Hi Steve and others: It looks like the text printing problem of DC drawings will not be easily solved. That's ok. What's really important is that the print shop is able to make good large copies of everything else. It is pretty easy to cut and paste text onto bond paper or use sticky back text on velum or mylar. Also, I can use the tried and true easy method of fotocopy enlargement of a drawing from my own printer.
But I really do appreciate all the hard work you and others have done to try to solve the file conversion and text problem. Yesterday I tried to e-mail an attachment of a DeltaCad drawing to a customer without success. First, I tried sending it as a DeltaCad file and then as a dxf. file. (maybe he's not doing it right?) He said that he wasn't able to open either one. Do you know of a way to e-mail DC drawing files to somebody who doesn't have DC? Thanks, John >> I'm wondering if anyone else on the List has followed your file conversion >> instructions and then atempted to have prints made and if they got the >same >> results as I did? > >John, this is exactly the issue I've been asking the list about over the >last couple of days. The only difference is that rather than get a paper >print from the shop, I used a "viewer" application which turns the plt file >back into a screen image. > >Today's reply from Ron tells us that we are not going to be able to resolve >the DeltaCad/HPGL issue directly. DeltaCad is not exploiting the HPGL method >fully/correctly. > >As I understand it, TIFF is an image compression method, and like all such >methods there will almost certainly be some loss of detail in the printouts >compared to a vector (line drawing) method such as HPGL. Perhaps that would >not matter to you, because the printout is only used as an engraving mask. >However, it could be troublesome to convert the drawings to TIFF in the >first place. Do you have any graphics packages besides the CAD ones? > >I have a couple of other ideas: > >a) Now that you know what type of printer is available at the shop, why not >use Ron's method but substituting their actual printer for the HP7585A? The >printer driver for OCE 9800 does not come with Windows 98, but you can >download it from http://service.oce.com/Drivers/ (in the second box, select >Windows Printing Solution). Unfortunately, you have to download 4 files, so >it will take quite a while to do it. > >The Designjet drivers are at >http://www.hp.com/cposupport/plotters/software/pl121en.exe.html but since >the Designjet seems to be an HPGL printer I don't think the results will be >any better than for the 7585A. > >b) Another way would be to print the drawing using the HPGL method, but >instead of putting the labels in the drawing you put in dots or lines which >act as place markers. Then print the labels in large lettering on your own >printer, and cut & paste them onto the blue print. > >Steve > > >
