How To: Configure the HP DesignJet 1050c and 1055cm for Use with ArcGIS

Summary

Instructions provided describe how to configure the HP DesignJet 1050c and 1055cm for use with ArcGIS. A variety of settings to configure the Hewlett-Packard 1050c and 1055cm for optimum use with ArcGIS ArcMap 8x are suggested below. Select those settings that pertain to the printer and desired output.

Note:
This article is intended for a broad audience and may not suit individual needs.

ESRI Support currently has this printer in house.

Procedure

This article assumes that you have already configured the HP 1050c and 1055cm to work with your computer either as a local printer or through a network print server, and that all components are functioning properly. Administrative privileges are necessary to modify the driver settings.

· Printer Drivers - There are two types of printer drivers available for these printers: HP-GL2/HP-RTL and Postscript.

1. HP-GL2/HP-RTL - This is HP's standard driver for the Windows operating systems.

This is the HP-GL2/HP-RTL version 4.61 printer driver for the HP 1050c/1055cm. It can be found by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Printers and right-clicking on the icon for the 1050/1055 and choosing either Document Defaults or Printing Preferences.

2. Postscript - This diver uses Adobe Series 3 Postscript and is only available for use with a Postscript compatible printer.

This is the Adobe Series 3 Postscript driver for the HP 1050c/1055cm. It can be found by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Printers and right-clicking on the icon for the 1050/1055 and choosing either Document Defaults or Printing Preferences.

· Printer Interface - the interface found on the front of the printer. Below are the settings that need consideration when printing with ArcGIS. The settings below are found in the Printer Setup menu.

1. Nesting

1. In the Printer Setup menu press the down arrow until you find Queueing & Nesting and press Enter.
2. Press the down arrow until you find Nest or Nesting and press Enter.
3. Press the appropriate arrow to get to the Off setting and press Enter.

2. Size

1. In the Printer Setup menu press the down arrow until you find Page Format and press Enter.
2. Press the down arrow until you find Size and press Enter.
3. Press the appropriate arrow to get to the various size settings and press Enter.

3. Rotate

1. In the Printer Setup menu press the down arrow until you find Page Format and press Enter.
2. Press the down arrow until you find Rotate and press Enter.
3. Press the appropriate arrow to get to the rotation setting desired and press Enter.

4. Margins

1. In the Printer Setup menu press the down arrow until you find Page Format and press Enter.
2. Press the down arrow until you find Margins and press Enter.
3. Press the appropriate arrow to select the desired margin setting and press Enter.

5. Language

1. In the Printer Setup menu press the down arrow until you find Device Setup and press Enter.
2. Press the down arrow until you find Language or Lang and press Enter.
3. Press the appropriate arrow to get to the Language setting desired and press Enter.

Note:
Nesting is not supported with ArcGIS and the Language setting only needs to be modified on Postscript printers.

Making Your Selections
Below is a list of settings that were found to produce the best, most consistent results. It is important to note that any recommendations to increase a quality setting will result in a decrease in speed and vice versa.

· When printing with ArcPress use the HP-GL2/HP-RTL driver and choose the HP RTL Device Dithered (RGB) option in the ArcPress properties. Note that when using ArcPress with this printer certain settings on the printer are required.

1. Nesting=Off
2. Size=Inked Area
3. Rotate=0
4. Margins=Normal
5. Language=Automatic

· When printing map documents that contain ONLY aerials, orthoquads, i.e. photography, use the Postscript driver with the Windows print engine.

· Map documents that contain ONLY vector data (example: points, lines, and polygons with NO transparencies) use the HP-GL2/HP-RTL driver with the Windows print engine.

· Printing map documents that contain ONLY raster data (example: TIFFs, DRGs, etc.) use the Postscript driver with the Postscript printer engine.

· Map documents with prevalent amounts of transparencies typically produce the best results using the Postscript driver with the Postscript printer engine.

· When printing many of the combination maps (maps that have both raster and vector data in them) many times you will find that the Postscript driver with the Windows print engine works well.

· Setting a Custom Page size.

On the HP-GL2/HP-RTL driver

1. Close ArcMap/ArcView.
2. Enter the driver interface.
3. In the Paper Sizes menu, click the More Sizes button under the Application Page Size section.
4. The Custom paper size section is on the right; set the desired custom size, click OK, and click OK again at the driver window.

Now when you open ArcMap the new custom size will be available to you.

[O-Image] HP-GL2/HP-RTL Custom Page Sizes

On the Postscript driver

1. Close ArcMap/ArcView.
2. Enter the driver interface.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. In the Paper Sizes pulldown menu, click the PostScript Custom Page Sizes option and click Edit Custom Page Sizes.
5. Set the desired custom size,  click OK, and click OK again at the driver window.

Now when you open ArcMap the new custom size will be available to you.

[O-Image] HP PostScript Custom page size

Known issues with the HP 1050/1055 and ArcMap

1. With the Nesting option "On" ArcGIS and ArcPress will produce a strip of paper about an inch long.

2. If the driver version on the print server is older than that on the computer a "Load sheet..." error could occur on the printer.

Article ID:000005970

Software:

ArcMap 8 x
ArcMap 9 x
Legacy Products

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Configure the HP DesignJet 1050c and 1055cm for use with ArcGIS

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