1. HPGL Viewer
A marker requisition form is filled and sent to the CAD department for putting a request for the marker. This form includes the details of the marker that are needed along with the size ratios. The CAD department then releases the marker to the cutting department.The HPGL Viewer software is a printer drivers program to be used specifically for different types of plotters made by various manufactures with the functions of graph browse and plotting as well as plotter parameter setting and correcting. System requirements of Hpgl viewer software: Operating system : Windows XP/Windows 2007/ Windows 2008 and Peripheral port：Parallel port. HPGL program is green software and does not need installation. Any marker program can be started by double click on HPGL.exe printer drivers.
The main interface of hpgl printer drivers will appear as below:
2. Menu Description of Hpgl Viewer:
This section describes the program menu items of hpgl software are stated one by one briefly.
2.1. File Menu of Hpgl2 Software:
Open：Read and display hpgl/hpgl2 graphs. Close: Close the hpgl2 image being displayed currently. Plot: Plot the hpgl2 image being displayed currently. Resume Plot：Similar to “Plot” but continue the plot from the position of last stop. Exit：Stop the program.
2.2. View Menu of Hpgl Software:
Enlarge：Enlarge the image display scale by one time. Reduce：Reduce the image display scale by one time. Fit：Display the full view of the image. Zoom：Set image display percentage.
2.3. Tools Menu of Hpgl Software:
Auto Plot ： Automatically monitor a designated directory to plot the files (including the files added later) in it one by one. History：Check the plot history.
2.4. Language Menu of Hpgl Software:
English：Shift the language of the software to English.Simplified Chinese：Shift the language of the software to simplified Chinese.
2.5. Configuration Menu of Hpgl Software:
Plot Configuration：Configure the graph-related parameters. Plotter Configuration：Configure the plotter operational parameters.
2.6. Help Menu of Hpgl Software:
User manual：Display this manual. About：Software version and other information.
3. Plotting Setting in Hpgl File System:
This section describes hpgl file in detail the usage of the hpg12 software functions including the seven topics of language setting, plot setting, graph display, plotter setting-up, automatic plot and plotter rectification.
3.1. Setting Language
Click “Language” menu of hpgl file and select the desired language in the three popped-up menus. Click the corresponding submenu.
3.2. Setting Plot:
Click “Configuration” menu “Plot Configuration”. The below dialog box will appear. You can set the plot size and default line thickness in the dialog box. There are three ways to set up the plot size:
3.2.1. First Way:
The first way is to set the size by the PS instruction of the file. However, not all the graphics files output by the cad software have a PS instruction.
3.2.2. Second Way:
The second way is to select it automatically by the contents of the file. It will automatically find the coordinates range which all the plot instructions reach and set a rectangular outline border as the frame for displaying and plotting the graph.
3.2.3. Third Way:
The third way is to set the size by the user. In general, you should not select this method because it may cause voids to the graph or waste paper.
3.3. Default line Thickness:
The larger the line thickness you select, the thicker the lines will be and the faster the ink will be consumed. When the plot file is closed, the line thickness setting will be reset to 1 so that the next plot will not be affected.
4. Displaying An Image
Before this step, make sure you have made proper selection in the step to set the plot. Plot setting usually only needs to be made once. Just some special graphs need plot setting to be redone.
Click “ File” menu than click“Open” to pop up the dialog box and select the graphics file required as shown below:
After image selection, the image can be seen in the main window of the program. The default scale is to fill up the space in Y direction, i.e. the direction of the width because the plot width will remain unchanged in most cases but the length could be very long. To change the image display scale, use the four submenus under “Display” menu. When a new image is opened, the last graph will be closed automatically.
5. Plotter Setting for Pattern Making Software File
Click “Configuration” menu than click “Plotter Configuration”. The below dialog box will appear:
Plot Configuration contains the setting-up of rectification, translation, interface, memory and plotting behavior.
5.1. Rectification Setting:
This option has been set up by the manufacturer before ex fatory delivery and usually needs no modification. If it really needs a modification, please see “Plotter rectification” in pattern making software chapter.
5.2. Translation Setting:
When the cad software output an image, the coordinates of the image in the direction of width (Y direction on the screen) are relatively far off the origin. In that case, if plotting begins from the origin of the direction of width, the image may not be fully plotted.
The red box shows the space that can be printed out. As per the width of the image, it should have been printed out entirely, but it’s not fully printed out because the cad software outputs the image too far off the origin of the direction of width (the low frame of the red box in the above figure).
Translation setting is to make the settings to translate the image downwards for full printout. There are two ways:
5.3. Automatic Translation:
The program checks the width of the image and the coordinates offset. When the width of the image is inside the plotting range but the coordinates offset is too large, it will automatically translate the image to the place near the bottom before plotting.
5.4. Manual Translation:
The downward translation of the image will be designated by the user. If part of the image can not be seen due to the translation. The software will prompts:
Because manual translation is only needed for a very few plots, the value of manual translation will be rest to 0 whenever the current graph is closed.
5.5. Interface Setting:
Select the interface the hardware needs to connect with the PC. At present, the only mode is to connect through a parallel port.
5.6. Memory Setting:
Usually, 50K to 100K will meet the need (ex-factory configuration is 2M). In case of a large batch plot ( for example, send the plot job to the plotter before going off work and leave the plotter working with the PC not being controlled by a operator), the memory can be set to a larger value.
5.7. Plotting Setting:
This includes the setup to delete the file or not after plotting and the setup for the number of times to plot one graph. The number of plotting times will be reset to 1 when the graphics file is closed so that it will not affect the next plot.
6. Plotting by hpgl plotter
When a graphics file is opened correctly, the plotter will plotting by hpgl plotter out the opened image in the two ways, direct plot and resuming plot.
6.1. Direct Plotting:
Click “File ” menu than click“Plot” to pop up the dialog box which displays the plotting progress as below:
Click “Cancel” to interrupt the plotting and “Pause” to pause the plotting. When plotting by hpgl plotter is paused, you can click “Resume” to continue the plotting.
If an interruption is man-made or due to ink-out or other reasons, the below dialog box will appear in hpgl plotter screen when trying to re-plot the same file
The plotting interruption distance of hpgl plotter will be automatically filled in at the “Start point”. If required, the value of the start point can also be manually entered. Click “Ok” to continue plotting at the “Start point” and click “cancel” to start the plot from the very beginning.
6.2. Resume Plotting:
Click “File” menu than click“ Resume Plot” to start the function which differs from direct plot in always popping up a dialog box to have the user select the start point even if the plotting has not been interrupted. The user may have to select this function under two situations: The plotting by ploter has been interrupted but the hpg12 program cannot acquire the interruption position (e.g. the PC power is cut off) or the forepart of an image does not need to be plotted.
6.3. Auto Plotting by Pattern Making Software :
The method described above in the section Plotting by ploter can only make one plot each time. The hpg12 software also has the automatic plot function. Click “Tools”menu→“Auto Plot” to pop up the dialog box:
The job list of automatic plotting by ploter will appear when you select a folder. The files in the selected folder will be plotted one by one automatically. Pattern making software support free dxf files.
To bring forward a file in the job list, you have to interrupt the plotting by ploter of the current file, select the file to be brought forward and click on the “Move Forward” button to move it to the top of the job list. Click “Plot”to start.
To interrupt the automatic plotting by ploter click “Cancel”. If a plot is underway, you have to click the “Cancel” button in the plot progress window. The plotter plot automatically with the help of pattern making software