Sending files to be Plotted

[darn]

i would like to use vw but i can't recomend it to my company without an easy way to send the cad files to a printing company for printing. adding $400 to the price of the software for a program like macplot doesn't seem like a good solution. would like to know how other vw users are sending their files to be printed.

[aersloat]

Send them as .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) files. There are several freeware/shareware pdf ripping programs available for macs and, I am sure, windows. On OSX, pdf generation is built in. I would recommend making sure that your service bureau have copies of the fonts your use as font embeddment does not always work depending on you rip method.

You could also send them as raw postscript (.ps). You can use GhostScript to preview them first if you want.

[Guest]

If you are using VW version 9.x, there is a free viewer available for download on our Downloads web page. This allows print service bureaus to download the viewer and print directly from the VW 9 application so that VW users don't have to send a different type of file to the service bureau

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Katie ]

[michaelcobb]

I don't know about you guys but I've had some real problems getting the buit in pdf function to work on OSX. I send all my work out to get plotted so its a pain to have to reboot my computer in OS 9 to make pdfs with my acrobat app. I read somewhere that if I have a printer that is OS X compatible and does post script this built pdf printing problem will go away but I haven't invested in the next printer yet and haven't had the time to spend tricking my computer into thinking I've got a PS savvy printer hooked up that is OSX compatible. Looks like my epson 1520 is gonna be obsolete here soon. Any recommendations for a comparable printer for OSX?

[MacDaid]

Hi Katie,

I'm trying to create correctly scaled PDF files from (MAC OS 9.1, G4 / OS 8.5, B&W G3) VW 9.0.1, that I can print to a remote PC format plotter.

I create a Postscript file by printing to the Adobe PS "Virtual Printer" driver, then open the PS file with Adobe Distiller to create the PDF.

The resulting PDF when opened in Acrobat is either undersized, or the page is oriented incorrectly, clipping the image. Or both. Orientation seems to be fixed by reversing the dimensions ( h x w ) in the Advanced Job Settings dialog in distiller, but the scaling remains incorrect.

Adobe Acrobat help online or provided documentation do not address this issue in any detail.

Is there any specific instruction set, or person with like experience to assist me with this?

Many thanks, in advance for any assistance.

Sincerely,

Charles Davidson davidsnn@theprdgroup.com