PLT files - How do i plot?

[TFL]

Hello,

I have been asked many times to supply .plt files to architects so they can have a professional printer plot the drawings. How do i plot these same files if someeone else sends them to me?

Thanks in advance

 

[TFL]

It might help if you knew i was running win98 and win me and an hp660 designjet plotter

 

[IFRs]

drag them from a folder to a printer icon

 

[ferdo]

Hi,

1. PRN files can be obtained when you select the "Print to File" option in the Print dialog. These PRN files are written by the printer driver in a language that can be interpreted by the given printer and you can
simply copy this file to the printer in the DOS prompt.

2. PLT files can be saved while you select "Plot to File" in the Plot dialog. These are HPGL2 files that you can simply copy to the printer in the DOS prompt.

Examples:
Sending a PRN/PLT file to a printer/plotter connected to the local LPT1 port:
copy /b filename.prn lpt1
or
copy /b filename.plt lpt1

Sending a PRN/PLT file to a printer/plotter shared on an ethernet network:
net use lpt2: \\server\designjet
copy /b filename.prn lpt2
net use lpt2: /delete

or
net use lpt2: \\server\designjet
copy /b filename.plt lpt2
net use lpt2: /delete

A good utility program here

http://hem1.passagen.se/ptlerup/index.html

Regards
Fernando

 

[greenaire]

Hi

You can download a freeware program from the following web site in order to print plt files.

"

http://www.output.tmfweb.nl"

 

[AlexDring]

If you look up the help content on it, it says plt files are for dos commands. For printing at the dos command, using the file ext plt, dos can print the file without using autocad, though untried on my end. In theroy I would think it would be a way for anyone to print autocad drawings without needing autocad.

 

[RiBeneke]

Alex
You need AutoCAD or similar CAD to create the .plt file in the first place. Then anyone can plot the .plt.
You cannot satisfactorily bring a .plt back into AutoCAD.
There is software to do it, but you will find that all intelligent information on polylines, dimensions, 3d information, blocks attributes etc has been lost. All you will have is lines and text in 2d.