| Tips & Techniques Plot, plotting, IntelliCAD, printer, line weight
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Success in making
"plots" through printer plotting software is largely based on the settings used
in IntelliCAD. It is easy to create a screwy plot file and then blame the plot software
for not working. The relationship of
entity to color to layer is complex and outside the scope of this discussion. Other
articles in Design Drawing already address this topic and more will in future. Suffice it
to say that when you have created a drawing in IntelliCAD, it will be comprised of a bunch
of lines in different colors. Depending on the plot driver you use to create the plot
file, the plot file format will be either HPGL or HPGL/2. With an HPGL file, the
only way plotters (real or virtual) know how to plot different linetypes (thick, thin or
colored) is by mapping the pen attributes to the line color. HPGL/2 files cam encode the
pen thickness (and other attributes) in the file.
A plot direct to a Windows printer from
IntelliCAD produces a drawing with lines all the same weight. The width is also the
thinnest line the printer can produce. The higher the resolution of your printer, the
finer the line. The result is a drawing that is hard to read and nigh impossible to
reproduce. |
Plotter hardware can also map dashed or chained
linetypes to colors as well, but for preference this function should be done in the CAD
software . After all, if you want to plot a dashed line you usually want to see it dashed
on your screen.
The IntelliCAD print dialog has a checkbox for
"Printed line weight" which accepts a numeric value. The value you enter there
equates to the number of pixels the printer will use for the line width. You still end up
with a drawing that has all lines the same weight. |
The method to create plot files for printer output
with IntelliCAD is...
- Install either a Windows HP 7574A plotter driver or
the WinLINE driver as supplied with IntelliCAD and as described in the docs
- The Plotter driver will be configured to write to
FILE: rather than a serial or parallel port
- In IntelliCAD with your drawing loaded, define the
target printer (File > Print Setup...) to HP 7574A
- Set the target page size and orientation and click OK
- Then select File > Print
- In the dialog box uncheck all boxes except
"Center on page"
- Uncheck all radio buttons except "All
entities..."
- Select the appropriate print area.
- Plotting from Paperspace the plot scale should be 1:1
The print preview should confirm your best
intentions... and the plot file will be generated for post-processing and output to
whatever device. The file you have created is in HPGL format.
If you have a printer or plotter that accepts HPGL,
you could have sent the file directly to the device. If you printer does not support HPGL
and most modern inkjets do not unless they are specifically intended for engineering
plotting, you must post-process the HPGL file with printer/plotter software.
.A drawing with line weight (this one was
produced on an HP DeskJet) from IntelliCAD via printer/plotter software. It looks better,
it reads better. It is easy to create. |
A selection of suitable software products is dealt
with in Printer/Plotter Software for AutoCAD elsewhere in Design
Drawing.
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