DWG To PDF.pc3 problem

[FazBear]

Stumped on this one!

 

I have set up an A3 size print style (420x297mm) with 5mm margins all around. i am plotting a drawing to its extents (400x277mm) which should leave 5mm between the drawing extents and the page margins. when i preview the page it looks perfect. however when i open the created .pdf the result is somewhat different. the spacing left to right is spot on but vertically the drawing is off the top of the page approximatly 15mm. i have tried many things to try centre the page but the closest i can get it is a 13mm margin at the bottom and 2mm margin at the top, achieved by unchecking the centre the plot box and inputting 0 for the y offset.

 

any help here would be greatly appreciated.

 

Regards

[Tiger]

Check the "Specify plot Offset relative to" in Options > Plot and Publish - that might be what's messing with your plots..

[FazBear]

Tiger

 

doesn't seem to make a difference, the output is the same. great idea tho, didn't think of that.

[Tiger]

It wasn't too long I was told (on this very forum ) to fiddle with that myself...

 

sorry, I can't think of anything else...

[NBC]

Have you checked what the margins are set to within the pdf printer itself ?

[Hedgehog]

I can't replicate your problem from the info you've quoted but I'd check that you're printing Extents & not Layout or Display... from what you've said tho' with the preview looking ok I'd say it's something to do with your pdf creator rather than AutoCAD. /edit as Blue says

[FazBear]

Not sure how to do this, if i goto the Plotter configuration editor/Device and document settings/Plotter Calibration the Calibrate plotter button is greyed out. Or am i barking up the wrong tree?

[Guest Alan Cullen]

All plotters have a plot origin offset. That's why there is the option to set it in the plot dialogue. What you have to do is figure out what that offset origin is.

 

What we do is draw up an A3 outline, then draw in lines through it north and south. And tick off mm marks starting at all the borders, then plot as normal. The plot will show you the offsets because that is where the mm marks will stop.

 

Hard to explain, but when you try it, you will immediately see what I am talking about.

[FazBear]

Ok

 

So once i determine how far the plotter callibration is out, how do i correct it?

[Guest Alan Cullen]

Just enter it here in the plot dialogue box:

 

[FazBear]

Thank you for your detailed reply however, it's not the solution to my problem. i am wanting to use an A3 paper size with custom margins but i cant get the drawing to align within the specified printable area!

 

i have a Printable area of (410x287) which is A3 minus 5mm margin all around. i have a drawing which extents are (400x277), in theory this should work perfectly as the print preview confirms.

 

The actual pdf output does not reflect the plot preview, it's as if their is a wider margin at the bottom of the page which i cannot control. the margin is approximatley 15mm. the only way to make the drawing central is to use a smaller drawing border and allow for a 35mm border at the top and 0 at the bottom which makes the drawing appear central in the pdf output and i know this doesn't add up but it is how it is. problem is i cannot change the drawing border as it is a standard (400x277).

[FazBear]

i have attached an example of whats happening.

 

the print preview.jpg is a screenshot of my print preview

the test.pdf is the pdf output

 

 

Notice the margin top and bottom!

test.pdf

[SLW210]

Open your plot window and select the plotter. Select properties, under the "Device and Document Settings" tab, select "Modify Standard Paper Sizes (Printable Area)" under "Modify Standard Paper Sizes" select "ISO A3 (420.00 x 297.00)", then select "Modify" and adjust your margins.

[FazBear]

thats what i have done to get the drawing central as the test.pdf

 

i have the margins set to 35 top, 5 right 5 left and 0 bottom as the print preview

shows. problem is the test.pdf doesn't reflect the margin properties as the print preview shows.

[SLW210]

Have you tried plotting another drawing to PDF to see if it offsets the same?

[FazBear]

yes, and the result is the same, i have also tried on a different computer. the problem must be the DWG To PDF.pc3

[nebthe]

so no solution to that yet?? I have the same problem and I've been switching all kind of settings in autocad all day long. I've set the margins for printable area to 0 but the pdf I get is totally wrong. the best result I got was with a landscape pdf instead of a portrait one and I have no idea how to keep the pdf rotated (yeah, I really want it portrait as it is for others to view). I'd really appreciate some help before I smash my computer...

[SLW210]

I would suggest using CutePDF or another free PDF program, problem seems to be the DWGtoPDF.pc3 that came with AutoCAD 2008.