Plotting problems - out of center

[Grenco]

Here is my second question on this forum.

 

Our company owns a OCE TDS 700 plotter. Very handy piece of equipment! Except one thing. When we plot with autoCAD 2009, some kind of way the plotted layout is moved. It's totally out of center (while "center the plot" is on).

 

I used plot offset to place the plot manualy in the center;

X= -1.41
Y= -4.00

 

But that's not a way to solve te problem because the plot is still not perfect filled all over the paper. It looks like the margins are the problem. The outsides of the paper aren't plotted. I also checked if the paperroll is placed well in the plotter and it was correctly in center.

 

If I go to the "Plotter Configuration Editor" en look for the standard used papersizes I see this;

Width: 841.0mm Height: 594.0mm
LR: 0.0, -0,0mm Printable Area: 841.0mm x 594.1mm

I presume that "LR: 0.0, -0.0" is the same as the Plot offset? So that couldn't be the problem.

 

When I went to my colleague wich is the administrator of our computers and printers/plotters, he said the plotter was correctly set. (not seen with my own eyes )

 

What other settings can I check??? I'm not plot-proffesional :wink: but maybe our plotter isn't able to plot on the full paper surface (borders/edges) because it's own restrictions? Every idea is welcome!

 

thnx!

[feargt]

Am not in the office today but we use the OCS TDS 500......and don't have this problem so it must be just some setting.

 

Although when we are plotting, we always plot a .plt file first and then send this to the plotter over an internet program where we can control how it prints, ie borders, leading edges, trailing edges etc. I can't imagine a newer version of the plotter having less functionality.

[Grenco]

Thnx for your reply feargt,

 

I've been looking for the problem and plotted different papersizes. Format A0, A1 is perfectly plotted. The A2 paperroll was filled outlined on it's own roll, I corrected it in the plotter so the paper is outlined and not the roll where the paper is on.

 

I guess somewhere in transportation when some people are throwing around our paperrolles the paper is moved on it's own roll. Hard to see.

 

But then we have one format wich is still plotted out of center. A3 is plotted on a different printer. A OCE VP1055. There is only one way to refill the paper but it's still out of center. It makes no sense I guess we have to correct it every time. The A3 form isn't a much used form in our company.

 

Anyway, The TDS isn't the problem anymore :wink:

[mxpxh2o]

Are you plotting using a window,extents, layout? Is this happening with every drawing or just one or a few?

[Grenco]

Our standard is "Layout". But I will check it when I've got the time to test them all.

[Oce]

There are 2 ways to center your plot. You can do it in AutoCAD or in the driver.

I think you have done it on the plot screen of AutoCAD and not in the driver.

Try to set it als in the driver. Go to the plot screen, select your printer, go to properties. Push the button custom properties, tab Layout -> transformation -> more and select by alignment CENTRE. The output of you printpreview will than be centred on the paper.

 

Best Regards,

Oce.