Plotting large image

how do i have the cpu process a plot instead of the plotter?

You want to slect "plot to file". Or are you talking about "spooling" a plot?

i think it's spooling a plot through the cpu because it takes to long to let the plotter process the image. maybe because the plotter is deficient in ram?

We have a HP DesignJet 500 24" Plus with a 16MB add-in HP/GL2 card. It definitely helps. Yes, there is an option for enabling plot spooling plus one for plotting in the background.

In AutoCAD look at Tools > Options > Plot and Publish. Look under Background Processing Options.

In Windows click on Start > Printers and Faxes. Find your printer/plotter. Right-click on it and select Properties. Spooling options should appear on the "Advanced" tab.

Those are the only two places I know of.

thanks for the help.

16Mb? Ours has over 1Gb.

Yes, 16MB. We are a small engineering office. Most of our drawings are for in-house use only. They primary consist of P&IDs, PFDs, building layouts, site plans and the occassional fabrication drawing.

Used to work on one drawing that was 36 inchs by 20 feet long. About two minutes after noon, I would hit the button for a print. We used an H-P 650c at the time (with standard load of memory) off a server. It would take better than 35 minutes to get off the roll, and could easily have lunch in the time it was plotting.

Via using the server for point of connection, it slowed some data retrival and distribution down, but otherwide worked OK. It made the ink cartridge essentially boil once done too.

Wm.