Printing to HP500

[Herman]

I'm trying to print to the HP 500 and it is blocking text and/or not printing them out at all. Not sure what to do...maybe driver problem?

Win 2000

VW 10

[bclydeb]

Hopping into the fray - I have several comments which may or may not help.

I just bought a 500PS 24" equipped with the Jet direct plus spent the extra bucks for the HPGL2 card so I could boost the memory to the max at the plotter.

Since the PS model is supposed to support the Mac I expected the HP ps software to run fairly well out of the box and I would be up and plotting.

No dice - it only loads under "Classic" and only plots after checking the "run in classic" mode in the VW 10.x get info.

The plot only plots one sheet - hangs using the "print sheets" function in VW. In one sheet at a time mode VW bombs out just at the end of the spool. The ps driver (apparently by Adobe for HP) chugs the spool and finally dumps it into the HP plot Utility (HP Designjet 500PS) and sends to the plotter. Most everything works and plots OK with the exception of callout text which has been fliped or the arrow repointed in another direction.

Man, I'm making this a long comment - Do any of you other 500/800 and 500/800PS folks have the extra costHPGL2 cards and added memory?

I will make another post to comment on the Windows problems.

[bclydeb]

More Hopping In - this time about Windows, VW and The 500PS.

I also run the VW windows on one machine. An IBM Netvista 2 1/2 Years Old using WinNT2000Pro. 768MB RAM, rage graphics card.

I did not experience any setup problems, and pulled my VW files from the mac to the PC. The HP PS software for the plotter plots well - no problems except for the same Callouts. Fonts are coordinated using the VW dialog tool which asked for selecting WinMach fonts to coorespond with what I have on the Mac.

Plotting exhibites the same phenomena of VW bombing on trying to spool using the "Print Sheets" feature. However one at a time off the screen - no print sheets dialog - and the plot spools fine. VW Win 10.1 keeps it's cool and the plot comes out fine - except the Callouts some are flipped upside down or 90 degreed mirror readable text. Leonardo da Vinci would have loved it!

The major problem is the driver software for the 500PS substitutes plain jane fonts for my carefully orchestrated set of Peignot Medium, Century Schoolbook and Arial.

At least I get a plot I can use. I find it really really interesting that HP ships with a new plotter (three weeks old) the Mac software designed to run it runs only in a Mac 8.5 environment - several technology ages behind. And when the Windows version of the software runs, it is unable to plot well except when using ACAD.

[bclydeb]

I have not had the major bombs on the WinMach like most of your posts - could it be I am running the HPGL2 "extra cost" card and more memory?

I found the Callout notation problem - when I do get info and check the box to always left justify text - bingo - No more Da Vinci text - all is correct.

In the HP software "advanced" setup I find I can download fonts to the plotter. So maybe the text styles will become what I want them to be. This is likely only a feature of the 500ps software.

Finally - For the Mac users with 500's and 500 ps's - I have found that the old Microspot folks have a new 'rip' software which supposedly works with everything up through OSX and supports a range of HP plotters including the 500 and 800 series. They give a discount to those who own the earlier MacPlot graphic Pak software. I am waiting for my copy to arrive and will report on whether this is a potential solution to the fuss.

The product is called "Microspot X-Rip".

One caveat - ya gotta have the HPGL2 extra cost card.

You can contact them at:

sales@macroenter.com (Macro Enter Corporation)

But maybe you should wait to see if I have success with it first.

[Kurt Magness]

Try gimpprint it is free and I beleive supports the 500 or 800. check other posts on older designjet printing for gimpprint web site

[bclydeb]

re: Katie's solution "try checking disable driver text rotation ?

I have already tried that and it did not work in every case - just 50% or so. When I check the left justify text box in the VW Callout options, it gives 100% correctly reading text in the printed/plotted callouts, whether or not disable driver text rotation is on or off.

In testing the combo with both Callout Left Justify and disable driver text rotation on all other funny text rotation is gone too.

[Guest]

You can also fix the text flip by check marking "Disable driver text rotation" in the Print Dialog box.

This is under "VectorWorks" in the drop down box under Mac OS. It's in the plain Print dialog under Windows OS.