How to get CAD files ready for printing

Creating a Plot File in AutoCAD

Follow these simple steps to enable you to provide us with a HPGL/2 file suitable for our bureau to print.

In order to create the correct plot files you must already have installed a HPGL/2 printer driver on your PC. Our ‘Installing a HPGL2 plotter’ guide will help you to do this (see below).

• Open the drawing you wish to send to PSW in AutoCAD 
• Select ‘File’ and ‘Plot’ 
• On the ‘Printer/Plotter’ section, select the DesignJet 650C (C2859B) plotter in the ‘Name’ box 
• Make sure that the ‘plot to file’ box is ticked. 
• Select your paper size 
• Select your plot scale 
• Select your print area either by picking a plot window or by choosing ‘extents’ 
• Tick the ‘Center the Plot’ box 
• We always recommend that you do a ‘preview’ before clicking the OK button to make sure that your drawing is correctly sitting on your page. 
• Make sure that your ‘Drawing orientation’ is set correctly 
• Click OK 
• Tell the browser where you wish to save the ‘.plt’ file to 
• Send the .plt file to PSW either on disk, by email or using our Repro Desk* Client job submission software 

If you have problems at any stage, please do not hesitate to contact our printroom where someone will be able to guide you through each step

 * To find out more about our Repro Desk Client job submission software, please contact your local Account Manager.

Installing a HPGL/2 Plotter in AutoCAD

Installing a plotter to create .plt files in AutoCAD.

For our plotters to interpret your drawings correctly we recommend that all DWG files are printed to file in a HPGL/2 plot file format.

By issuing your file in this format, the parameters such as pen assignments and drawing scale are completely controlled by the plot file that you create. It’s also cheaper as PSW won’t have to create the plot file on your behalf.

To successfully do this you will need to install a new printer in AutoCAD.

These instructions will walk you through how to do this.

• Open AutoCAD
• Select ‘File’
• Select ‘plotter manager
• Double click on ‘Add-A-Plotter Wizard’
• On the ‘Add Plotter - Introduction Page’, click ‘Next’
• ‘Add Plotter – Begin’: Select ‘My Computer’ and click ‘Next’
• ‘Add Plotter – Plotter Model’: Under ‘Manufacturers’ select Hewlett Packard
• Under ‘Models’ select DesignJet 650C (C2859B) and click ‘Next’ 
• ‘Driver Information’: click ‘Continue’
• ‘Add plotter – Import PCP or PC2’: click ‘Next’ 
• ‘Add Plotter – Ports’ : select plot to file’ and click ‘Next’
• ‘Add Plotter – Plotter Name’: in the name box it should read DesignJet 650C (C2859B) or rename it how ever you wish. This will be the name of the plotter that you need to use to send plot files to us.
• Click ‘Next’
• Click ‘Finish’

A HPGL/2 plotter has now been installed on your PC.

For advice on how to create a HPGL/2 plot file, please see our guide entitled ‘Creating a plot file in AutoCAD’ above.