 years of DESIGN AT WORK
Bellevue, Wa | Portland, Or | Irvine, Ca | Washington DC | Shanghai,
China

 

1. It is not that difficult to explain clients or consultants what driver
should be used to produce proper HPGL/2
2. To view HPGL/2, I like Viewcompanion (www.softwarecompanions.com), but
there are more good viewers; it is not needed (and I do not recommend it) to
use it to plot to the plotter, as you can simply submit the HPGL/2 file to
the device with tools like my GoPlot
3. PDF as suggested by Rodney is universal indeed, but plotting from Acrobat
(Viewer) to large size plotters may give problems and PDF has the
disadvantage for some AutoCAD users that 'lines merge' is not supported
4. DWF is another option, but sometimes even gives more problems when
plotting large drawings
5. In general printing from a viewer takes more steps and more work; the
viewer interprets the files (with possible 'mis-interpretations') and then
creates new data using a Windows driver that may cause new problems when no
decent Windows driver is available or with large drawings.

Govert

 

Look at this tool....

http://www.tgsoft.ch/English/CADRIP.htm

It's not a viewer, but a RIP that can read many different HPGL2/RTL (much
more then Reprodesk) and also some raster files and plot to one specific
plotter model. (Oce, Xerox, Designjet, MITA..)

Very easy to use.


Regards
Toni