Expert: Bill DeShawn - 6/4/2010

Question
QUESTION: We spoke earlier today about a problem my contractors were having plotting my drawings on their plotters. The lighter shaded lines in my drawings would either plot extrememly lightly, or not at all.  You made a comment about this being a problem with the Kipp brand of plotter. After some research I learned that the people having the problems do indeed have the Kipps.  

Now that we know the cause, do you know of any remedy to this problem, such as maybe adjusting the resolution of the plotter. Or do you think that darkening all of our lines would fix it?

Thank you for all of your help!

ANSWER: Actually, I said that the Kipp plots darker and with less resolution.  The Océ plots with greater resolution and lighter.  If the output on the Kipp is still not dark enough, then yes, I would definitely increase the pen weights on my CTB file and I believe it will work.

Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: "If they print it on the KIP printer, it comes out nice and dark.  Grayscale objects don't come out that nice though", I guess I didn't understand what you meant with the Grayscale comment.  Was that in reference to the Océ?
I'm looking at the 2 copies side by side, The one we printed is how it looked on the computer, but the one from the client (with the Kipp) appears to be a shade or 2 lighter collectively, which is enough to white out the lighter-grey lines.  If the Kipp is supposed to be a darker printing plotter, then I don't understand why it's so much lighter. Could it be that the properties were changed around?

ANSWER: John:  By grayscale, I mean objects that are shaded to a percentage less than 100.  I don't believe any properties of your plot were changed.  It's just how the printer prints.  The Kipp might print a little lighter than your HP plotter, but it's a whole lot darker than the Océ prints.  But then again, the Kipp that Lake Oswego Blueprint uses in Lake Oswego Oregon, might be a different model than the one you are plotting for.  The way I see it, the printer is going to print like it prints.  They may have an intensity setting on it, or they may be using toner or ink cardtridges that may or may not be the same as the outfit that I send prints to.  But whatever the output is if they are unable to vary it for you or if there is no way to set intensity for the print job, then we are stuck with what they are able to do.  We are able to compensate for their output with pen settings in our CTB files.  So therefore we have to change.  It sucks, but I see no alternative.

Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn

I have some errands to run, so I will not be in the office for a while.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Bill for all your help today with this problem! I guess we'll have to start using some darker colors for our plots.

Answer
I'm back again.
By "Darker colors" I assume you mean colors that will print darker according to the ctb you are using.  Many people are just using monochrome.ctb, and that just doesn't cut it for me.  I would save it to a name that reflects the name of the final output plotter, drawing type, and the scale.  Like this:
Kipp_P_48.ctb
Kipp is the printer
P for floor plans
48 for 1/4" = 1'-0"

Kipp_Site_120.ctb
Kipp is the printer
Site for site plans
120 for 1" = 10'-0"

Kipp_S_48.ctb
Kipp is the printer
S for Building Sections
48 for 1/4" = 1'-0"

Like that.  See what mean?


Keep in touch
Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn