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Line Weight


Bud in PA

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I'm using AutoCad Release 13. Is there a way to increase line weight? I'm converting my drawings to a .pdf file so that they can be printed at a local printer who doesn't have AutoCad. When they plot my converted files, the lines are barely visible and get less so when the drawing is enlarged. Thanks for your help.

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In release 13, lineweights were handled by associating a colour with a pen number, and then put a pen of the required width in the carousel.

 

How are you getting a PDF? If you set up the correct sheet size, then the plot should have lines of the correct width.

 

However, if you set up a PDF for an A4 sheet, and then plot it on an A0 sheet, the lines will be thin.

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I'm pretty sure "Plot Styles" were in 13. Don't have time to check right now but a PDF driver wasn't available or it really sucked. There are free options to using such old software that might make you life easier than trying to get what you want out of that dinosaur. Check out Draftsight and Cute PDF.

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Do the PDFs look correct on your computer screen?

 

What program are you using to plot to PDF?

 

Are you plotting in color or black and white (monochrome or grayscale)?

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It's not a line weight issue. If you take a photograph and zoom in then the image starts to blur and become pixelated. Same thing is happening here. Setup the layout according to what your printed output is to be then convert. You can't enlarge a pdf you can only zoom. Some converted pdf's can adjust their line weight depending on how far they are zoomed in but I don't think R13 can convert that data for pdf's.

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Since R13 doesn't have a pdf file converter, I'm using ZUMAR, a free online .dwg to .pdf converter. The converted files display normally on screen and I can zoom in without losing any clarity. I send the .pdf files to a local printer to print 18x24 C size drawings. The larger prints are sized correctly, have sharp lines, but the lines are washed out and barely visible. I can print them in either B/W or color scaled-to-fit on 8x11 paper on my HP-960c. They are clear and the colors are normal but of course they are not readable. I did find the system variable POLYWID which can be used to change poly line widths so I thought there must be a variable for line widths. I'm just experimenting with this approach to see if I can get it to work. I know I could send my .dwg files to a drafting service and have them use a CAD plotter but this is expensive for the little amount of work I have. My drawings are drawn full size 160' by 120'. Yes I am a dinosaur - been retired for 10 years now. Just willing to try different things. Thanks for all your comments/assistance. If you have any other thoughts, let me know.

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How strong is your AutoCAD background? Can you verify that "Plot Styles" are or are not available in R13 and that you know how to use them?

 

When I don't have a large format printer available for test plots, I plot a part of the drawing at the proper scale.

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Not strong but "Plot Styles" are not available in R13. If I had a plotter, I would have to go into "Options" and then use "Configure" to set it up as an available plotter. I can print a portion of the drawing (zoom in and print the display) as you do without difficulty. Just trying to experiment with the pdf conversion which I think would work if I could just figure out how to increase line weights in R13. Thanks

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I would still go with my original advice. Get the newer, free, software. It would be much easier for us to help you out. Not many here have even seen R13.

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Thinking back pretty sure R13 supported windows printer drivers, you have not mentioned what operating system but I guess XP, you will need to download say the correct Cutepdf driver and then as already suggested configure cutepdf as a printer then as part of the plot configuration you should be able to set up pen thickness, another method maybe download the Autocad free viewer "Trueview" and plot pdf from that.

 

Just went looking for the install manual I have full set disks etc one but I think its in that cupboard that you open and throw stuff on top of the pile.

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R13 was based around pen plotters, so even for raster printers such as laser or electrostatic printers, which do not have physical pens, you plotted various line widths by assigning a pen width to a colour.

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I downloaded Draftsight, opened and saved my ACAD files as .pdf files in C size drawings. Was very easy. Next I'll see how they print at my local print shop. Did notice that I have the option of increasing line weights now. Thanks Rob and all for your help.

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