Custom Plotting Programs Fail On Windows 10 or Windows 11

September 27, 2018 Ryan Wunderlich

Issue:

You have custom programming (LISP, .NET, VBA, etc.) that you use for plotting/Batch plotting and after upgrading to Windows 10 or Windows 11 it fails and no plots are produced.

Causes:
This is caused by a change in the Windows Environment in regards to Paper Sizes.  In Previous versions of Windows the dimensions of the paper size were using a lower case "x", and in Windows 10 it has been updated to the Unicode character for the Multiplication "x".
 
Solution:
The easiest way is to modify the programming to use the new Unicode character.  You can find the correct paper sizes and what characters to use in this registry key:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Forms

  Win10Plot
 

Warning! Problems caused by improperly editing the Windows registry could render your computer/operating system unusable. Microsoft provides a wealth of critical information that you need to know about the registry in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.  Use the Microsoft® Registry Editor only at your own risk and only after backing up the registry as well as the system.dat and user.dat files as outlined for your operating system in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.  Additional information about the registry is also contained in the Help topics in the Microsoft Registry Editor.

If you are in a mixed environment, then you will need to have separate programming for Windows 10 or Windows 11 versus the other working OS's.

It is NOT recommended to change the registry, as unwanted results may occur when printing in other applications.

About the Author

Ryan Wunderlich

Sr. Technical Support Specialist<br><br>An AutoCAD Certified Professional, Ryan is responsible for taking client cases and assisting with issues with the software - everything from regular glitches to software deployments and whatever else goes wrong. He's proficient in AutoCAD (including customization), VBA, LISP, and Civil 3D.

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