Anyone with HP Designjet (750c) Plotter Experience?

[GWRdriver]

My 20 year old HP Designjet 600 recently died and I've replaced it with a Designjet 750c (D-size) and I have a couple of setup questions I can't find answers to.

1. Despite being set to "Mono" (vs. Color) it continues to print in color, in the colors of the lines in my cad program screen line preferences. How do I set it to plot all-black? (I draw on a black screen so I can't set the Cad line preference to all-black.)

2. Even if I plot a very small image it will spool out a full 36" sheet before cutting. How do I set it to spool out only the paper required by the image before cutting?

 

[woodnut]

From my limited knowledge of CAD, I think the print setting in CAD might be over righting the printer settings.



John

 

[dwentz]

I do not know on the all black setting but we had the feed problem with some software at work and a 750c. It tuned out to be a setting in the software based on where the origion of the page was. The test print from windows only spooled 11 inches of paper. if that's the case then check the software.

Dale

 

[Mosey]

We have an HP Designjet 500.
To control color to B&W, go to your plotter in the printer plotter selection page from your desktop.
Open the plotter configurstion by double clicking, and go to the tab called "Device and Document Settings".
Then, below under "Custom Properties", click it, and go to "Color" tab at top. Click it.
Now, take your pick "Grayscale" or "True Black".
That should do it.
You might want to explore doing it from AutoCAD or whatever, and set up a plot config file. Lots of work, but worth it.
Let me know off forum for more help if you want.
As for paper size, try to use little cut sheets, and select your sheet when you choose to plot from within your CAD software.


Good luck!
Mosey

 

[JorgensenSteam]

Create a new pen table, and assign all of the pens a black color.
I sometimes assign all the line widths to Pen2 also.
I call my pen table ALLPEN2BLACK.

When you go to plot, select the pen table that you created.

Select the 750c from the selection of plotter configurations, or load that plotter configuration if you do not have it.
Then select properties for that plotter, and you can set up your paper size.

Lastly, under Paper Size, select the paper size you are using, and set the Plot Scale to the approriate size, ie: 1:1, 1:96, etc.

This is for AutoCad 2004, but other versions should be similar.

Use the Full Preview button to make sure you have it set right.

I can send you a pen table if you can't get it.

Pat J

P.S. - With an all black pen table, you can still use the normal screen colors that you wish to use.
I also run a black background, but use line colors extensively.
If you want to print in color, then make a color pen table, and use that to print.

Edit 02: Looks like you have to load the driver before you will get 750c in the autocad list. If you don't have the driver, then you can download it from HP.

 

[GWRdriver]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try these out as soon as I have an opportunity to sit down and concentrate on it for a while.

 

[Mosey]

The color of plots is controlled by the Plot Style used when plotting. You can control color output either of 2 ways.
A. Color-dependent Plot Styles (xxxxxxxxx.stb)
B. Named Plot Styles (xxxxxxxxx.ctb)

Colors, as well as other properties of things you draw, can be assigned by you to objects OR to layers.
In that way you can control an object's print color by putting it on a "red", green, or any color layer, and all stuff on that color layer prints the same,
or,
Named plot styles can be assigned to an object independent of it's color.
Then, you make a either a Color-dependent Plot style table, or a Named Plot Style table, telling your file how to print things
There is a (color-dependent) plot style table supplied by Autodesk called "monochrome.ctb, already in your system, and it plots everything black regardless of it's color. Give it a try.

 

[GWRdriver]

There is a plot style table supplied by Autodesk called "monochrome.ctb, already in your system, . . .

I recognize that style name, I've seen it in passing, I'll look for it and see what I can do.

Update: I had completely forgotten about a little command called "hpconfig" which in older Autocad vers brings up a control box for HP plotters where many plot parameters can be set, including color/mono. This hasn't taken care of the spool and cut setting but it took care of setting all to black pen.