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DeskJet series AutoCAD driver version 1.00.
Copyright (C)1993 by Walter Fredrick Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Programmed by Sterling Blake. Release 1.00 on 12/29/93.
Walter Fredrick Associates, Inc.
6 Summit Industrial Park
Peabody, MA 01960, U.S.A.
Phone: 800-343-8296 or 508-531-3999
Fax:508-531-4664 or 800-269-1071
BBS:508-531-3883 (300 to 14400, 8, n, 1)
Compuserve: 76310,212
GEnie: SMBLAKE
***Installation***
This driver works with ACAD release 12 when copied to the directory in which
your drivers are installed (C:\ACAD\DRV is default). To use this driver you
must:
1. Copy the PLPDSKJC.EXP file to your drivers directory.
2. Start AutoCAD.
3. Issue "CONFIG" command via prompt or menu.
4. Select "Configure AutoCAD."
5. Select "Configure plotter."
6. Select "Add a plotter configuration."
7. Select driver description "! HP DeskJet..." It will be near the top.
8. Select the appropriate model (see below).
9. Select port type (serial or parallel) however your printer is connected.
10. Select dots per inch (75, 150, or 300), 300 is nicest and slowest.
11. Select port name (e.g. LPT1) to which the printer is connected.
12. If color model selected set graphics depletion.
13. If color model selected turn grey balancing on or off.
14. If color model selected set dithering mode.
15. Set shingling level.
16. Enter registration information (see below).
17. Select port.
18. Enter a description for this plotter. You can use anything you like here.
19. Exit to configuration menu.
20. Exit out to drawing editor (keep configuration changes).
21. When you are ready to print, issue a plot command and use the Device and
Default Selections button to pick the description you just gave at
configuration.
22. I strongly recommend that you turn off optimization.
23. Read the known problems section that follows; it contains important
information about colors and missing lines.
24. It is also important to read the information about dithering options.
***Driver Modes***
There are three "models" supported by this driver. They are listed as
DeskJet black & white, DeskJet CMY, and DeskJet CMYK. The 550C will work
with any of these. The 500C works as B&W or CMY, and the older models
should all work with the DeskJet B&W.
When using the 550C there are advantages to using modes other than CMYK. If
you are only interested in B&W output, then the B&W mode of the driver will
be much faster. If you are plotting in color there is a problem with mixing
true black and color inks on the page; the black tends to run into the color.
It therefore MAY be advisable that CMY mode be used when black lines often
cross colored ones, as a composite black will be made, instead of true black.
Composite black has a greenish tinge to it, although turning on grey
balancing improves this, the color then produced is somewhat grey.
***Configuration Options***
Graphics depletion:
This option affects only the CMY and CMYK printing modes; B&W models or a
500C with the black cartridge loaded will ignore depletion commands.
Graphics depletion with gamma correction is available only for the 550C. The
depletion algorithm is implemented in the hardware. It's intention is to
improve the quality of color graphics by reducing the amount of ink applied
to the page. This option can affect the colors (perhaps dramatically) created
by dithering patterns since it removes some dots. The best-looking setting is
likely to vary from one image to another.
Grey balance:
This option reduces the amount of cyan mixed into composite black, making the
composite more of a grey than a green.
Dithering options:
This driver will dither colors by a regular pattern or by a pseudo-random
pattern at the user's option. It is likely that the regular dither will look
better for most colors when the drawing is more solid, and better with a
pseudo-random pattern when mostly lines.
***************************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTE: THERE ARE COMBINATIONS OF THIN LINE-WEIGHTS, COLOR, AND
DITHERING OPTIONS THAT WILL RESULT IN MISSING LINES. COLORS 1-7 WILL ALWAYS
PRINT AT ANY WEIGHT/DITHER/ANGLE, BUT THE USE OF OTHER COLORS IS UP TO YOU;
WE DIDN'T WANT TO RESTRICT THIS OPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN USE IT.
***************************************************************************
Graphics shingling:
This option will cause the printer to lay down 50% or 25% of the ink on each
pass in a checkerboard pattern, and filling the vacant areas on successive
passes (50% makes 2 passes, laying 50% of the ink each time, and 25% makes 4
passes, laying 25% of the ink each time). This option is meant to allow ink
time to dry before more is laid close to it. It is essential for printing on
film or glossy paper, and may improve color appearances on other media
particularly when dithered colors are laid near one another. Both settings
slow printing time by about a factor of 2 over the previous method, i.e.
50% shingling takes about twice as long none, and 25% about twice as long as
50%.
Registration:
This driver must be registered or removed from your system within 30 days.
At new plotter configuration time you will be asked if this driver is
registered. If you have not purchased a license answer 'N' for no. If you
have you may answer 'Y' for yes. After answering 'Y' you will be asked for
the serial number and password provided to you by Walter Fredrick Associates.
You will have to re-enter these numbers anytime you select a new device as
being "! HP DeskJet..." After entering the serial number and password you
will be asked if you would like single answer trivia activated. A 'N'
response will make this driver behave as any other plotter driver in ACAD,
and a 'Y' response will provide you with trivia in the form of an ACAD alert
after each plot.
***Known Problems***
Configuration options:
Although not all models of the DeskJet series support all of the options
available at configuration time, some inapplicable options will also be
presented. Inapplicable options may be ignored (any value will do) as the
printers that don't support those options should happily ignore the commands
associated with them.
Line weights:
Line widths are supported up to 0.70mm. Lines wider than this may give poor
results at particular joined angles, and especially on curves.
Colors:
Since line widths can be 1 pixel, and some colors rely on dither patterns,
when a line runs parallel to the dither pattern sweep direction, the line
will appear to be a color 0-6, where 0 is white! Some colors use more than 3
pixels per dither pattern width, and these colors should be avoided since the
default pen width of 0.010" (0.25mm) is 3 pixels wide.
Colors 1 through seven are correct at any line width. Other colors appear to
be OK at a pen width of .010" (0.25mm), while yet other colors do not appear
until you reach a width of .020" (0.50mm). I recommend that you print out
the ACAD COLOR2.DWG drawing included on this disk to see just what each color
you use would look like at the different line weights. Three sample PCP files
are included, ALL001.PCP, ALL010.PCP and ALL020.PCP. Configure the driver,
then issue the plot command. Go to the Device and Default selection box.
Select get defaults from file, and select the PCP file ALL001.PCP. Go to the
main plot dialogue box, and select optimization. Click on no optimization;
the driver actually runs faster that way. Plot the file. Repeat the same
process using the other two PCP files. This will give you a baseline to use
when selecting colors and line widths.
You can then reassign ugly colors or non-printing colors to better pens or
widths via the Pen Assignments button in your Plot Configuration dialog box.
These assignments can then be saved in your own .PCP file for later
restoration.
Digitizer:
When the ACAD alert box is displayed any digitizer is disabled until the box
is cleared (by hitting the RETURN key). This is related to the AutoCAD ADI
Kit, and does not happen in the registered version, where there is no alert
displayed after every plot.
Plot optimization:
The default plot optimization is set to level 1 (end-point swap).
Optimization is useless on a raster device such as the DeskJet so please turn
it off (after you've made one print with it turned off it will remain in that
state until you specifically turn it on or reconfigure). Turning off plot
optimization actually makes the driver run more quickly. This seems to be an
AutoCAD device interface bug.
***Registration***
This driver is provided as is. There are no warranties expressed or implied.
This driver is distributed as shareware. You may use it without charge on an
evaluation basis for a period of not longer than 30 days. If you wish to use
it after the evaluation period, you must purchase a registration. That
registration allows use by one copy of AutoCAD. There is no cost to register
a later version in the same series after registering any version in that
series (i.e., if you register v1.20, then registration of v1.31 is at no
additional charge, however v2.10 would require a registration fee. Please
note that although an upgrade within a series is without charge, it is still
good for only one copy, therefore if you had registered v1.20 and then v1.31,
the registration on v1.20 expires.)
For network and site licensing please contact us.
Unregistered versions of this driver may be distributed freely, provided that
all accompanying files are included and unmodified, and there is no charge
for it.
To register you may print and fill out the REGISTER.TXT file and then mail to
Walter Fredrick Associates, 6 Summit Industrial Park, Peabody, MA 01960, or
fax it to 508-531-4664 or 800-269-1071. Alternately, you may call
508-531-3999 or 800-343-8296 and order with Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
The fee to register is $39 for the first license, and $29 for each additional
license. Please add sales tax in CT, MA, ME, RI, and VT.
The registration fee gets you the most recent version of this driver (which
won't tell you to register everytime it's used) as well as technical support
in using it. This will also ensure that the driver is updated in a timely
manner.