This page has been created to assist you in printing with a Canon printer and AutoCAD

 

1. What AutoCAD Drivers are available from Canon?

2. How can I setup AutoCAD R13 for DOS to Plot to file to Plot to a port

3. How can I setup AutoCAD R13 for Windows to Plot to file to Plot to a port

4. I need help using AutoCAD's AutoSpool Facility

* Information for 3 and 4 taken from ACAD22.EXE's readme

1.  What AutoCAD Drivers are available from Canon?

Canon Canada only supports the Windows printer driver.  AutoCad will work with limited functionality with this driver.

Canon USA does have AutoCad drivers available for download from www.usa.canon.com

Sorry but Canon Canada does not support these AutoCad drivers

GP30/55
GP Series Plotter Driver v1.0 for AutoCAD (Win R12 and R13; DOS R10-13; SPARC R12; Sun Solaris R12) Note: Must be used with PB P1 with GP30F/55/55F only!
ACADGP.EXE (0.21MB)

GP200Old
GP Series Plotter Driver v2.0 for AutoCAD (Win R13 and R14; DOS R13; Sun Solaris R13) Note: Cannot be used with PB P1!
ACAD20.EXE (0.18MB)

GP30/55, GP200Old, GP200E
GP Series Plotter Driver v2.1 for AutoCAD (384 KB) (For use with AutoCAD 386 (DOS) R13, AutoCAD for Windows R13 & R14, AutoCAD for Sun Solaris R13 and AutoCAD LT 97 and 98)
NOTE: CANNOT be used with GP 30/55 Printer Board P1
ACAD21.EXE (0.38MB)

GP30/55, GP200Old, GP200E, IR210, IR330/400, IR600
AutoCAD 386 (DOS) Releases 13, AutoCAD for Windows Releases 13 and 14, AutoCAD for Sun Solaris Release 13, AutoCAD LT 97 and 98
iR Series Plotter Driver v2.2 for AutoCAD
ACAD22.EXE  (191 KB)

2.  How can I setup AutoCAD R13 for DOS to Plot to file to Plot to a port
Printing large drawing files from AutoCAD R13 for DOS can cause errors, when applications try to send data directly to the printer port, to solve this problem use Plot to file to plot to a port.
 

Configure the Default plot file:

1.   Start AutoCAD and at the prompt type "Config"
2.   Select "Configure operating parameters"
3.   Select parameter "default plot file name" Enter: AUTOSPOOL 4.   Select parameter "default Spooler directory" Enter:  C:\SPOOL\
5.   Exit configuration

Using AutoCAD Autospool facility:

A.   Create a directory C:\SPOOL\
B.   Create SPOOL.BAT in C:\SPOOL\
C.   Edit spool.bat :

C:\
CD\POOL
COPY /B %1 LPT1
DEL %1

D.   Add the following command to your Autoexec.bat
SET ACADPLCMD=C:\SPOOL\SPOOL %%S

Reboot computer.

E.   Plot:

In the Plot configuration menu set for:
"Plot to file" Also set for AUTOSPOOL.
"Scale to fit"
 

The printer driver for the gp200 must be installed in C:\R13\DOS\DRV and also redirect the port:
e.g. NET USE LPTX:\LAB_NT4_SERVER\GP200

3.  How can I setup AutoCAD R13 for Windows to Plot to file to Plot to a port?
AutoCAD for Windows Release 13: Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 95, and Window NT usually generate errors when applications try, as AutoCAD does, to send data directly to a printer port. If you are running AutoCAD under these versions of Windows, use Plot-to-File to plot to a port.

Network printing: The driver uses special AutoCAD functions to transfer printer data to the computer's parallel or serial ports. This enables AutoCAD to redirect data for AutoCAD's spooling and plot-to-file features.
However, because AutoCAD uses low level functions to access the port controllers, network software may not be able to capture plot data directed
to a port. Also, before sending data, AutoCAD queries the port. In a network setup or with a printer switch box, the port may appear "not ready" to AutoCAD and the plot will never get going.

If you are having problems transferring data to a network or a switch box, the solution may be to route the plot data through AutoCAD's "plot-to-file" feature. Then AutoCAD will use higher-level operating system functions to transfer data to the port. The network or switch box should then be able to capture the data.

Release 14 has improved features which make use of plot-to-file to plot to a port unnecessary. If you are having network transmission difficulties in Release 14, see the section below USING AUTOCAD'S AUTOSPOOL FACILITY.
 

Follow these steps to configure AutoCAD to use plot-to-file to plot to a port:

A. Configure default plot file name.

1. Go to AutoCAD's configuration menu. Choose Configure, under the "Options" menu (Release 13). Or, at the command prompt, enter: config

2. Choose Configure operating parameters.

3. Choose Default plot file name.

4. For the file name, enter the name of the port from which the network will be expecting to capture plot data. Examples are: LPT1, or COM1. Enter just the four characters of the port name, without a period or extension. If your network requires plot to an actual file, enter that directory and file name instead.
 

B. Configure plotter.

1. If you have not yet configured the plotter driver in AutoCAD, follow the instructions above in the section CONFIGURE AN AUTOCAD PLOTTER.

2. Since you will be plotting to a file, don't worry about any questions asking you to select the port. Enter a period "." for none.

3. When you get to the question that asks "Do you want to plot to a file?", enter Yes.
 

C. At plot time.

1. Set up the plot as described in the Plot from AutoCAD section above.

2. Releases 13: In the Plot Configuration dialogue box, set the "plot to file" box if it doesn't have an X. You shouldn't have to, but if you do select the "File Name" button, confirm that the default file name is the port you set in step A above. If it is not, repeat the steps under A above. If you get a message "The specified file already exists. Do you want to replace it?". No problem, because it's a port and will always already exist. Answer yes. Finish up the plot configuration and the press Enter or OK to begin printing.

4.  I need help using AutoCAD's AutoSpool Facility

AUTOSPOOL provides a method for sending plots to a spooler program. By using a simple batch file in place of a spooler, you can automatically direct plot data to the proper port, network, or plot device. AUTOSPOOL is a very reliable solution when AutoCAD has trouble sending data directly to a printer or plotter, especially when running under Windows.

Detailed information on AUTOSPOOL is included in your AutoCAD documentation. Following are concise instructions. You can make changes to the disk drives letters, directory or folder names, file names, and port names in the examples below. But if you do change any, be sure to make the changes consistently in all steps.

Autospool is not available for AutoCAD LT97.

A. Create a directory c:\spool on your hard disk

This will hold temporary plot files. Use Windows' file manager or explorer to create a new directory or folder c:\spool Or, at a DOS command prompt enter:  md c:\spool
 

B. Create spool.bat, a batch command file to process plot files.

Create a batch file named spool.bat and place it in c:\spool.  Use a text editor such as the DOS edit command or Windows Notepad.  Put command lines into the batch file from one of the following examples.

1. One output device:

If you have only one device, use the four command lines below. If your plot device is connected to a port other than lpt1, replace lpt1 on the third line with the correct port name or network destination.

c:
cd \spool
copy /b %1 lpt1
del %1
 

2. More than one output device:

Use command lines similar to those in the example below.

The example here is for two devices, a printer with supported-model name "GP200E" at local port lpt1, and a plotter with supported-model name "Big plotter"  that has a shared-resource or network name PLOTTER1 on a remote computer named PC1.

c:
cd \spool
rem FILE:%1 MODEL:%2

if %2==GP200E copy /b %1 lpt1
if errorlevel 1 pause

if %2==Big_plotter copy /b %1 \\PC1\PLOTTER1
if errorlevel 1 pause

del %1
if errorlevel 1 pause

If you have trouble getting AUTOSPOOL to work, add a pause statement on its own line after the rem statement above, or at the end of the batch file. Then the batch file will stop is process so you'll confirm the model names that AutoCAD is sending to the batch file.

If your device uses a serial port such as com1, it may be helpful to include a DOS mode command with the proper serial port parameters at the top of this batch file. An example mode statement follows; note the parameter p at the end with sets up the serial port for persistent retry: mode com1 9600,n,8,1,p
 

C. Set up the environment for plot spooling.

Do one of the following, 1 or 2:

1. AutoCAD for Windows:
Start AutoCAD.
For Release 13: From the menu, select Options, then Preferences.Then select the Misc. tab. Locate the box under "Plot Spooling".
For Release 14: From the menu, select Files, then Printer Setup, then Files. You will see a list of search paths, filenames and file locations. Double-click the item "Print File, Spooler, and Prolog Section Names". Under this, double-click the item "Print Spool Executable".

Enter: c:\spool\spool %s
If you are using more than one output device as in B.2 above,  after the %s, add a space and %m

For Release 14 only: In the list of search paths, filenames, and file locations, double-click on "Print Spooler File Location".  Enter: c:\spool
 

2. AutoCAD for DOS:

Add the following command to your autoexec.bat file, or to the batch file that starts up your AutoCAD. This command sets an environment variable that tells AutoCAD how to call the batch file for processing plot files. Note that there are no spaces around = or at end, and two % signs before the lowercase s at the end.

set ACADPLCMD=c:\spool\spool %%s

If you are using more than one output device as in B.2 above, after the %%s add a space and %%m

Make this autoexec.bat set command active by rebooting your computer.Or, if the set command is in your AutoCAD startup batch file, then simply restart AutoCAD with the startup batch file.

D. Configure the default plot file and directory
   (For Releases 13 only, not for 14).
1. Start AutoCAD. Go to AutoCAD's configuration menu.
2. Select "Configure operating parameters".
3. Select parameter "Default plot file name". Enter: AUTOSPOOL
4. Select parameter "Plot spooler directory".  Enter the name of the directory for temporary storage of plot files.Note the backslash at end. Enter: c:\spool\
5. Exit the configuration menu and keep the changes.

E. Plot.
 1. Enter AutoCAD's plot command.
2. In the plot configuration dialog box, set for "Plot to File". Always plot to file. In Release 14, also set for AUTOSPOOL.
3. Start the plot. Let AutoCAD plot to the default plot file AUTOSPOOL.AutoCAD will send data to a temporary file in the spool directory.Then the batch file spool.bat will copy the temporary plot file to your plot device destination, and then delete the temporary file.