Working with / setting up STB files for monochrome output

[andrewp]

help... i can't figure it out... i've been plotting for ever by color, and i understand how to manipulate it... but, it's time for me to learn to plot by style, and i just don't get it... i'm trying to create a "monochrome.stb", but it keeps plotting in color... i try to read the user's guide... no good... i've tried "convertctb"... no difference... course i don't know what i'm doing... and so i humble myself to the plotting gods...

thanks in advance...

[sinc]

Have you looked at the default "monochrome.stb" file that ships with Autocad? It has a single style in it, "Style 1", which probably does what you are looking for. We have a style in our company STB that is basically identical, except we call it "Black" instead of "Style 1".

[andrewp]

the monochrome.stb that i have must be corrupt... has about 6 styles and doesn't plot in monochrome...

if i preview while using a monochrome stb, shouldn't it preview in grayscale?

[sinc]

Depends on what you mean by "monochrome".

I tend to think of "monochrome" as meaning Black & White, and "greyscale" as something that includes shades between black and white.

To create an STB plot style that prints Monochrome (as I just defined it), it's pretty simple. A standard way is to create a new style with the following settings:


Color: BLACK
Enable dithering: your preference (probably ON)
Convert to grayscale: OFF
pen# settings: Automatic
Screening: 100%
Linetype: Use object linetype
Adaptive adjustment: your preference (probably ON)
Lineweight: Use object lineweight
Line End, Join, Fill styles: Use object style

To get greyscale, use basically the same settings as above, except for:


Color: Use object color
Convert to grayscale: ON

Both of these cause objects to get their lineweight from the object. Our usual process is to set individual objects' lineweights to "ByLayer", then use the lineweight setting in the Layer.

[andrewp]

sinc

that's the same way i've got it set up... still plotting in color... i must be an idiot... is there something else i'm missing? any variables in ACAD? see the attachments...

thanks for your help...

drew

[sinc]

How are you assigning your Plot Style to objects?

We typically have the Plot Style set to "ByLayer" in object properties for nearly all of our objects, and then select the Plot Style in the Layer Settings (i.e., each layer can have a different Plot Style). Look around for things set to the "Normal" plot style instead of your "Style1".

[andrewp]

that did it... i just changed all of the plot styles, in the layer manager, to "style-1"... don't know if that's the correct way to do it, but it did plot all black & white... i didn't know that you had to mess with the layer settings... i need to find out some more information on that so i know what i'm doing...

sinc,
thanks for your help... you've gottem me thru this road block... i'll try to learn more about plot styles...
drew

[ekubaskie]

Rodney McManamy has a monochrome STB file (even "Normal" prints black) you can download from the Cadzation site. Head for:

http://www.cadzation.com/

and go to the bottom of the downloads page.

[sinc]

You only need to change the Layer settings if you have the individual objects set to "ByLayer". This is usually the best way to go, except maybe if you are using one of the new products that use Styles.

Click on any object and look at its Properties. There's a Plot Style setting, which you probably have set to "ByLayer". You may not have ever noticed this property before, because with a CTB, it's always set to "ByColor" and you can't change it. (With STBs, there is no "ByColor" option, and with CTBs, everything is "ByColor".)

[sinc]

Rodney McManamy has a monochrome STB file (even "Normal" prints black)

I'll have to figure out how he did that. I've long wanted to be able to change the "Normal" plot style, and have been puzzled as to why Autodesk made it protected.

[sinc]

BTW, there are some bugs in the 2007 line of products with Named Plot Styles. Don't know if they've been fixed in 2008 or not.

First, blocks have an annoying tendency to come in with their Plot Style set to "Normal" instead of "ByLayer". Second, "ByBlock" doesn't seem to work for Plot Styles. In most cases, you can use "ByLayer" instead, and get basically the same results, but it can cause problems sometimes. (Similarly, there seem to be issues with setting the lineweight to "ByBlock".)

[tedg]

I don't know if this helps or even applies, but have you looked into the "convertctb" command? If you have a ctb file you like and use allot, and you're switching to stb, you can create an stb that mimics the ctb (not sure about color).

Type "convertctb" and select the one you want and give the new stb file a name, AutoCAD creates an stb based on you predetermined line weights in the ctb.

Then switch over to stb style of plotting "convertpstyles" and try your new stb file.

...or maybe you already know this?