Problems printing in High Quality

[pdybeck]

Has anyone noticed problems printing in High Qaulity in SolidWorks 2004. I am trying to identify whether this is a SolidWorks problem, or a network problem here. The print preview appears correct, but when I try to print larger assembly drawings, certain components are missing from the print, others are chopped off, and sometimes only one portion of the drawing prints. Again, the print preview looks as it should, it just doesn't print correctly. This does not occur when the high quality option is unchecked. This situation is repeatable on several printers here. There is a huge difference in the spool size going to the printer when the print is high quality versus non high qaulity. My VAR claims it seems like a network problem, possibly a timeout. IT here seems to think its a SolidWorks problem, and I'm left in the middle just trying to get my work done and go back and forth between the two groups. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

[roar1971]

We had the same problem with SP0. The problem seemed to be fixed with SP2.1

 

[SBaugh]

If your Print Preview shows up fine then the problem is in your Driver and not your Network. Of course the network can't be ruled out. Get the latest drivers for your printers and see if that works.

You should also get the latest SP, because as roar1971 pointed out. It is true that SP2.1 fixed a lot of printing issues.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[BuzzKiller]

What kind of printer are you using? Can you print anything in high quality? You may want to try saving it as a pdf (in high quality) and printing fromt there...

it may be worth a try...

 

[DesignSmith]

If you are using some older HP plotters, certainly get the most up to date drivers you can. You have to register at the HP website, but once that is done the driver updates are free.
Also look at your [Advanced] settings in the HP plotter dialog. For some models there is an option to spool at the computer rather than the plotter. Try toggling that option 1 way and then the other. If your plotter does not have very much on-board RAM or a spooling hard drive in it, the high quality printing option may overflow it with data.
As a temporary solution untill you get a driver update or the latest SW serivice pack, try turning off any shaded drawing views. Beta 2004 would generate tons of plot data when shaded drawing views would be plotted with the [x] high resolution option on.


DesignSmith

http://www.DesignSmith-Services.com

 

[aamoroso]

Believe it or not I just had similar problems and it seems that printing in Draft Quality took care of it. I was getting draft quality prints with high quality settings and high quality prints with draft settings. Seems odd but I have been able to repeat this on 2003 and 2004 SP2.1

 

[woolly]

I have been having a problem printing in high quality mode. We use a HP Designjet 750C+ printer and a Oce 9300 B&W large format.

When I print in high quality mode to file or direct to the HP on a large assembly drawing I tend to get major problems with parts missing and large portions of the drawing missing. Solidworks seems to create the file okay but when the progress monitor comes up on the HP it jumps from 25% to 100%. I have been using SWPlot to view the plot files so that I can try to get to the bottom of the problem. I have discussed this problem many times with our SW tech support and HP helpline, but they either blame each other or the network. If I turn the high quality mode off then it will print fine but the 3D views are all blocky.

The plot thickens as when I print to the oce (as long as I do a complete re-build on the model) with high quality selected I get no problems whatsoever!!!!

And there's more, we use PDF995 to create PDF files, I get the same problem with this as I do with the HP.

I can create a plot file using the Oce driver and send it to the HP printer and it will work fine, but in B&W, and I want to be able to use the HP for colour.

I've had this problem ever since the high quality mode was introduced, so generally I have to print to the Oce, but for sales purposes etc colour would be better.

Woolly

 

[mcheeseman]

This is a problem I have noticed also - running SW2005 SP02.

One way around this is to convert draft quality views to high quality prior to printing.

Regards
Mark

 

[woolly]

I did try this earlier and the print was better but it does not finish completely.

I have downloaded a Oce driver (colour inkjet 5250), and produced some plot files using this and it seems to work fine by sending these to the HP printer. The only thing is the quality on the HP Designjet 750C+ isn't quite as good as using the native HP driver but at least it works everytime.

Maybe there is a generic HP/GL2 driver somewhere that can be used to create the plot files whatever the printer???

The Oce driver isn't a complete solution as I cannot print direct but the print to file, and then send the plot is the next best option.

Woolly

 

[dogarila]

SW2005 SP2

I noticed the same thing sometimes. When I print a drawing with several views in high quality and one in draft quality the last one doesn't show.

Also I have a very large assembly drawings with views in draft quality and when I tried to print it in high quality, besides taking a lot of time to resolve all the components, if I don't have enough memory available, it will not print the views, just the text and annotations. No warnings or other messages to tell me there was not enough memory. This was in SP0.1.

 

[NHPilot]

Some of the same issues here, also using an HP 750C+.
Has anyone hade problems with shaded views being 'squished' in the verticle direction. I get this whenever 'high quality' is checked, whether going to the printer or to .pdf.
Still using SW2004 sp5 for now.

 

[woolly]

Yes I've had this as well, but I can get round by by doing a complete rebuild on the model, and then the drawing before plotting. This seems to solve the problem. I had this on our Oce 9300 printer. Sometimes I even get a complete sheet of "black", again another problem with printing without doing a complete rebuild.

 

[ctopher]

Change each view to high quality. Then when printing, change the print setting to print high quality also.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site

 

[woolly]

I've just tried this again, and it still doesn't work fully, still misses parts from the view, maybe there is something else that I need to look at???

 

[SBaugh]

woolly,

You should have posted this as a new thread and used this as Reference.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[woolly]

Yes I have, I put it in here before creating a new thread by mistake.

Do you have ideas on the matter??

 

[pdybeck]

Actually,

I'm glad he posted here in this thread, as I have email notification of activity on this thread. I thought for a little while that my company was the only one having print problems in SolidWorks since the institution of high quality, but it appears there is a wider problem. I have been through the ringer in trying to nail this down. Nobody wants to admit there could be a problem on their end. I don't care who's problem it is (HP, SolidWorks, our network), I just want it fixed so that it doesn't take up my time with annoyances. SolidWorks has been working on several issues that we have brought to the forefront with printing, but there are still some oddities that need to get straightened out.

 

[NHPilot]

I don't understand why 'woolly' should start a new thread? He only stated that he tried someones' suggestion and it didn't work. I'm trying to watch this thread so I may find a solution to the same problem.
Am I missing something here?
Not trying to offend anyone, just trying to figure out the do's and don'ts of this forum.

Incidently, I tried 'woolly'suggestion about rebuilding the assembly, then the drawing, then printing and it worked for one drawing so far.

 

[SBaugh]

Because he asked the question

I have been having a problem printing in high quality mode. We use a HP Designjet 750C+ printer and a Oce 9300 B&W large format.

it might have been similiar, but he could always reference this thread. instead of bringing and old thread out of the archive. If he had stated that he was having the same problem instead of quoting a "question" then I would not have seen posted to this thread and i wouldn't be sitting here explaining why.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[woolly]

Sorry guys for all the confusion, anyway getting back to the problem in hand "printing in high quality mode"

I have another thread set-up thread559-120680, its called "Solidworks 2005 printing probelms", in here I have added a few more interesting points, including a way round the HP750C+ by using an Oce driver and plotting to file, take a look it may help.

But if there is anyone out there with the real solution I'm sure we would all be grateful for the answer!!!

Woolly