FQuestions & Answers Plotting

Q: How can I send a file to my service bureau for pen plotting? A: Select Spool To Disk in the Plotter Setup dialog.

Q: Where do I install the Plot External Update? A: In PowerCADD, XTNL, Menus folder.

Q: In PowerCADD 3.0 text becomes distorted when plotting. A: Turn Menu Clock off. A: Update the Plot External.

Q: In PowerCADD 3.0 vertical line width is not correct when plotting. A: Update the Plot External.

Q: I have an HP DesignJet 650C plotter, can PowerCADD plot to this? A: PowerCADD's plotter drivers support the pen plotters using the HPGL and DMPL language. If you have the PostScript option with your plotter, you should Print instead of Plot.

Q: How do I make the plotting process speedier? A: There are many ways to decrease the time it may take to plot a file. 1. Go to the text options in the plot dialog and set the font size for using outline font to -1. This option will use the plotter's built in character set rather than PowerDraw's polygon character set. This option can significantly reduce the instructions sent to the plotter. Sometimes by a factor of 10 to 1. 2. PowerDraw allows the user to easily overlay filled objects in order to clip or hide various elements on screen. This can shorten the drawing process but can dramatically lengthen the time required to get the plot data in a format that is like what you see on the screen. To maximize speed you should avoid the on screen overlays as much as possible. 3. Some issues can cause the computer to think clipping is necessary when in fact it is not. An example is using border rectangles in the title block, convert to lines to avoid the clipping issue. 4. If the pens and line weights are not an exact match and they usually are not, four vectors are sent to the plotter instead of one. --or-- 4. The fastest way for the computer to decide which pen to use for plotting can be expedited by using line weights in the drawing matched to pen widths assigned in the plotter pens setup. Set pen selection to be width match in the plot dialog. This mechanism will accomplish two goals, minimize time taken to select correct pen and also to only stroke lines only one time.

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