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Yet Another Blank Printout Problem!

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 3:22 am
by vtqcad
Okay, I've read all of the threads complaining about blank printouts, and I'm aware of the sequence you are supposed to use, as well as the possibility that the lines are too thin to print.

Here's my setup and what I do (steps to reproduce):

I want to print to 12" x 18" paper.
I use Puppy Linux, and Turboprint. Printer is an HP 1127C. Turboprint has a defined custom page size of 12"x18"
QCAD 2.2.0
The drawing is an imported dxf -- originally in mm. My application preferences are inches.
Drawing preferences are set to:
Paper Format "Custom"
Paper width "457"
Paper length "305"
Portrait and Landscape options are grayed out (landscape is the grayed default) and cannot be selected by the user (why?)
Units = Millimeter

First method:
Click Print Preview
Click center to page and adjust things. Looks good (see first screenshot)
Click Print -- print dialog opens
Click Print button
Results:
Page prints partially -- only a letter sized portion of the image -- 8-1/2" x 11" is printed on the 12" x 18" paper. The rest is unprinted (cropped).

Second Method:
Click Print Preview
Click center to page and adjust things. Looks good
Click Print -- print dialog opens
Click Printer Properties
This always shows US Letter size (why?) (see second screenshot attachment)
Change that to "Custom" and change the paper dimensions to 12 x 18
Click Close
Click Print button
Results:
Page is drawn into printer, passes through it without the printhead doing anything, and passes back out of the printer. Nothing printed.
QCad indicates "Printing Complete"

If I click on Print again to reopen the print dialog, and click on Properties again, the page size has reverted to Letter.
If I change the paper to Custom and 12 x 18 again and close the properties dialog, then reopen the properties again, it has reverted to letter again.
It will not stay in Custom 12 x 18

This is driving me nuts.

I can easily print from any other program from this computer to 12" x 18" paper.

Re: Yet Another Blank Printout Problem!

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 7:21 am
by andrew
QCAD 2 has some known problems with custom paper sizes which were not properly supported by the underlying tool kit.

QCAD 3 solves these problems by using a newer tool kit version.

QCAD 3 also has a standard paper size called "Arch B" for a paper size of 12" x 18".

You can download QCAD 3 (currently release candidate 5) from your personal download site as described on our web site at:
http://www.ribbonsoft.com/en/customer-area

For the transition, I'd recommend to install QCAD 2 and QCAD 3 side by side like two separate applications (make sure that you don't install them into the same folder).

Re: Yet Another Blank Printout Problem!

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 4:58 pm
by vtqcad
Thank you Andrew, I will try Qcad 3.

I have now also been able to duplicate the problem in the "First Method" above in Libre Office Draw, so I have contacted TurboPrint and asked them to look into whether it is a problem with their printer driver's landscape mode.

I haven't been able to duplicate what happens in the "Second Method" in another program. But maybe that will be different in QCad 3. Or maybe it is a Turboprint problem as well. Not sure yet, but I will let you know what they say.

Re: Yet Another Blank Printout Problem!

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:53 am
by vtqcad
Unfortunately I wasn't able to open QCad 3, and haven't yet found a solution to the blank printing problem in 2.2.

(I did post a bug report in the 3.0 bug thread)

I was able to workaround by exporting to .pdf and printing with Adobe Acrobat Reader, but that is not a real solution for me.