Problem printing in Black and White

Joe Dunfee

I am on v14 platinum, and normally use color extensively in my drawings.  But, since the rendered viewports often print with very faint lines, I have been asked to create a print-out of my current project using only Black and White. Note that it needs to be truly just black and white, not gray-scale.

I don't recall it being this way in the past, but now when I change my plot style to monochrome  paper space objects are properly monochrome. But, my rendered viewports are color.  When I change to legacy hidden plot, they are monochrome.  But, occasionally a legacy hidden viewport will not show up at all on an output.  Plus the curved surfaces show up as solid black areas.  So, I try to avoid legacy hidden if I can.

Another oddity, is that if I choose the "display plot styles" in the page set-up, it is not showing the plot style.  I tried doing a page preview, which would normally fix a display problem, but that does not fix it.  I am confident that even a few days ago, the "display plot styles" option worked on monochrome plot styles.

For now, I will have to get by with setting all my layer colors to black, though it is not the approach I prefer.

Attached is an example file. Any ideas what has caused this problem?

-Joe

Tom Foster

@Joe Dunfee:

if I choose the "display plot styles" in the page set-up, it is not showing the plot style
-Joe

Sounds like what I'm getting in v16. In my 'monochrome' print style I have all the 255 colours set to print black, the 10 greys set to print in 'colour'. Has worked a treat forever in Acad and Brics - till recently.
Suddenly, any NEW viewport I create displays (and maybe prints? - never tried it, seeing the displaying fault) all-colour even when set to 'display print styles'.
However, if I copy a Sheet c/w EXISTING viewports, which I adopt and adapt, all is well.

Joe Dunfee

I will also note that I had a few video issues turn up when  Windows 7 did an update to the video driver.  E.g. when I watch a video full screen on my 2nd monitor, my primary monitor will sometimes go black. Then, if I move my mouse over it, each icon I pass over will show up, and stay visible.  If I open a new maximized window on the primary monitor, it also fixes the problem.

Years ago,I remember reading a statement that the printing and window display in Windows is tied together in ways that you would not expect.  Perhaps that video driver update affected the ability to print in B/W.  Though, this is wild speculation on my part.

-Joe

Joe Dunfee

 I still have the problem with the drawing I was working with when I created the thread.  But, now I see that on other drawings, it is printing monochrome plot styles properly.

So, here is an example drawing, with most items removed and everything purged that can be purged.  I had  tried to create an example DWG file when I first posted the thread, but then the problem went away.  This time, however, the problem remains for this file.  

-Joe

LBehaeghe

Hi Joe,

Just plot to PDF, open it, print from adobe (viewer) in grayscales. Works for me.

-L