Creating PLT files for use with Reprodesk and Oce 9800/9600

[email.72718]

Ok,

I know it's been brought up before but I need some clarification. As we're switching over to Revit, the overly complex but useful AutoCAD plot dialog has been replaced with the not-so-thought-out, not-meant-for-plotting Revit print dialog.

All I need is a printer that will consistently produce HPGL/2 PLT files containing vector and occasionally raster data.

When I use the HP 750c+ drivers for windows 2000 I get upside plot files that have been shifted over.

The upside down part was resolved in AutoCAD by printing upside down. I don't see an option for that in Revit.

The margin problem is something else. I've tried custom paper sizes with zero margins and they preview correctly, but when I put it into Reprodesk, they shift over.

The HP 600 driver doesn't support raster images and pretty much anything higher than a 750 creates PLT files that Reprodesk doesn't know what to do with.

Oce's website appears to only have raster drivers which are a pain to use since the plot files triple in size and time to process.

I have read where people create PDFs or DWFs and then use those. I have 65 users who are not going to want to add three more steps to printing out their drawings. If anyone knows a way to make a highly-compatible, predictable HPGL/2 PLT file from Revit that can immediately and reliably put into Reprodesk 4.25 or 4.30, I love to know.

If there is a generic HPGL/2 driver to use I greatly appreciate it. I'm almost to the point where I long for HDI drivers and PC3 files!

Help!

Thank you very much,

Thom K.

[aaronrumple]

Printing to our HP 1155 is flawless, but we use a Xerox 8830 for production.

The HP 750 and 600 are lower end HP plotters. They and their drivers have limits. On of the issues with these plotters when printing CAD drawings is that the leading and trailing edges have different margins. This means that you must plot upside down to get the margins to print correctly

So I'd start with a HP 775 CM/PS as a bottom end driver. One of the higher end plotters such as the HP 1155 or 2500 series would probably be even better. However that doesn't mean that these will be compatible with your print service drivers/plotter. If they are using an OCE - check the other discussions here. There are others having success, so maybe they can help.

Plotting to PDF and sending those is faster for me. You area still just printing to file. Same as sending a plot to PLT, just that you are using PDF. Plus I can preview the plot before sending if I need to. And I can archive the plot job with something both I and the client can view later.

You might also consider DWF if PDF and PLT don't give you the results you want.

[SkiSouth]

Took a second to find it, but here's my post from a year or so back. I still use the same plotting service with the OCE 9800...

Our print shop uses the Oce 9800 plotter. I just called and confirmed they don't do anything else to my plots other than load them in repro and then run them.

I use the "outdated" Oce 2.8.2 Raster Driver, downloaded from the Oce website. - (I think I still have the zip file if its not still on the website)
Specifically:

1. Set the plotter up as a Oce 9400 NOT an Oce 9800.
2. Under the Printer preferences - Finishing MUST be set up in all categories as Printer Default.
3. Turn Remote Control Header Present OFF.
4. Plot to a file as your Port.
5. Send your plots to your local print shop for HPGL2 Happiness..

Just a note, a pen weight of less than .01 has a tendency on the Oce's to greyscale. ( A percentage of the line is lost due to resolution of width). It's still prints - just not a solid line.

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Oh, and I use View companion to preview the plots to be sure I haven't screwed the job (mixing Acad and Revit).

[Wes Macaulay]

Ah - so this is what you meant when you were talking about the "9400 setup" in that other thread that Cathy H started!

And Thom, as far as I know Oce plotters rasterize everything unlike the HP plotters which are generally vector-based plotting.