PRN files and plotting

Hi

I have received a few .prn files (they are aerial photographs) and
their size is in the order of 3 meg or so.

I dont have any software which will open PRN files (and am not sure of
their origin).

I attempt to plot them to my HP 1050c through the dos prompt using the
command (copy map1.prn lpt3) and the plotter receives the data and
cannot complete the plotting. We have had one occasion where the plot
started and was about 70 percent done but then bombed out.

Can anyone suggest as to why we are experiencing these problems.

Thanks

Matt

 

PRN simply means PRiNt and does not say anything concerning the format
resp. the printer/plotter language of the data.

The format depends on the printer/plotter driver used by the creator
of the files.

Therefore simply copying a PRiNtjob to an arbitrary device may not
work in every case...


If you wanna copy to your HP-GL2 / HP-RTL inkjet plotter you need
obviously appropriate HP-GL2 (vector data) or HP-RTL (raster data)
files, i.e. the creator must use the correct driver for your device:
http://www.hp.com/cposupport/

For checking the format of the content you may either open in a text
editor and have a look at the header, if HP-GL2 or HP-RTL you should
find something readable, the so called PJL header.

You can also try to open the HP-GL/HP-GL2/HP-RTL files in a plot
viewer as e.g. the nice SPLOT: http://www.swplot.com/splot.htm
If it opens in SPLOT you may print to your plotter via the driver on
your system which then should work in every case.

btw, if you wanna use the COPY command add a "/b" for 'binary' to the
end of the command sothat the data is not modified during the copy
process (could happen to ASCII data).

Better use the nice and free tools 'GoPlot' resp. 'Drop and Print'
from Govert: http://members.lycos.nl/goplot

hth
N.

 

Good reply -
The /b switch is usually imperative.
Also, if the plotter receives the data, but does not begin the plot, you
might send a file containing "PG;" - some files don't have this and it tells
the plotter 'end data; page' (e.g. formfeed).
The little utilities make it easy.
Get the HP books for plotting languages: "HP/GL-2 + HP-RTL" and HP-PCL.

 

Does this mean that the plotter starts plotting and is then unable to
finish? And could that also mean that more memory might be required in
order to finish the plot?

--
Bill DeShawn

http://my.sterling.net~bdeshawn


"and the plotter receives the data and
cannot complete the plotting."