I have lost all my line weights when plotting

[MGS]

Hi,

I am using 2008 and have been using AutoCAD for 25 years, so this is not me! Some months ago when plotting, all my plots started coming out very feint as if all the line weights were very thin - this just happened overnight. I couldn't sort this but I have an older pc using 2005 linked to my main one, and I could plot using this one as normal (I did try installing later versions on the main pc but all plots were the same). Now, the same thing seems to have happened with the older pc but in a different way, again overnight (last week all was well) - colours have altered slightly and line weights are all plotting as default. I must stress that I have been plotting the same way for years and have never had any problems, I haven't installed or uninstalled anything, nothing has changed - any ideas? Could this be this some sort of bug or virus?

[SLW210]

Does the print preview look good?

[ReMark]

I'd rule out bugs and viruses.

 

Generally speaking it is usually a Windows update that causes a "never-before-this" problem to suddenly appear or it is an OIE (Operator Induced Error).

[JD Mather]

Can you post a small file that exhibits this behavior?

[ReMark]

I've come across this once in a while when something in the Plot dialog box is either checked off inadvertently or not checked off when it should be. Ex. - Plot with plot styles under Plot Options.

[MGS]

Does the print preview look good?

 

The print preview is perfectly OK - it is just when it comes out on paper.......

[JD Mather]

The print preview is perfectly OK - it is just when it comes out on paper.......

 

Attach a small file that exhibits this behavior (you can delete all except a few representative lines, preferably with different line weights.)

[MGS]

dwg and pdf showing both outcomes attached.........the colour issue has receded, I think it might have been the plotter heads. This is the original issue, that means I cannot plot from my main pc. Both plots on the scan have come from the same drawing, but different pcs, but until a few months ago, both pcs would have produced identical plots.

test.dwg

test.pdf

[MGS]

by the way, the plotter set up on the newer version of AutoCAD was migrated from the older version, so all settings, files etc. are the same.....

[MGS]

I also forgot to mention that when I first had the initial problem causing the feint plot, I tried to plot with really wide line weights in different layers, but it didn't matter what I changed, it still came out the same.

[MGS]

.....and the newer pc with AutoCAD 2008 will plot pdfs perfectly OK (I do have all the later versions, but just like using 2008 )

[JD Mather]

This dosn't answer your question, but -

I noticed that in your layers you have all set to Default?

Are you controlling lineweight by color or by layer?

(I haven't controlled lineweight by color for years and years and years, so much easier to set up a template to control by layer.)

[MGS]

Because most of what I draw (topographic and building surveys) is line work and text, I only use three or four alternatives to default, and they are controlled by the various colours in the plot style table. This is what I played with to see if I could change anything on the feint plot, but nothing altered at all.

I do see the logic about controlling by layer, but it is just getting around to changing what I have been doing for years.............

[SLW210]

No problem here, I would say it is something in your custom .ctb.

[Enigma]

Scale lineweights not toggled on in the plot dialogue box? (or off depending on your original set up)

[JD Mather]

Because most of what I draw (topographic and building surveys) is line work and text, I only use three or four alternatives to default, ...

 

I would use layer controlled lineweight for any case - much easier.

Since they introduced it I never looked back.

Everything is set in my template - set it and forget it, everything always plots out perfectly that I don't even bother with plot preview anymore.

 

Keep looking around for the solution.

[MGS]

Scale lineweights not toggled on in the plot dialogue box? (or off depending on your original set up)

 

Thanks for that - I haven't a clue how it was toggled off, but that has worked - so simple!

 

Thanks for your help

[MGS]

I would use layer controlled lineweight for any case - much easier.

Since they introduced it I never looked back.

Everything is set in my template - set it and forget it, everything always plots out perfectly that I don't even bother with plot preview anymore.

 

Keep looking around for the solution.

 

 

Thanks JD, I will have a play with the layer controls - which takes preference when you plot, the layer controls or the custom ctb?