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To Plot Stamp or Not To Plot Stamp
Tip# 3173 By Shawn Evjen On 29-Mar-2009
4
Rated By 1 users Downloaded : 483
Categories : Manager
Software type : AutoCAD 2009
Rename File To : plot.lsp
This lisp routine solves the problem of users forgetting to turn the plot stamp on.

Shawn Evjen sent us a lisp routine to solve the problem of users forgetting to turn the plot stamp on. Here is his solution.

We were having issues with people turning off the plot stamp on drawings. In most cases, this was just an oversight after printing marketing material and forgetting to check the box on the next print. This was especially frustrating when trying to work on someone’s drawing when they were out of the office, and there was not enough information on the print to determine what project or which version of a drawing they were working on. In addition, if someone forgot to reset it, it would not print on drawings that were batched out. I was asked to “REMEDY THIS…”  
 
I needed to modify the plot command to automatically include the plot stamp on everything except marketing drawings, set up the stamp correctly, and while at it, turn off the ‘imageframe’ variable as some people were not setting it correctly.


To do this properly, you not only need to define a new plot routine, but ‘undefine’ the AutoCAD routine. You can still access the standard plot command by typing “.PLOT”. If the user is plotting manually, they can uncheck the plot stamp box, but will need to do so for each sheet they do not want it on.
 
To undefine the standard plot command (or any other AutoCAD command), modify the startup:
(defun S::STARTUP( / )
  (command “undefined” “plot”)
)
 
Use the included plot.lsp file to automatically print plot stamps. Note that if the drawings are in a “MARKET” folder, the plot stamp will be turned off.
 
Notes from Cadalyst Tip Patrol: There are about three tips in one here. One is a way to “turn off commands”, the second is how to use a command that has been “turned off,” and the other is the lisp routine. It is possible to turn off, or undefined a command. Put the above code in a startup file, or type in UNDEFINE at the command line, then the command. You won’t be able to use that command. There is a way around that, type a DOT (.) in front of the command. When a command is undefined, it really isn’t gone, you just can’t use it. But if you want to, put a dot in front of the command.  You will see a lot of lisp routines doing this to make sure the proper command is used. You never know when a user will undefined a standard AutoCAD command. The routine (the third tip) can be customized if you want to. It will turn the plot stamp off if your file is in a folder called “MARKET.” You can make a folder like this, or modify the routine to your folder name. Otherwise, the new plot command works the same as the old one.

 

 

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