networked plotter

[PHOTOS4ME]

I've modified adt 2004 using the options command to reroute where autocad looks for plotter configurations so that the settings for the plotter on multi computers are the same. In theory if something needs to be updated only having to change something once. It has worked in the past recently my co-workers computer has had some network server connection problems and has lost the setup for the plotters. When I try to reset the settings like i originally had done it changes the settings the setup on my computer. Has anyone tried this approach or is there a better way to achieve the some thing?

[Mike.Perry]

When I try to reset the settings like i originally had done it changes the settings the setup on my computer.
Hi

Could you please explain a little more (sorry I don't quite follow / understand), what exactly happens when you repath your co-workers AutoCAD so it points to the Network location(s) for Plotters?

Have a good one, Mike

[mjfarrell]

Be sure to re-map his network drives to the SAME drive letters they
are on all other users workstations (or were before he started dropping them).
Then export a working profile (ARG) file, import and set it current on his
machine and all should be well.

[PHOTOS4ME]

in autocad in the "option" command under the files tab you can change the printer support file path. what this does is changes were autocad looks for plotter configurations, i.e. pen style tables, plotters, paper sizes......

[PHOTOS4ME]

ive tried this as well. when i imported the *.arg file it gave me an error message. menu load failed. file not found: C:documents and settings\....\aecdetails.(mnu/mns/mnc)

[mjfarrell]

you may need to edit that ARG file so that current user nonsense
is correct for the username in question.


[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R16.1\ACAD-308:409\Profiles\Land Desktop]
""="LandDevelopmentDesktop"
"UserName"="Michael Farrell, "

[Mike.Perry]

in autocad in the "option" command under the files tab you can change the printer support file path. what this does is changes were autocad looks for plotter configurations, i.e. pen style tables, plotters, paper sizes......
Hi

I understand that, what I was trying to ask / say was -

What exactly happens when you repath your co-workers AutoCAD so it points to the Network location(s) for Plotters?

+

What do you mean by the following, please expand a little more -


When I try to reset the settings like i originally had done it changes the settings the setup on my computer
Have a good one, Mike

[PHOTOS4ME]

Hi

I understand that, what I was trying to ask / say was -

What exactly happens when you repath your co-workers AutoCAD so it points to the Network location(s) for Plotters?

+

What do you mean by the following, please expand a little more -


Have a good one, Mike

It resets all of the custom paper sizes. When you go to custom properties in the plotter configurations and scroll down to custom paper sizes to edit them. After setting these up one you can save the settings as a quick set. When one computer is correctly setup then go to setup the other computer using the same settings it sets the default settings for the plotter on the original computer

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Sorry I'm still not quite understanding....

Are you configuring / setting-up the Plotters individually on each PC (is the impression I get from the statement "When one computer is correctly setup then go to setup the other computer using the same settings....").

OR

Are you configuring / setting-up the Plotters once on the Network, then just pointing all AutoCAD User's to this centralized location (in my humble opinion a lot better method).

Personally I would go with the centralized Network setup; one person can set-up everything correctly; point all AutoCAD User's to the Network location(s); no AutoCAD User's will then need to change (or setup) any Plotter settings. Have a browse of the following threads (hopefully I'm not teaching you to suck eggs here) -

Multiple printer configuration file search paths (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=7057)

page setup (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=4773)

+

Searching the Forums for information on Networks / Plot / Plotters / etc will turn-up a lot more useful information on this subject -

Search Forums (http://forums.augi.com/search.php?)

Have a good one, Mike

[mjfarrell]

My thoughts on all this would be STOP configuring plotters on the workstations.
Place ALL of your standard Page Setups in your drawing templates.
These page setups would be created on a single workstation that has the correct
plotters installed and configured.
Thusly the user selects the desired Page Setup and plots to the network plotter
as defined in the page setup. And the individual workstations need not be configured
in any manner other that having the same UNC name for the plot devices in use.

[PHOTOS4ME]

It really doesn't have anything to do with the page setups from the drawing aspect using paper space tabs.
What I'm trying to accomplish is described on the autodesk website "use plotter configuration files from network". But when I setup one computer using the instructions it works fine on one computer. Then I go to the next computer and everything works fine except the custom paper sizes setup saved as a quick set are not the same. When I change the quick set to the correct setting it wants to change the *.pc3 file which in turn changes resets the paper sizes on the other computer.

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Am still not 100% sure what exactly you are doing when creating / setting-up your Plotters -

"....except the custom paper sizes setup saved as a quick set are not the same."

Can you please explain the above statement.

Reason - Custom Papers sizes should be saved to a PMP file that is associated with the Plotter (PC3 file).

Once these have been set-up once and placed on the Network, no!!! one should every need to touch them (apart from the odd bit of maintenance once in a blue moon).

The *only* thing that should need to be done on all AutoCAD workstations is to point AutoCAD to the new Network Plotter Locations / Paths -

Options -> Files tab -> Printer Support Path ->

Printer Configuration Search Path (PC3)

Printer Description File Search Path (PMP)

Have a good one, Mike

[PHOTOS4ME]

As easy as the solution was it eluded us all.
If it makes any difference I currently using Windows XP, Architectural Desktop 2004, and a HP Designjet 500 plotter.
When installing a plotter onto the computer you first set it up as a windows printer then using the add a plotter wizard set it up as a system printer as we all have done. What my problem was that I was altering the autocad plotter's properties by creating custom paper sizes then saving them by creating a "quick set" (which is located on the lower right side of the menu). Then changing the printable area of the paper. In doing this you have to rename or at least resave the pc3 file. When I was done the system worked as I wanted it to. Next I would go to the next computer and have to repeat the same steps. Then again having to save the pc3 file. This would change what I had already done to the first computer.
How to fix the problem was to open the plotter properties in the printers and faxes menu in windows and configure the plotter creating a quick set named the same for each computer, then open the plotter properties in autocad and change the printable area.

Thank you everybody for your helpful suggestions