Print preview

Michał Szerling
Michał Szerling
in Printing and Plotting

Hi,

We have problem with print preview some time (I think it started in version 9). It takes more time than in earlier versions. Is it possible to do something with it?

It is problem only on ours computers or others also have it?

Regards,

Michał

Comments

  • Marcel LAVREYSEN
    Marcel LAVREYSEN

    I guess this is since version 9-2-16-1.  (Version 9-2-16-1 is still Ok).  One of my printers does not print from BC since then, so I have to keep using that old version for printing.  Something fundamental must have been changed in the printing routine since then.  I'm not very sure that the longer preview times (for some printers) date since that version, but I guess they do.

    Marcel.

  • David Laviana
    David Laviana

    Good Day,

    I jumped from version 7 to version 10, and noticed this problem with print preview immediately.  I use several different printers / plotters, and they all have long delays before the print preview screen appears.  The delay varies with different printers; I have an HP B8550 and it takes almost 4 minutes before the preview appears.  Another problem I've found occurs when "Center On Page" is selected.  I have a sheet border drawn to allow 1/2" all around, and yet version 10 will clip one side of the border.  Needless to say, I've used all of the printers under version 7 (which I still have installed), and have none of these problems.  Print preview, even with the HP B8550, appears in a few seconds, and there isn't any clipping.

    I filed a support request for this on November 6th, uploaded my configuration files, and have heard nothing more.  I asked for an update, and received no reply.  As of version 10.2.6 the problem is still there.

    I'm also seeing a lot more video glitches than occur under version 7, most of which began after the version 10.2 release.  I'm seeing the windows mouse cursor flashing on and off during a drawing command (also reported to support), the ESNAP aperture box left behind when ESNAP is toggled off, rubber-band lines left behind, and generally poor rendering of curved objects (not due to VIEWRES - circles are rendered as though they were hand-sketched).  I'm also finding more and more problems with LISP routines not running properly under version 10.  I've got old LISP routines that work fine under version 7, but don't now.

    I'm beginning to think they will not get these things fixed.

     

  • Hans De Backer
    Hans De Backer

    Hello,

    reading these posts has been a sobering experience, let's see how we can help.

    First some background. The source code for Bricscad V10 is brandnew and very (entirely) different from the Bricscad V7 code. We took the decision to completely start over because we realized that using the old V7 fundaments we wouldn't stand a chance to create a modern, high quality, multi-platform application, capable to serve as a stable development platform, fit to be extended with new technically demanding dwg features.

    We tried our very best to make this daunting migration smooth and painless for our users, amongst others by writing about as much test code as actual application code. This approach gave satisfactory results, though we cannot deny that, almost unavoidably, there have been regressions, like the printing issues reported here will likely prove to be.

    We are absolutely committed to make Bricscad a high quality product, the fact that your support requests did not yield a timely reaction is indeed disappointing and atypical for our company.

    Now, to address the main topic of this thread, there is no such thing as 'the slow preview problem'. Coming to think of it, we would really love that: just this one general slow preview problem to solve and Bob's your uncle. Alas, every printer driver (or family of drivers), even every version of a printer driver, comes with it's own quirks, which may differ depending on the operating system. This is not a complaint, else we would better look for another job, but it just isn't as straightforward as one might hope for.

    Michal,

    you're the only one here who did not yet file a support request for the problem you experience: please file one and provide us with detailed information, e.g. printer type, driver version, operating system, network printer y/n, Bricscad version where you first experienced the problem, anything that you think could be valuable information. I will make sure your report gets proper attention.

    Marcel,

    we will contact you and work out the best way to identify what exactly introduced this communication problem with one of your printers.

    David,

    I have contacted the analyst who has been handling your printing related SR and am determined to get this properly sorted out.

    The flickering cursor issue has been reported by other users as well. We plan to redesign the cursor-related code during Q1-2010.

    Setting the WHIPARC system variable ON will result in smoothly displayed arcs and circles. This will not (yet) affect curves that are part of polylines, which is an improvement also scheduled for Q1-2010.

    V10 aims for strict 100% compatibility with acad LISP, occasionally this leads to a problem with IntelliCad-flavor LISP code. If you need assistance to get your LISP up and running again on V10, we will be glad to help.

     

    Kind regards,

    Hans De Backer - Bricscad Development Manager

  • Michał Szerling
    Michał Szerling

    Michal,

    you're the only one here who did not yet file a support request for the problem you experience: please file one and provide us with detailed information, e.g. printer type, driver version, operating system, network printer y/n, Bricscad version where you first experienced the problem, anything that you think could be valuable information. I will make sure your report gets proper attention.

    Hans,

    Thanks for answer. I send support request.

    One thing I forgot to put in request - if I do print preview for second time after I change for example scale or plot area it works fine.

    regards,

    Michał

  • David Laviana
    David Laviana

    Mr. De Backer -

    Your statement that there isn't a "print preview problem" would be valid if there weren't any previous versions of Bricscad.  However, there are.  So I offer this comparison:

    My A-Size (8.5" x 11") drawing template, empty except for the border and titleblock, sized to allow a 0.5" border all around.

    Load this template into Bricscad V10.2.7 and select my HP B8550 printer.  Set to print 1:1, extents, center on page.  Click on "print preview".  Time to preview: 2 minutes, 7.48 seconds, and the left edge of the border is missing.  Select my Brother MFC 7340 printer, same settings.  Time to preview: 2 minutes, 6.31 seconds.  The complete border is displayed.  I can confirm Mr. Szerling's observation that after the first generation, the preview time is what we long-time users expect as normal - a few seconds.  However, close the drawing and reopen it and the long first delay will return.

    Now, load this same template into Bricscad V7.1.18 and select my HP B8550 printer with the same settings.  Click on "print preview".  Time to preview: 3.44 seconds, with a complete border.  Select my Brother MFC 7340 printer, with the same settings.  Time to preview: 0.81 seconds, and the complete border is displayed.

    Regarding my other problem reports, my observation is that after the 10.2.x upgrade the number of "glitches" has been increasing.  My latest find is the following lisp code stopped executing correctly with V10.2.6.  Prior to that it had worked properly since I wrote this lisp program in 1993 for AutoCAD V12.

    (command "DTEXT" pt ts txtang)  The variables feed into DTEXT the start point, text size, and angle, and then text entry begins.  Beginning with 10.2.6 the first line of text doesn't appear on the drawing until after the first return.  It is supposed to appear as you type.  Any additional lines after the first appear normally.

    Taken with all the screen problems that have appeared, my feeling is you are beginning to lose control of the code; it is getting to the point where changes are being made to one area of the program without understanding of what it affects in other areas.  I hope this is not the case.  Whatever your reasons were for breaking with the Intellicad community are irrelavent now.  I have been a customer of your product since 2000, and would like to continue as such.  However, I don't expect that at version 10 I would be losing basic functions, or seeing screen ghosts of snap aperture boxes.

     

  • Hans De Backer
    Hans De Backer

    David,

    to avoid misunderstandings: I did not want to make it sound as if there is _no_ print preview problem, but rather that there is no such thing as _the_ print preview problem, there are _several_, but not necessarily related.

    Rest assured I appreciate your concern, in your shoes my reaction wouldn't be any different from yours. Merely a reply on a forum would not do, the only way to convince me would be to effectively and timely fix the reported issues, period. So that is what we will do.

    Kind regards,

    Hans

  • Michał Szerling
    Michał Szerling

    Hi,

    I have few more info which I send to polish suport:

    1. In win'7 64bit everything works fine :),

    2. I think main problem on my computers is with IPF605 canon driver. Print preview on 605 is much longer than on others. I did test with Bricscad v8.2.8 and time is shorter than in v10 but still 605 is slowest printer.

    It getting more and more strange for me, I don't know if you can solve this problem :)

    Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for everybody ! :) and see you in New Year

    Regards,

    Michał

This discussion has been closed.