Plotter Lineweights?

[bleeargh]

I have a client who has installed 2005 on his machine and is having problems with lineweights. He has an HP Laserjet plotter. We have set up a plot style where every color has the following criteria:

Color: black
Dither: on
Grayscale: off
Pen #: automatic
Virtual Pen #: automatic
screening: 100
Linetype: use object linetype
adaptive: on
Lineweight: (varies depending on color)
Line end style: use object end style
Line join style: use object join style
Fill style: use object fill style

He will never be doing color plots on his plotter. He wants everything to be black. The problem he is encountering is when he picks and uses his custom made .ctb file the defined lineweights are not being plotted. The plots show only a constant lineweight. Also the plot preview shows all the individual colors of the drawing rather than all the lines being black. When you zoom into the plot preview to examine the line widths they are all the same. It strangely looks like the default acad.ctb file is being used rather than the one we created. However, I have checked the path that autocad is using to look for his plot styles and we have placed the .ctb file in the correct spot. Any ideas? What are we missing?

[hazardman]

Pen #: 7
Virtual Pen #: 7

lineweight might be set too thin for you to notice them...

[bleeargh]

thanks for the reply, however all the linetype widths we used in the new .ctb file were functional on his old R14 version. Also, according to the Autocad manual one shouldn't have to denote a pen number if you don't have a pen plotter. My client has a laserjet plotter.

[hazardman]

sorry, i've been doing that for years (left over legacy i suppose)...i think what you have done with the *.ctb file is correct...now i'm suspecting the plot object lineweights is checked on rather then the plot with plot style on the plot settings tab of the plot dialog...

[ReMark]

Another option would be to use the monochrome.ctb plot style table. When he "previews" his drawing everything should be shown in black.

As for the actual lineweights. Use the Edit button to the right of the plot style table. On the Form View tab look down the list until you come to the option Lineweight. It's possible this is set, for all colors, to "Use Object Lineweight". I suggest changing this to an actual lineweight (for example: 0.5mm) for each color used in the drawing. When done click on Save & Close.

Give it a try and let us know the results. Good luck.

[bleeargh]

Thanks for the reply ReMark. What you have suggested is exactly the way I create my .ctb files, although I set it for inches rather than millimeters.
Over the weekend I figured out what the problem was. His AutoCad WAS using the default acad.ctb file. Even though you could see the .ctb file we created in the plot style table within the plot dialogue box, his Autocad oddly was looking in a different place. Since it wasn't finding the one we created it referred back to the default which was the acad.ctb. I went into the "options" under "files" and found where his autocad was looking for it's plot styles and redirected the path to where AutoCad typically places it's plot styles. I realize I said in my original post that I had checked the paths, but apparently I wasn't looking hard enough at the path name. It doesn't help when Autocad uses these insane folder locations. Get a load of this path name!

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2005\R16.1\enu\plot styles

What happened to the days when Autocad would just put all the information it needed under c:\program files\autocad\......?

I digress.........Anyway, problem solved. Thanks for your posts.

[StaticElectricityMan]

I have had/am having that same problem. Can you describe where you found these settings? Is it the Options under Tools? Or is this File area you are describing elsewhere? This could solve a 4 month problem for us here :unsure:

[bleeargh]

In Autocad 2005 you can either type in "_options" (without the quotes) or you can go to the pull down menus. You can find "options" as the last choice under the "tools" pulldown menu. Either way, you get a dialogue box with a bunch of tabs near the top. Choose the upper left tab that says "files." This is the area where you dictate to Autocad where to look for templates, plotters, plot styles, menus and just about everything else it needs to runs itself. If my memory serves me, the earlier versions of Autocad used the word "preferences" rather than "options" under the tools pulldown. Regardless, under the "files" area there should be a listing that says "Plot and Publish log file location." This is where autocad looks for its plot styles. It think it will also look for them in the userdatacache. You might run a search on your computer for *.ctb to find exactly where all your .ctb files are being placed. If you do this, make sure you tell your search to look in the system folders and for hidden files and folders.
I'm rambling.........anyway, to make a long story short, once you find the "plot and publish log file location"
1. make sure it's looking in the plot styles folder
2. put your custom made .ctb file in that folder
3. restart autocad
You should now see your .ctb file as an option in the "plot style tables" in the plot dialogue box.

If your autocad still insists on using the default acad.ctb file, a rather radical fix is to move every single .ctb file other than your custom made one into a folder that Autocad doesn't recognize. Autocad will have no choice but to use your custom .ctb.

[StaticElectricityMan]

Hm, I neglected to mention that I am using 2005, sorry heh. I am having the exact same problems with a solitary lineweight throughout. I checked in the Options under Files and went to the Plot and Publish File location and it has this listed:

C:\Documents and Settings\Josh\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2005\R16.1\enu\

There is also another option further up under the Printer Support File Path and in that is another option Plot Style Table Search Path...in there it is displaying the correct path to where my plot styles are located.

Does the Plot and Publish File location need to be the same as the Plot Style Table Search Path? I have always seen my Plot Styles in the Dropdown menu, it just never plots out as I've laid out. And also, I too am using an HP...specifically the HP 755CM. I tried changing drivers to no avail either.

***Update***
Well, I went ahead and tried it anyways...still a single lineweight. Not sure why. Very frustrating. Link to my original post describing exactly what I did/tried/etc...
http://cadtutor.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4221&highlight=

[bleeargh]

Whoops, your right StaticElectricityMan. (man, that's kinda fun to say. Should be said with a super hero sort of voice) AutoCad looks in the "plot style table search path" for it's .ctb files not in the "plot and publish file." My mistake. You could still try the radical method I mentioned.

[StaticElectricityMan]

I will try that in a little bit and see if that works. In the meanwhile, something jacked up all my command shortcuts...*sigh*