Topic Title

I have to reset my pentable every time I open a new file to print. I would normally go thru shortcut "ALT+P"
but have to go extra steps to reset the freakin' pen table. Does anyone have any idea how or has a code

If you have base drawings (which I would highly recommend) once you set it in each one and save the drawing, it will remember the pen settings. As for the Alt+P, that should take you the the Print/Plot menu right? Or was that a Autocad reference?

Do the following at your own risk!
You can open the dcadwin.msg file with notepad, do a search for dpf and when you see 618|dcadwin.dpfª you can change the dcadwin.dpf to the name of your pen table ex. 618|laser.dpfª. Do not change anything else, and save the file. You will have to repeat this everytime you load a patch or new version. Editing the dcadwin.msg file is not recommended or supported by Datacad LLC, and should only be done if you have some basic programing skills.

Josh means "You can open the dcaDwin.msg file ...."

We all use DcaD ... not dcaN!!!!

Yuk! yuk! yuk! Thanks Mountian Man.

You can also edit your pen table as desired, then either save it to a new name that you load once into each of your files as you work, or better (as Josh recommended), into your base file(s), then never have to think about it again ... or you could save it as the dcadwin default.

In addition to our office default pen table, I have a couple of other pen tables that I use for specific purposes.

Typically, for our office defaults, I don't have to check which table is loaded (and saved with the file), unless COLORS display in the preview instead of all black, then I know that I am in a file in which the default was never loaded, so I will simply load the office default, resave the drawing file, then that file will always come up correct from then on.

I do prefer to always use the preview as a quick check that nothing is goofy ... before I send it to the printer.

...Does anyone have any idea how or has a code

Hello Sinha,

You can create several default files, for using on each situation you need. And you are able to attach a different .dpf for each default file.

So, when you start the plotting settings, that .dpf file will be already available.

Thanks,
Miguel

Hi Miguel,
I do have default file set up with appropriate pen file. And all our workstations have same pen file installed in their machines. We share default file from server.
75% of the time when I print preview....

first its only a portion of 25x36 sheet on a 8 1/2x11
then there is this stupid coloured lines rather then thickness

I am mad dudes...reselecting and resetting

Hi Sinha.

75% of the time when I print preview....

first its only a portion of 25x36 sheet on a 8 1/2x11
then there is this stupid coloured lines rather then thickness

Part of what you're saying sounds like a printer setup problem, not a pen table problem.

If the printer names on all of your machines are not EXACTLY the same, even though they are actually the same printer, then your cad will go to the default printer for that machine (which appears to be something with 8-1/2x11 as its default setting). We've had that problem here. The cad file will remember what printer was selected and the settings for that file, but if it can't find the printer when being used by someone else on another machine (exact printer name), then it will go to the default.

The colored lines, instead of what it is supposed to be, sounds like the pen table. When you get the colored lines, go to the pen table (in that file, of course), and check to see if the table that is loaded is "dcadwin.dpf", instead of your office standard (assuming the office standard has a different name). ...You can see what table is loaded at the top of the pen table dialog box. If the table loaded isn't your office standard, then somehow a different table is being loaded. Double-check that all machines have the office standard, also with exactly the same name.

Hmmmpf...

Perhaps the pen settings can be addressed if we can start any file using a default penfile (my_standard.dpf), and any change that was made on this drawing, will be retained by the possibility to the drawing keep the .dpf "embedded".

I've just added a wish item for embedding pen files in any drawing file. There is a lot of time loss while this feature is not made available.

Thanks,
Miguel