	Product(s):	Promis.e Standalone, Bentley Substation
	Version(s):	08.11.07.xx - 08.11.13.96
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	Print_Publish Features
	Subarea:	Printing_Plotting

Background

Pen tables are used to change the characteristics of elements for printed output. In other words, to make certain items appear differently when plotted than they appear on the screen while designing, a pen table can be used.

Possible uses of pen tables include but are not limited to:

Preventing elements of certain colors from appearing on printed output
Preventing elements on certain drawing levels from appearing on printed output
Making certain colors print as different colors
Making elements of a certain line weight print with a different line weight
Substituting text, including substituting system information for variables. This includes the DGN file name.

To demonstrate how a pen table can be created and used in Promis.e (Standalone) and Bentley Substation, this document will use the example of preventing elements of certain colors from appearing on printed output.

Steps to Accomplish

Create the pen table

From the main pull down menus, select File > Print.
On the Print dialog, select PenTable > New or Resymbolization > New Pen Table.
Choose a convenient location for the "Save in" folder (note this location) and enter a name in the "File name" field. Click Save.
A Modify Pen Table dialog should open with the "Element Selection Criteria" tab active.

Modify the pen table to hide elements of color 3

As an example, the following procedure can be used to to make a color 3 not print yet still be visible when designing.

On the "Element Selection Criteria" tab of the Modify Pen Table dialog, click the Color button.
On the Select Colors dialog, click on the circle for the color to be invisible on prints. In this example, color 3. Since the color number is not displayed until the color is selected, the process may be somewhat trial and error. When a color is selected, the circle for that color will turn into a square and a "Color: xx (On)" message will appear below the chart of colors.

For this example we want color 3 to be On and all other colors to be off. If the message indicates you've turned on a different color, click the square for that color to turn it off again, or click the None button.
When the message confirms that the desired color(s) is On, click OK. The Color field back on the "Element Selection Criteria" tab of the Modify Pen Table dialog should now list the desired color(s). Again, in this example color 3 and only color 3 should be listed:
Select the "Element Output Actions" tab.
Enable the "Do not plot" check box.

Modify the pen table to display the DGN file name

On the "Element Selection Criteria" tab of the Modify Pen Table dialog, click the Text Substitutions button.
On the Text Substitutions dialog, select Edit > Insert Design File > Short. The Text Substitutions dialog should then look like the following.
Close the Text Substitutions dialog.

The Short design file variable, or $FILES$, displays only the file name:
ELECTRICAL-1.DGN

The Abbrev design file variable, or $FILEA$, includes some of the path:
...\MY PROJECTS\TEST\ELECTRICAL-1.DGN

The Long design file variable, or $FILEL$, includes the entire path:
C:\PROGRAMDATA\BENTLEY\PROMIS-E V8I(M)\PROMISE DATA\MY PROJECTS\TEST\ELECRTRICAL-1.DGN

For an alternate method with which the file name is always displayed, not just on printed output, see [[Display the file name on title blocks]].

Save the pen table

Select File > Save from the menus on the Modify Pen Table dialog.
Close the Modify Pen Table dialog.
Close the Print dialog.

Set up the design file

To test the above examples, insert some elements that are color 3 and use Place Text to insert the following text: $FILES$

Print Using the Pen Table

When printing, specify the new pen table to affect the desired changes. In this example, specify the pen table when items of that color are not to be printed:

Select the pages to be printed in [[Project Manager]].
Select Project Manager > File > Plot Page(s)
If the plot is previewed in the resulting Print Organizer dialog at this time, it would show that items of all colors will be printed. Close the preview.
Right click the drawing(s) in Print Organizer and select Properties.
On the "Main" tab, browse to the pen table created in the previous procedure by clicking the magnifying glass icon next to the Pen Table field near the bottom of the dialog.
Click OK to close the Properties dialog.
Preview the plot and see that elements of color 3 are not shown and that the file name is displayed where the $FILES$ text was inserted.

To use the pen table by default when printing and not have to load it for each printing, the pen table can be loaded in the "promise" print style. See [[Changing the Default Print Settings]] for details on modifying the "promise" print style.

Printing With Pen Tables