AC 14 / Mac / Plotting to OCE TDS600 Plotter

[Anonymous]

Hello All,

I'm using a Mac OX S machine to Plot to a OCE TDS600 plotter.

I have a pen set "plot-pen set" that looks good when I PLOT. The thin (0.05mm) line weights and gray lines plot out how I like them.

Here is my problem:
I tried to set my pen set "print-pen set" to look good when I PRINT / PRINT TO PDF. However, I can't get the thin line weights as "thin" as the ones in the "plot-pen set". Why is this? Is there a parameter or setting I'm missing besides adjusting the pen thickness?

When I print with the hairline option selected the lines are thinner (still not perfect), but I can't seem to set them thinner in my pen set no matter how thin I make them (0.01mm for example).

Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

[Anonymous]

This is a problem with the differences between HPGL (plotter language) and PDF (as well as Postscript upon which it is based). The basic problem is that HPGL is optimized for consistent line weight and PDF/Postscript is optimized for apparent smoothness and will add pixels/dots. There is more to it than that but the bottom line is that you can't realistically get the two output methods to match exactly. The problem diminishes with higher resolution but I'm not sure it ever goes away altogether (maybe somewhere between 1200-2400 dpi).

The best plan is to abandon HPGL/plotting and switch to PDF/printing entirely. Since Hewlett Packard, the creators of HPGL, no longer include it as standard on their new plotters (which they now call printers) it's clear that it's days are numbered.

Besides, nowadays everybody knows how to deal with PDF (as long as you watch out for margin error) and even back when it was the standard HPGL often had problems at the service bureau (large white fills printing solid black was a common mistake with Océ based outfits).

At 600dpi you will probably never get as fine a line with PDF as you will with HPGL, but hopefully you can get it close enough to be acceptable.

If there is a big speed advantage to using HPGL you could still use it for check plots and review sets.