PLTCFG not changing the total area when changing the paper for the plotter

Question

We have a HP Designjet T1600 that I have modified a pltcfg file to use in MicroStation. I cannot get it to toggle to a different size when changing the paper. It wants to stay in the default total area no matter what I change the output to. I have tried several different ways using "defined paper sizes" to unchecking that option, even trying local installed printer vs print server... nothing seems to work. I may be missing something so any suggestions would be great! Please see details in the pics.

Andrew Edge · Answer

This post is old but I believe still accurate: 
 
 https://communities.bentley.com/other/old_site_member_blogs/bentley_employees/b/andrew_edges_blog/posts/paper-sizes-in-a-windows-printer-driver-configuration-file 
 
 The upshot is that when using the Windows printing system, the Microsoft or vendor-provided printer driver has control over the paper sizes, not MicroStation. The printer driver configuration (.pltcfg) paper size list really doesn't apply for Windows printing, at least not in the same way as when using Bentley printer drivers such as pdf.pltcfg. 
 
 As always, it's a little more complicated than that. Different Windows printer drivers behave differently. 
 
 (1) Most delegate paper sizes completely to Windows, in which case you are presented with every form in the Windows database as long as its size doesn't exceed the driver's device limits. Every paper size from "Japanese Postcard" to "Note" to "A0" plus every weird envelope size in between. The "Microsoft XPS Document Writer" printer is a good example of this. 
 
 (2) The more advanced, usually vendor-provided, printer drivers override the Windows form database and use their own smaller list of custom paper sizes, always with different spellings and punctuation between vendors. The HP-authored "HP DesignJet T120" printer driver is of the latter variety with a set of paper sizes designed for engineering workflows:

When sending data to a Windows printer driver, usually only one of the paper sizes explicitly supported by the driver may be specified. Some drivers do support arbitrary, application-defined form limits, but my experience was that support was always iffy at best. Sometimes it worked perfectly, most times it did not. Best results were always achieved by specifying the form by index into the driver's list of published sizes. 
 
 Thus, if you rule out user-defined paper sizes when using a Windows printer, the "Paper Sizes" tab in the MicroStation printer driver configuration editor for printer.pltcfg serves no purpose. Especially fields where you specify your own size. 
 
 So why is the "Paper Size" tab even displayed in the editor for printer.pltcfg? Because it does have a use for filtering the list of the forms published by the printer drivers. Helpful for drivers like the T120 if for example you only use ISO sizes and don't want even want to see Letter, Arch A, etc. Even more helpful for less sophisticated drivers like the XPS Document Writer if you only want to see, for example, Letter and Tabloid and perhaps display them as "ANSI A" and "ANSI B" in MicroStation instead of the Windows names. 
 
 The key bit here is the "Windows form name" property for each paper size, which is only relevant when creating a custom printer.pltcfg. For each custom paper size you create, you need to assign the name of the equivalent form published by the Windows printer driver.

When this .pltcfg is selected, MicroStation displays only the paper sizes listed in the 'Paper Sizes' tab. When printing to the driver, the "Windows form name" is looked up and specified via index. If the "Windows form name" you entered cannot be found, then MicroStation attempts to set application-defined form limits using your dimensions but this rarely works.

For the final question, why does MicroStation's printer driver configuration editor even allow me to specify paper sizes without Windows form names, or enter dimensions at all?, the answer is that in a vanishingly small number of cases using particular printer drivers, it actually works. It's not easy to eliminate a feature that some users depend on even if when it causes confusion and frustration for others. 
 Plus it's not necessary to define a list of paper sizes for printer.pltcfg. The settings available in the MicroStation Print dialog can used used the same as in any other Windows application. It's only when you try to leave those boundaries that problems develop.

Lorys · Answer

I agree your not using the bently version modified or not 
 ButI also I think you may have copied and renamed the printer.plt ( windows system printer it was called system.pltcfg) .. I would personally just use a modified copy of pdf.pltcfg to print to pdf first. 
 When I print I modified the pdf printer to accomodate all sizes I need 
 So for me I print to pdf and then use the pdf reader to send the pdf to the plotter via the window printer settup .. But we have a hp print app at my work that helps print pdfs to the the plotter in windows thro the app so plottert doesnt run out of ram especially with air photo backgrounds ... 
 Contacted hp ( go to hp website) about this free utility to better print/ manage plots from windows ... I never print direct to any printers thru windows from microstation only from pdfs saves a lot of wasted paper, ink and time as viewing the pdf you pick up mistakes before you print them... well thats IMHO

PLTCFG not changing the total area when changing the paper for the plotter

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