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Plotter Configuration Files

swcalvert

New member
I'm getting around to setting up some .pcf's and I need a little help, please. I'm using Wildfire but I'm sure this pretains to 2001 as well.



I figured out how to create and save my .pcf's and I've been able to set up X and Y offsets but I can't seem to get the windows_print_mamager to recognize my plotter by name. What name is it looking for, full path name or share name? Can someone show me an example?



A little more info: HP750c plotter



Steve C
 
Here is my default.pcf file:



plotter HP7595A

button_name HP7595A

plot_drawing_format yes default

pen_table_file G:\solid\drw_files\table.pnt

plot_access create

plotter_command windows_print_manager \\AB\HP_755_PLOTTER

plot_names yes

plotter_handshake software

plot_scale fit_paper

paper_size_allowed A0 A1 A2 A3 variable

plot_sheets all default



I actually tell Pro/E that the plotter is an old HP7595A 8 pen plotter even though it is an HP 755 inkjet. I do this because the pen weights and margins seem to come out better. The print que is on server AB which is why you see the \\AB\HP_755_PLOTTER path name for windows print manager.
 
I'm concerned about the HP7595A plotter that you call out in your \\AB\printer_name (HP_755_PLOTTER) path. Is that the actual printer name or is the 'share' name, because this is what I'm after?



thanks,



Steve C
 
Steve,



What kind of network are you using? If it is Novel there are some special things you have to do and I would suggest having your Novel administrator help you with the syntax. Just ask him/her how to print from the command line to your HP750c plotter.



If you aren't using Novel, the syntax of the command is:



windows_print_manager ///



I use the Windows Print Manager for printing, not plotting. I would suggest not going through the Windows Print Manager when plotting. The Print Manager seems to ignore .pcf settings. For instance, you offset or rotate a plot via the .pcf file but the Windows Print Manager usually ignores these settings.



So I would suggest using the following syntax:



print ///



print is a command line function for sending prints to a printer/plotter. It doesn't control document formatting like Windows Print Manager. Thus settings you set in your .pcf file won't be overridden.



Hope this helps.
 
I'm on an NT network so I would suppose that what dr_gallup has said would be true, however, any attempts so far have failed. I'm having no problems (almost none) with using .pcf files. It seems that I need to set the paper size to be bigger than the format size to get it to NOT clip off the sides of my format.



Way to much effort just to get plots out...



thanks,



Steve C
 
The server AB is a Novel server, so the syntax may be different if the plotter is connected to a Windows server. The Novel print que is named HP_755_PLOTTER so the path to the plotter is \\AB\HP_755_PLOTTER. The plotter is an HP 755CM inkjet plotter. I just tell Pro/E it is an HP7595A because we used to have one and I had everything set up to plot perfectly every time. I tried to set Pro/E up to send postscript files configured for the 755 to the 755 and could not get everything to work. So I reverted to my 7595 setup which the 755 will happily emulate.



Hope tis helps.
 
I think because the name of your plotter has underscores in its name and my doesn't, this is where something is wrong. I'm working with PTC tech support and will try to figure it out from there, also.



thnaks a bunch,



Steve C
 
Do any of you know if you can put an IP address in the command line to have Pro-E ignore the windows print manager and just send the file to the plotter/printer?


My company is in the process of finally switching from UNIX machines to PC's and this is one area where the system folks are clueless! I have worked in environments before where we sent the file to the printer name, but never an IP address. So far, we only have to PC's running Wildfire, but hope to have another 5 or more by the end of the week and then continue to do more and more until we are done upgrading.





Thanks!


Scott
 

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