Can't print from VW 9.5 beta

[MikeB]

A continuing issue for us from 9.0 to 9.0.1 and now 9.5 is the inability for us to print to our hp 600 using Power Plot on a mac network. In 9.0.1 I was able to use the RTL driver instead of the GL2, although I had to creat a plot file and send it using Send Plot. Now in 9.5 I cannot print at all. I know Power plot is an old printer driver, but it has worked well up through 8.5.2.

Does anyone else use Power Plot and are you experiencing the same problems?

[Matthew Giampapa]

Mike,

We only support print drivers that are currently being supported/maintained by the provider. Since PowerPlot is no longer being sold (and to my knowledge has not been for some time), it is no longer a product we test for compatibility with.

If you are looking for a Mac based plotting solution, I would recommend a native PostScript plotter, or MacPlot and a MacPlot supported HPGL/2 printer.

Matthew Giampapa

Technical Support

quote:

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Originally posted by MikeB:

A continuing issue for us from 9.0 to 9.0.1 and now 9.5 is the inability for us to print to our hp 600 using Power Plot on a mac network. In 9.0.1 I was able to use the RTL driver instead of the GL2, although I had to creat a plot file and send it using Send Plot. Now in 9.5 I cannot print at all. I know Power plot is an old printer driver, but it has worked well up through 8.5.2.

Does anyone else use Power Plot and are you experiencing the same problems?

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[MikeB]

Matthew, thank you for the reply. Thats what I suspected, but I figured it couldn't hurt to at least ask the question.

[canarch]

Matthew i have jsut installed the 9.5 beta and have found that i can not print using the latest Macplot 5.1.2 to my hp750c plotter. once i have selected the plotter in the chooser and go to page set up the top line states that it is an unsupported plotter.

is this a problem with trying to use hp-2gl instead of selecting the raster version. if so can we expect a fix from vw or will this again have to come from macplot.

to be honest i'm getting tired of upgrading vw and then waiting for macplot to upgrade before i can print.

any suggestions or clarification would be welcomed.

alistair

quote:

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Originally posted by Matthew Giampapa:

Mike,

If you are looking for a Mac based plotting solution, I would recommend a native PostScript plotter, or MacPlot and a MacPlot supported HPGL/2 printer.

Matthew GiampapaTechnical Support

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[Matthew Giampapa]

We currently know about a problem with MacPlot 5.1.2 and all Carbon applications. There is an additional resource which the printer driver must supply in order to work correctly. A large number of print drivers were broken by this, but it is a relatively minor change for the people who write the driver.

We have already been in contact with MicroSpot about this, and they are now aware of the problem. They are currently working with Apple to update their software to work applications using the Carbon printing API.

Unfortunately, I do not know how MicroSpot will be handling distribution of this update. Believe it or not, we do not try to break the MacPlot driver with each release of VectorWorks. However, we only aim for compatibility with printers supported by the OS. The 750c and other HPGL based plotters are not MacOS compatible. In general you will have far fewer headaches on the Mac with equivalent 755cm.

Matthew GiampapaTechnical Support

quote:

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Originally posted by Alistair Kirkwood:

Matthew i have jsut installed the 9.5 beta and have found that i can not print using the latest Macplot 5.1.2 to my hp750c plotter. once i have selected the plotter in the chooser and go to page set up the top line states that it is an unsupported plotter.

is this a problem with trying to use hp-2gl instead of selecting the raster version. if so can we expect a fix from vw or will this again have to come from macplot.

to be honest i'm getting tired of upgrading vw and then waiting for macplot to upgrade before i can print.

any suggestions or clarification would be welcomed.

alistair

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[Matthew Giampapa]

This really sounds like an OS/Driver issue and not VecotrWorks related. IF I was having the problem I would call up Epson and see what they had to say. Unfortunetly we dont have very much in the way of Epson printers here. Most of those we do have are windows only as well.

Matthew GiampapaTechncial Support

quote:

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Originally posted by Alistair Kirkwood:

Thanks for the input on the plotters.

i have now discovered another oddity when printing to my Epson 3000 from VW 9.5

it would appear that when you try to change the media type in the print window (to same as specified on printer panel) you recieve an error in the epson monitor that the paper selected in the driver does not match the printer. you can either abort, ignor, retry.

retry - same resultignor it will printabort your back to the drawing where if you try to print again your driver still has the original media type selected.

this get funnier when if you hit ignor it prints but next time you go to the print window the media type you had previously selected which it said you didn't appears and you go throught the same process again.

this has not happened before as it used to work flawlessly.

for info, i am running VW 9.5 on G4 with 768 megs Ram, OS 9.2.1 and the latest epson drivers from there web site.

any input?

alistair

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[canarch]

it started right after i upgraded to VW 9.5 i have not changed any settings for my os or for epson. so all fingers point to vw 9.5? unless i am missing an upgrade which i will look into.

alistair

quote:

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Originally posted by Matthew Giampapa:

This really sounds like an OS/Driver issue and not VecotrWorks related.

Matthew GiampapaTechncial Support

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[canarch]

Thanks for the input on the plotters.

i have now discovered another oddity when printing to my Epson 3000 from VW 9.5

it would appear that when you try to change the media type in the print window (to same as specified on printer panel) you recieve an error in the epson monitor that the paper selected in the driver does not match the printer. you can either abort, ignor, retry.

retry - same resultignor it will printabort your back to the drawing where if you try to print again your driver still has the original media type selected.

this get funnier when if you hit ignor it prints but next time you go to the print window the media type you had previously selected which it said you didn't appears and you go throught the same process again.

this has not happened before as it used to work flawlessly.

for info, i am running VW 9.5 on G4 with 768 megs Ram, OS 9.2.1 and the latest epson drivers from there web site.

any input?

alistair

[TiTaNiuM sAMuRai]

Did it start acting up when you upgraded the OS?