From initial findings it appears that the problem only exists when Autocad 2006 is installed on ArchiCAD systems with windows xp service pack 1. If the system is running xp service pack 2, plotmaker does not experience the problem anymore. Plotmaker only seems to be affected by Autocad 2006 not Revit 8 on xp running service pack 1.
Solution at this stage is to uninstall AutoCad 2006 if you are running xp service pack 1 or upgrade to xp service pack 2.