WinPlot

User's Guide

Copyright 2001 by Gerber Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. This document may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the copyright owner. This document is part of the proprietary articles furnished to document the Gerber Technology, Inc. plotter systems. In consideration of the furnishing of the information contained in this document, the party to whom it is given assumes its control and custody and agrees to the following: 1. The information contained herein is given in confidence and any part thereof shall not be copied or reproduced without the written consent of Gerber Technology, Inc. 2. This document or the contents herein under no circumstances shall be used in the manufacture or reproduction of the articles shown and the delivery of this document shall not constitute any right or license to do so. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Gerber Technology, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates shall not be liable for errors in this document or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with furnishing, or use of this material including, for example, loss of profits, fabric and production time. AccuPlot, AccuJet and AccuMark, Infinity, MicroMark, and WinPlot are trademarks of Gerber Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Printed in USA 04/01 Document No. 077467002

Contents
CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................. 1 INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................................. 2 System Requirements .......................................................................................................... 2 Plot File Requirements ......................................................................................................... 2 Program Installation.............................................................................................................. 3 PLOTTER CONFIGURATION ........................................................................................................... 4 Gerber Devices Configuration......................................................................................... 4 WinPlot Configuration ..................................................................................................... 6 WinPlot Network Plotting .............................................................................................. 15 PLOTTER PROGRAM .................................................................................................................. 19 Restart Plotter Program...................................................................................................... 19 Exit Plotter Program ........................................................................................................... 20 WINPLOT CONVERTER ............................................................................................................... 21 QUEUE MANAGER ..................................................................................................................... 23 Using Queue Manager Commands.................................................................................... 25 Queue Manager Toolbar ............................................................................................... 25 Starting and Stopping the Queue.................................................................................. 25 Selecting a Plot Queue ................................................................................................. 26 Media ID........................................................................................................................ 26 Removing Jobs from the Queue ................................................................................... 27 Miscellaneous Plot Queue Tasks.................................................................................. 28 VIEW PLOT ................................................................................................................................ 29 View Commands ................................................................................................................ 29 PLOTTER SETTINGS ................................................................................................................... 30 Plotter Settings Window ..................................................................................................... 31 To Open An Existing Media ID ........................................................................................... 31 To Define A New Media ID ................................................................................................. 31 To Print Media ID Paremeter Values.................................................................................. 31 To Delete A Media ID ......................................................................................................... 32 To Complete The Plotter Settings Window ........................................................................ 32 APPENDIX A .............................................................................................................................. 36 Winplot Scaling Considerations.......................................................................................... 36 Input Plot Units.............................................................................................................. 36 Scale Factor .................................................................................................................. 38

Installation
Installing WinPlot also installs Plotter Configuration, Gerber Devices Configuration, Queue Manager, View Plot, and Plotter Settings utilities, and online help. To access online help, open WinPlot and click Help.

System Requirements
To install and operate WinPlot, your system must meet the following minimum standards: Industry standard personal computer with: Windows 95 or NT 4.0 operating systems 20 MB hard disk space 16 MB RAM CD-ROM Drive

Mouse pointing device

Plot File Requirements

HPGL Plot Files (.plt) WinPlot supports HPGL (Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language) plot files that conform to HP 7475 plotter requirements. Generic HPGL format files can also be converted. These include files exported as HPGL files (.plt) from packages such as Micrografx Designer or CorelDraw. WinPlot does not support arc or circle commands. Any unsupported command will be reported in the log file window. Gerber Plot Files (.ggt) WinPlot will process and submit (to the plot queue) Gerber plot files generated from AccuMark or MicroMark. The plots are submitted to the plot queue, and no conversion is performed.

DWG Plot Files (.dwg) WinPlot supports .dwg files generated primarily from Autocad. This format is a binary file that allows plots to be generated full size so that WinPlot can process the plot without having to apply scaling. Most .dwg commands are supported. Unsupported commands in the file will be reported in the log file window. DXF Plot Files (.dxf) WinPlot supports dxf plot files generated from Autocad and other CAD software programs. The format used by many CAD packages, dxf files are generally larger in size than the equivalent plot file in dwg format. Most dxf commands are supported. Unsupported commands encountered in the file will be reported in the log file window. Gerber Cut Files (.cut) WinPlot supports Gerber cut files generated from AccuMark or other CAD software. This allows a common cut file to be used to generate the plotted marker and to cut the marker.

Program Installation
TO INSTALL WINPLOT 1. Insert WinPlot release CD into CD drive. 2. From the Start menu, select Run. 3. Type e:/setup, where e is the CD-ROM drive letter. 4. Select OK. This install will also put a shortcut to the WinPlot program into the Windows Startup folder so the converter is available when you start the computer. If you do not want WinPlot to run at startup, remove the WinPlot icon from the Startup folder following WinPlot installation. 5. You will be prompted by the following dialog box with the option to install Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Reader is necessary if you wish to read the WinPlot_Release_Notes in .pdf format on the WinPlot CD.: After this installation is finished, you may install Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0. Select by double-clicking E:\Adobe\ar40eng.exe, where e is the letter of your CD-ROM drive.

6. When the installation has completed, select YES to restart your computer. Note: WinPlot will not be available until you perform the steps in the next section under Plotter Configuration. Note: If you must reinstall WinPlot, first make sure WinPlot is not running (See the Exit Plotter Program). Make sure AccuMark ACMKMGR program is not running. If necessary, stop the ACMKMGR program with the Windows End Task feature (Ctrl-Alt-Del).

Plotter Configuration
Plotter configuration is accomplished by making changes to settings in the Gerber Devices Configuration screen, and in the WinPlot Configuration screen.

Gerber Devices Configuration

The Gerber Device Configuration screen is added to the Control Panel folder during installation of the WinPlot software. This is used to select parameters for Digitizer, Tablet, Plotter, Function Box, and Tracker. The following Plotter settings can be modified under the Plotter tab: Port Settings, Plotter Type, and AccuRoller status. Refer to figure 1 and table 1 for more on Plotter tab configuration. 1. Click the Windows Start button, go to Settings. Click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Gerber Device Configuration icon. 3. Click the Plotter tab to open the Plotter Configuration window. 4. On the Plotter tab under Port Settings, select the communication port (COM1, COM2), and the Baud Rate used for the plotter. 5. On the Plotter tab under Type, select the plotter on your system. 6. Put a checkmark in the AccuRoller checkbox if AccuRoller is used. 7. Click OK.

PLOTTER TAB

Figure 1. Plotter Tab TABLE 1 GERBER DEVICES CONFIGURATION PLOTTER TAB Comm Port Select the Com Port your computer is connected to: COM1, COM2, COM3 or COM4. Select COM-NET is you have an Infinity II that will be networked. Select None if submitting jobs to a remote queue (no plotter physically connected). Baud Rate Infinity Plotter is set from 9600 to 57600. All other plotters are non-selectable.

Host or Port These text windows are active when Comm Port is set to COM-NET. Type Select your plotter from the list of plotters AccuRoller Insert a check in checkbox if AccuRoller is being used.

WinPlot Configuration
The WinPlot Configuration screen is added to the Control Panel folder during installation of WinPlot software. This is used to select plotter parameters under the following tabs: General, HPGL Files, DWG/DXF Files, Remote Plotters, Log File, and Spooler.
OPENING THE WINPLOT CONFIGURATION SCREEN

1. Click the Windows Start button, go to Settings, then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the WinPlot Config icon 3. With the WinPlot Configuration screen open, click on the tabs and select parameters, as desired. Refer to the following figures and related tables for General, HPGL Files, DWG/DXF Files, Remote Plotters, Log File, and Spooler tabs 4. Click OK when finished selecting parameters for all tabs

GENERAL TAB

Figure 2. General Tab TABLE 2 GENERAL TAB Scale Select X, Y and Text Values Percentage is applied during the conversion process. The default is 100% (converted file will be same size as original). Low values result in a small converted file. Large values result in a converted file that is larger than the original. Plotter Units 10000 units per inch (not adjustable). Plot Stacking Plot pieces can be stacked (intermixed) to conserve paper. Pen Width This parameter is used to determine how many strokes of the pen are required to generate a thick line. The value is expressed in plotter units, which is mils x 10. On a Gerber pen plotter, the width of the pen is approximately 20 mils. This value should be set to 200. On an Infinity, the width is about 6.6 mils. A value of 66 is appropriate. Copies Select quantity of copies when printing plots using rightclick/Windows Explorer method, or the drag plot file into spooler method.
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Plot Folder Choose a location for plot files before they are converted. Output to file Default Folder Choose a location for plot files that are converted and output to file. File Extension The file extension name for converted plots output to file is .ggt (not adjustable).

HPGL TAB

Figure 3. HPGL Tab TABLE 3 HPGL TAB CONVERSION CONFIGURATION Input Units Use setting that matches the resolution of your plotter type. WinPlot defaults to plotter units for the HP 7475. Suggested Input Units settings for CAD software, HP plotter plot data, and sent to a Gerber Plotter: Scaled plot data without IP and SC commands: Input Units 1016 Plot data with IP and SC commands: Input Units 1016 Plot data without scaling or IP and SC commands: Input Units 1000 Refer to Appendix A for more information on scaling.

File Extension File extension (name) for HPGL plot file is .plt before it is converted to .ggt

DWG/DXF TAB

Figure 4. DWG/DXF Tab TABLE 4 DWG/DXF TAB CONVERSION CONFIGURATION Chord Height Tolerance Increasing this value will result in more error, but will improve processing time and reduce converted file size DXF File Extension The file extension (name) for .dxf CAD file before it is converted to a .ggt file DWG File Extension The file extension (name) for .dwg CAD file before it is converted to a .ggt file

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REMOTE PLOTTERS TAB

Figure 5. Remote Plotters Tab

(applies only to WinPlot Network Peer to Peer Scenario)

TABLE 5 REMOTE PLOTTERS TAB Plotters by name List of pre-defined plotters Plotter Properties Name: Unique name used to reference a remote plotter used for reference only can be any name you choose Location: Drive letter mapped to a remote system containing a \userroot\devq\plotter directory all drive letters are scanned to determine eligibility Type: Select appropriate plotter type

Note: All fields must be filled in before pressing the new button.

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LOG FILE TAB

Figure 6. Log File Tab TABLE 6 LOG FILE TAB Location Storage area for error messages that may have resulted when a plot was converted Clear Click here to delete error messages stored in the Log File View Click here to see error messages stored in the Log File - These errors will open in Wordpad

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SPOOLER TAB

Figure 7. Spooler Tab

TABLE 7 SPOOLER TAB Spooler Enabled With Spooler Enabled selected (checked), files can be dropped in a folder and WinPlot will automatically process them In this example, files to be spooled are dropped in C:/winplot/spooler Defaults Location Where files to be spooled are dropped Plotter Destination plotter when files are submitted via the spooler

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CUT FILES TAB

TABLE 8 CUT FILES TAB Conversion Configuration Input Units This is the default input scale of x, y coordinates in the cut file if no G codes are specified. If a G70, G71, or G91 command is encountered in the file, this value is overridden. File Extension The file extension (file name) for cut files is .cut before it is converted to a .ggt file.

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WinPlot Network Plotting

SAMPLE (CLIENT/SERVER) SCENARIO WinPlot uses an environment variable when queuing plot files via a Client Server network to another WinPlot or AccuMark plot queue

Using this diagram as an example, perform the following steps for each workstation PC01-PC03. Note that each workstation must have a unique 4 character queue name. It is suggested that the PC name specified in Network Neighborhood Properties be used as the queue name provided the first 4 characters are unique from all other systems that will be submitting plots to the queue server.

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PC01 1. Add the environment variable, QUEUE=SERV,<drive letter>:<machine_name> to each PC. The <drive letter> is the drive letter on this PC that is mapped to the server. In a Windows 95 system this is done by adding the line, SET QUEUE=SERV,X:PC01 to the config.sys file. In a Windows NT system, this is done through the control panel under system/environment. This modification must be made to all PCs on the network regardless of where the plotters are connected. Once queues are established, each PC will be identified on the server under \dev.q. 2. Reboot system. PC02 1. Add the environment variable, QUEUE=SERV,X:PC02 to your system. 2. Reboot system. PC03 1. Add the environment variable, QUEUE=SERV,X:PC03 to your system. 2. Reboot system. PC01-PC03 From within the Winplot application, available queues should be listed in the plotter destination drop down list.

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WinPlot Network Plotting

SAMPLE (PEER/PEER) SCENARIO WinPlot uses an environment variable when queuing plot files via a Peer-toPeer network to another WinPlot or AccuMark plot queue

Using the above diagram as an example, follow the steps below for each workstation PC01-PC03. Note that each workstation must have a unique 4 character queue name. It is suggested that the PC name specified in Network Neighborhood Properties be used as the queue name provided the first 4 characters are unique from all other systems that will be submitting plots to the queue server.

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PC01 1. Add the environment variable, QUEUE=PEER,PC01 to your system. In a Windows 95 system this is done by adding the line, SET QUEUE=PEER,PC01 to the config.sys file. In a Windows NT system, this is done through the control panel under system/environment. 2. Share out the c: drive so that PC02 and PC03 can submit jobs to this machine. 3. Reboot the system. PC02 1. Add the environment variable, QUEUE=PEER,PC02 to your system. 2. Share out the c: drive so that PC01 and PC03 can submit jobs to this machine. 3. Reboot the system. PC03 1. Add the environment variable, QUEUE=PEER,PC03 to your system. 2. Reboot the system. PC01-PC03 1. Refer to Remote Plotters Tab on page 9.

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Plotter Program
The WinPlot Plotter program provides easy access to plotter utilities available to your system. Once installed, the plotter program automatically starts with your computer. Right-click the plotter icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar to enable the plotter manager menu. From the plotter manager menu you can: Plot Files Open Queue Manager Open Plotter Settings Restart Plotter Exit plotter manager program

Restart Plotter Program

This command resets the plotter program on your PC. It does not put a plotter online, which can only be done at the plotter. TO RESTART PLOTTER 1. Right-click the Plotter icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar. 2. From the Plotter manager menu, choose Restart Plotter. 3. From the Restart Plotter Program dialogue box, choose Restart active jobs, Delete active jobs, or Finish active jobs. See Table 8. 4. Use the Advance paper when done check box to enable or disable paper advance. 5. Click OK.

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Exit Plotter Program

TO EXIT THE PLOTTER PROGRAM 1. Right-click the plotter icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar. 2. From the plotter menu, choose Exit. 3. From the Exit Plotter Program dialog box, choose Restart active jobs, Delete active jobs, or Finish active jobs. See Table 8. 4. Use the Advance paper when done check box to enable or disable paper advance. 5. Click OK.

TABLE 8 ACTIVE JOB OPTIONS Restart active jobs Active jobs are reset and start over Delete Active jobs All active jobs are deleted from the queue Finish Active jobs Active jobs begin where they were stopped

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WinPlot Converter
WinPlot allows you to convert and format HPGL, .DWG, and .DXF plot files generated from non-AccuMark applications. WinPlot also allows plotting of AccuMark/MicroMark generic files to satisfy your remote plotting applications. Once converted for proper page limits, these files can be submitted to a plot queue and plotted on any of the AccuPlot family of plotters. Although developed for non-AccuMark applications, WinPlot can convert HPGL data to AccuMark generic data for importation into an AccuMark System. WinPlot can also plot AccuMark generic data, allowing for the effective exchange of information between systems. In addition to formatting standard files into AccuPlot-compatible files, WinPlot includes utilities to manage the plotter queue, view plot files, and set plotter media characteristics. Once installed, open the WinPlot dialog box from the taskbar plotter icon or from within Windows Explorer under \USERROOT\PROG\WINPLOT.EXE. WinPlot processes a copy of the original file. The converted file is stored in the \USERROOT\DEVQ\PLOTTER folder with a randomly assigned name and the extension .ggt. The source plot file remains in its original location. TO OPEN THE WINPLOT DIALOG BOX From the taskbar: Right-click the plotter icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar to open the plotter manager menu, then click Plot Files. From Windows Explorer: Double-click on the plot file filename to open the WinPlot dialog box with that file selected. You can also start the program by selecting the plot file, then choosing Open or Plot File from the Explorer File menu or from the context menu.

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TO CONVERT A PLOT FILE 1. Open the WinPlot dialog box.

Figure 8. Plot Queue 2. Click on Add to select file(s) to convert. Note: You can edit any file after it has been added. Double click on the file name to open the properties dialog box, then edit. 3. Click Plot to start the conversion. 4. When the conversion is complete, the Files Selected For Plotting disappears from the dialog box window. Open the Queue Manager to work with the converted files.
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5. Queue Manager Converted plot files are placed directly into the plot queue. The Queue Manager utility allows you to: Choose from available plotter queues Display the contents of a plot file Delete jobs in the queue Stop and restart the plot queue The Plotter Settings and View Plot programs are also available from within the Queue Manager. Using Plotter Settings, you can create a new Media ID, or revise an existing one. View Plot allows you to display the contents of the converted file. See page 29 for more information about View Plot, or page 30 for more information about Plotter Settings.

Queue Manager
The Plot Queue Manager window displays information about the plotter and about each job in the queue.
Toolbar Queue status

Plotter status

Job list

Figure 9 Queue Manager Window

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TABLE 9 QUEUE MANAGER FIELDS CURRENT STATUS TOOLBAR Status Status blocks for plotter (left block) and queue (right block): Plotter Describes operating condition of plotter associated with selected plot queue. Common conditions are: Operating or able to accept and execute commands sent from controlling system. When offline, plotter is prevented from accepting commands from controlling system. Servos are not disabled. Stopped due to error detected by plotter or by application. Describes the operating condition of the open queue. Common conditions are: Normal operating status.

Online Offline Error Queue

Active

Waiting Queue ready but plotter not online or error condition exists. Stopped Queue interrupted by error condition or by Stop Immediate or Delete Active Delete All command. Owner On networks, this field identifies the system node that currently has ownership of the plot queue and the plotter. Field is blank if no system has locked the queue. Media Displays the name of the media ID currently active for the plotter (See Media IDs defined using Plotter Settings on page 30). JOB INFORMATION HEADINGS Job Job numbers are assigned sequentially as jobs are added to the list. Group If a job is one of several to be processed as a group, its group identifier (a letter) appears in the list entry. Status Displays the current condition of the plot job. Plot Name Displays the name of the plot file. Node On networked systems, name of the node that processed the job. Storage Displays name of device that contains the source HPGL plot file. Media Displays the Media ID assigned to the plot job

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Using Queue Manager Commands

Queue Manager Toolbar
A toolbar provides quick access to the most commonly used commands. From left to right are: Open, Print, Delete Job, Stop Immediate, and Restart Queue.

Starting and Stopping the Queue

TO PLOT SPECIFIC JOBS IMMEDIATELY 1. Select the job from the job list. To select multiple jobs, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the job entries. 2. From the Actions menu, choose Plot Now. The selected jobs move to the top of the job list (job number does not change) and will plot immediately after active jobs are completed. TO STOP PLOTTING IMMEDIATELY 1. Click the Stop Immediate tool the Actions menu. or, choose Stop Immediate from

All active jobs stop plotting and the plotter goes offline. The plotter status changes to Stopped. Note: You must use Restart Active AND Restart Queue commands from the Actions menu to resume plotting. TO STOP PLOTTING AFTER THE ACTIVE JOBS PLOT 1. From the Actions menu, choose Stop After. 2. The job status changes to Ready To Stop. Once the job finishes plotting, the plotter stops and the Plotter/Queue status changes to Offline/Stopped.

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TO RESTART ACTIVE PLOT JOBS 1. From the Plot Queue screen, choose Restart Active from the Actions menu. 2. At the prompt, click OK to confirm the action. All active jobs that were stopped are returned to active status, but they do not begin plotting automatically. You must use the Restart Queue command to begin plotting again. TO RESTART THE PLOT QUEUE 1. Click the Restart Queue tool the Actions menu. or, choose Restart Queue from

The Queue status field changes to Active and any jobs in the queue will begin plotting (if the plotter is online).

Selecting a Plot Queue

TO OPEN A PLOT QUEUE 1. Click the Open tool or, choose Open from the File menu. 2. From the list, select the queue you want, then click OK.

Media ID
TO SELECT A DIFFERENT MEDIA ID 1. From the Actions menu, choose Change Media. 2. Select a Media ID from the list, then click OK. If you see the message Bad Media in the Queue Manager Media field, make sure the media displayed in the job list is a valid one.

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Removing Jobs from the Queue

TO DELETE INDIVIDUAL JOBS FROM THE PLOT QUEUE 1. Select the job from the job list. To select multiple jobs, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the job entries. 2. Click the Delete tool or choose Delete from the Actions menu. 3. Click OK to confirm the action. The Delete command does not delete active jobs from the plot queue. Use the Delete Active or the Delete All command from the Actions menu to do this. TO DELETE ALL JOBS FROM THE PLOT QUEUE 1. From the Actions menu, choose Delete All. 2. Click OK to confirm the action. The Delete All command removes everything from the queue, including the active jobs. The plotter stops because there is nothing in the queue to plot, but does not go offline. TO DELETE A PLOT JOB THAT IS ALREADY PLOTTING 1. From the Actions menu, choose Delete Active. 2. At the prompt, choose OK to confirm you want to delete that job. Or 1. Right click on the job in plot queue. 2. Click Delete Active. 3. At the prompt, choose OK to confirm you want to delete that job.

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Miscellaneous Plot Queue Tasks

TO ADVANCE THE PLOTTER PAPER 1. From the Action menu, choose New Page. The plotter paper advances one page or one bite as soon as an active job finishes plotting. TO PRINT INFORMATION IN THE PLOT QUEUE 1. Click the Print tool or, choose Print from the File menu. 2. Check that the printer settings are correct, then click OK. TO DISPLAY THE CONTENTS OF A PLOT FILE 1. Select the job from the job list. 2. From the Actions menu, choose View. RIGHT CLICK COMMANDS IN PLOT QUEUE The following pull down functions available under the Plot Queue Action menu are also available by right clicking in the plot queue: View Delete Delete Active Stop After Stop Immediately Restart Queue Restart Active Plot Now

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View Plot
The View Plot program allows you to display a plot job from within the Queue Manager. You can print a job from the View Plot window or use the Zoom function to examine details. TO OPEN VIEW PLOT 1. Open the Queue Manager. 2. From the job list, select the job you want to display. 3. From the Actions menu, choose View.

View Commands
View Plot can display jobs in colors by entity or by tool. The Zoom feature allows you to enlarge an area of the plot job (zoom in) on the screen. You can also print the displayed job. TO DISPLAY BY DRAWING ENTITY OR BY TOOL 1. From the View menu check By Entity to display the job in colors assigned to the components in the drawing. Check By Tool to display the job in colors corresponding to the tools assigned to the components in the job. TO USE THE VIEW PLOT ZOOM FUNCTION 1. Place the pointer at the top left corner of the section of the display you want to examine. 2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag a box around the section you want to examine, then release the button. 3. To zoom out, right-click the mouse. TO PRINT THE CURRENTLY DISPLAYED FILE 1. Click 3. Click OK. or choose Print from the File menu.

2. Verify the printer information is correct.

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Settings Plotter Settings

The Plotter Settings program allows you to specify plotter, cutter, and media characteristics, and then save those settings as a group, under a unique identifier called a Media ID. Once defined, a Media ID can be applied to a plot queue or to individual jobs to set values such as bite length, tool force and velocity, paper width, and so on. TO OPEN PLOTTER SETTINGS FROM QUEUE MANAGER 1. Open the Queue Manager. 2. From the View menu, click Plotter Settings. TO OPEN PLOTTER SETTINGS FROM THE TASKBAR 1. Right-click the plotter icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar. 2. Click Plotter Settings. TO SPECIFY UNITS OF MEASURE 1. From the Plotter Settings View menu, choose Options. 2. In the Options dialog box, click the radio button that corresponds to the units you want. 3. Click OK.

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Plotter Settings Window

These settings let you control how a plotter or Samplemaker works based on the media being used. Click the tabs near the top of the windowGeneral, Tool Settings, Item Mapping, and Internal Mapping. Each Media ID window contains tabs for General, Tool Settings, Item Mapping, and Internal Mapping. The tool and media options available depend on the type of plotter configured for your system. TO OPEN AN EXISTING MEDIA ID 1. Open Plotter Settings. 2. Click or choose Open from the File menu.

3. Select the Media ID to open, then click Open. TO DEFINE A NEW MEDIA ID 1. Open Plotter Settings. 2. Click or choose New from the File menu.

3. Complete the tab Plotter Settings to match the media you are using. Refer to page 2 5 for explanations of the tabs under To Complete The Plotter Settings Window. 4. Choose Save As from the File menu. 5. In the Save As dialog box, type a unique name for the Media ID, choose a storage location, then click OK. TO PRINT MEDIA ID PARAMETER VALUES 1. Open Plotter Settings. 2. Open the Media ID you want to print. 3. Click the print tool or choose Print from the File menu. 4. Verify the printer information is correct. 5. Click OK.

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TO DELETE A MEDIA ID 1. Open Plotter Settings. 2. Verify the Media ID you want to delete is NOT open. 3. From the File menu, choose Delete. 4. From the list, select the Media ID name. 5. Click the Delete button. TO COMPLETE THE PLOTTER SETTINGS WINDOW 1. Right-click the plotter icon in the right corner of the taskbar to open the plotter menu, then click Queue Manager. 2. From the Configuration Menu, choose Plotter Settings. The Plotter Settings window will display. Note: If you chose Custom under the General tab, select the Item Mapping tab and complete the fields to assign (map) a specific tool or line type to a specific plot item. Note: If you chose Custom under the General tab, select the Internal Mapping tab and complete the fields to assign a specific tool or line type to a specific internal item. 3. Complete settings under the Plotter Settings tabs. Refer to the following paragraphs (General, Tool Settings, Item Mapping, and Internal Mapping) and related screens for additional information. 4. From the File menu, choose Save As and type a name in the Media field to assign the settings a meaningful name (such as one that represents that actual media you will be using when plotting, like cardboard, oaktag, paper, etc.)

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GENERAL

Figure 10. General Tab TABLE 10 GENERAL TAB General Parameters Character Set: Select the style of lettering you want the system to use when plotting annotation: Standard: Stick font for improved speed on pen plotters Enhanced: Elaborate font plots slower with pen plotters

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TABLE 10 GENERAL TAB (CONTINUED) Wait Time: For stacking or scissoring, type the number of seconds (0-180) for desired pause after last job in queue is sent to plotter. The plotter uses wait time value to see if more jobs are being sent before advancing paper to finish plotting.

Note: For SP-100 and -200 plotters, Wait Time is only used when scissoring. It does not affect plotting when stacking is turned on. This does not apply to scissoring on an AP-300 or -700 series plotter. Media Parameters Media Type: Select Roll or Sheet to indicate paper or media type used. Media Bite Length: If media type is Sheet, type total length of media. If media type is Roll, type bite size you want to use. Media Width: Type total width of plotting media. Amount should match the media width setting on the plotter. This field defaults to maximum media width allowed for plotter. All active jobs are deleted from the queue

Scissor/Border Parameters Scissor: Allows plots, which are too large to fit on the plotter, to be plotted in multiple sections then reassembled after plotting. Select one of the following: None: Turns the scissoring feature off. Even: Automatically divides the plot in half. Max: The plotter first plots the maximum amount of the plot that will fit across the width, then plots the rest of the plot. Width: Lets you adjust the scissor amount. Scissoring Width: Type a scissor amount in this field. Edge Spacing: Type the amount of space you want between the edge of the plotting media and the actual plotted/cut items.

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TABLE 10 GENERAL TAB (CONTINUED) Tool Mappings Select Standard to use tools specified in Standard Tools setting box. The tools are activated by AccuMark parameter tables. Item Mapping and Internal Mapping tabs are deactivated when Standard mapping is selected. If more than one pen or knife tool is needed, or mapping differently from the parameter tables, select Custom mapping. Select Custom if you want to deactivate the Standard Tool settings box and instead use the Item Mapping and Internal Mapping tab settings. Custom settings allows multiple tools to be selected. Specific tool and line types may also be assigned to internal labels and items.

Standard Tools Select the tool you want used for the Pen and the Knife. The tools specified here for Pen and Knife will be referenced by the AccuMark parameter tables used during plot processing.

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Appendix A
Winplot Scaling Considerations
There are two considerations that affect the final plot size: Input Plot Units Scale Factor Results will vary depending on the CAD software that is generating the plot data and the type of plotter being used.

Input Plot Units

For Gerber plotters, one plotter unit = 0.001 inches. For HP and other plotters, one plotter unit = 0.025 mm. Some CAD software packages compensate when plotting to a HP plotter by scaling the data to make the conversion from English to metric units. This conversion is represented by the following formula Scale = = Example: 1016/1000 1.016 0.025 mm = .00098425 inches 1/.00098425 = 1016 In this example, the HP plotter moves 1 inch when a command of 1016 is sent to the plotter. As an alternative, some CAD software packages use the HPGL commands IP and SC, and let the plotter perform the scaling. This method sends the data to the plotter in English units. Typical commands used are IP0,0,1016,1016 and SC0,1000,0,1000. All commanded positions are then multiplied by the plotter in the ratio of IP/SC.

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Winplot compensates for data generated for a HP plotter by various CAD software packages. The following formula provides the relationship to the data output from Winplot to the data input. Winplot Output = HPGL input value * (SCALE FACTOR/100) * (1000/INPUT PLOT UNITS) * (HPGL IP/HPGL SC) Where: HPGL input value = SCALE FACTOR = INPUT PLOT UNITS = HPGL IP = HPGL SC = commanded position in input plot file. Value entered through the Winplot config dialog box. Value entered through the Winplot config dialog box. HPGL IP command that may or may not be present in the plot file. HGPL SC command that may or may not be present in the plot file.

Note: If the IP and SC commands are not used, then the ratio IP/SC = 1. The following guidelines provide the suggested setting for the INPUT UNITS parameter. Sample HPGL plot files are shown for each case for a 10 by 10 inch box. 1. CAD software that generates scaled plot data for a HP plotter without using the IP and SC commands (Final destination is a Gerber plotter): Set INPUT UNITS to 1016 (default). PU0,0; PD10160,0; PD10160,10160; PD0,10160; PD0,0; 2. CAD software that generates plot data for a HP plotter using the IP and SC commands (Final destination is a Gerber plotter): Set INPUT UNITS to 1016 (default). IP0,0,1016,1016;
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SC0,1000,0,1000; PU0,0; PD10000,0; PD10000,10000; PD0,10000; PD0,0; 3. CAD software that generates plot data for a HP plotter without scaling and without using the IP and SC commands (Final destination is a Gerber plotter): Set INPUT UNITS to 1000. PU0,0; PD10000,0; PD10000,10000; PD0,10000; PD0,0;

Scale Factor
When working with large drawings in your CAD software, it will be necessary to scale the plot down to fit the plotter. It is recommended that you choose a reduction factor rather than letting the CAD package scale the drawing automatically to fit the plotter. By doing this, the scale factor parameter within Winplot can be set to an equal amount to bring the drawing back to the original size. The best way to determine the appropriate settings for the input plot units and scale factor is to create a 10 inch square box from within your CAD software, plot it, then measure the plotted box to verify that it measures 10 inches.

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USA/CANADA Gerber Technology, Inc. WORLD HEADQUARTERS P.O. Box 769 24 Industrial Park Road West Tolland, Connecticut 06084 USA TEL: (860) 871-8082 FAX: (860) 871-6007 INTERNATIONAL Gerber Technology, Inc. INTERNATIONAL DIVISION P.O. Box 769 24 Industrial Park Road West Tolland, Connecticut 06084 USA TEL: (860) 871-8082 WEB: http://www.gerbertechnology.com FAX: (860) 871-6007 EUROPE GGT Europe N.V/S.A. Excelsiorlaan 55 B-1930 Zaventem, BELGIUM TEL: (32) (2) 716 03 11 FAX: (32) (2) 716 03 22

Document Number: 077467002