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Thread: Batch Plot SLOW

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    Default Batch Plot SLOW

    I am using AutoCAD MEP 2013 on a Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit) machine with an Intel Xeon X5680 Processor and 12 GB of memory. In our office we have recently starting using batch plotting and whenever we use the publish command or sheet sets with our schedule pages (image attached) it takes about 2-3 minutes to plot each tab. It is much faster to simply hit ctrl+p, pick previous plot, and select a new window, therefore defeating the purpose of implementing batch plotting. I have turned off background plot and changed the OLE plot quality to monochrome. I've even tried breaking all the links and was still unsuccessful. I have also attached another image of what a typical page looks like when printed, with lines down the middle of the spreadsheet. We use Adobe Acrobat X Standard as the printer for plotting. The lines that show up are seemingly random, showing up on different spreadsheets when printing the same job and the lines do not show up when using CutePDF Writer. Does anyone have any solutions/suggestions that may speed up the process or delete the lines? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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    Default Re: Batch Plot SLOW

    suggestion no 1, quit using OLE. Define a tablestyle that looks acceptable, and use that instead. OLE and windows sorta work together, but it's a relationship fraught with problems and incompatibilities -- sorta like a tea party congress critter and an obama stalwart sharing an office.....

    Second -- it looks like you have everything in model space, and are just using the layouts as a plot window? From the looks of that drawing, there's nothing that can't be in paperspace on an individual layout -- that would save a lot of time currently wasted regenerating everything in modelspace when each layout plots.

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    Default Re: Batch Plot SLOW

    I'm new to the company and they had recently switched over from using tables to importing Excel spreadsheets for ease of updating and the calculations and links between spreadsheets so things only have to be updated in one spot. You are correct in saying that the layouts are just being used as a plot window. I will try having different individual drawings instead of having so many on one page and see how much it helps. Thanks for the info!

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    Default Re: Batch Plot SLOW

    If anyone has any advice, please help! When I try to use the SSM or publish command it works great on my machine as I set up the drawings. Every other machine in the office it gives an error:

    "ERROR: The current device does not support the requested media size."

    I've gone to other machines and added the paper sizes in the printing preferences for Adobe. I've also changed the .pc3 file which is located on our server to the page size I'm trying to print. If I open the drawings and the layout tab I have set up and hit ctrl+P the .pdf prints fine. However, using the SSM or publish command always comes up with an error. I've deleted the sheet set started over setting it up again, but to no avail. I've tried with new and existing drawings. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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    Default Re: Batch Plot SLOW

    Are you using named page setups?

    second, swith from the Adobe pdf printer to the builtin DWG to PDF pc3 printer. available, non-custom, page sizes are going to match your requirements better. And, with relatively recent versions of CAD, there's no real benefit to the adobe print driver.

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    Default Re: Batch Plot SLOW

    I am using named page setups. It's strange because on one machine I open up the pc3 file from where it is saved on the server and it has the correct page size by default (24x36 in this case) and open the same file from a different machine and it has letter as the default page size. And I'm not sure if something is corrupt in my CAD install, but I do not have the DWG to PDF pc3 printer as a printer option.

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    Default Re: Batch Plot SLOW

    Using the DWG to PDF driver seems to work on different machines throughout the office. Now anther question, is there a way to have it ask where you want each file saved? The check for "plot to file" is checked and greyed out so I can't change. I just find it easier to rename the files as each drawing pops up as opposed to having to open the file location highlight each file and rename accordingly.

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