Lesson12: Printing

Printing Your Drawings in AutoCAD

In AutoCAD, you can print (or “plot”) your drawing layout to a printer, a plotter, or even just to a file like a PDF. You can also save and reuse your print settings, which is extremely useful when working with different layouts or printers.

Note: The word “plot” used to refer to printing technical drawings, while “print” was for text. Today, both words are used interchangeably, and they mean the same thing.

The main command for printing is PLOT. You’ll find it on the Quick Access Toolbar at the top of your screen.

Opening All the Print Options

When the Plot dialog box opens, you might not see all the settings right away.

To show everything:

• Click on the More Options button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Once all options are visible, you’ll notice there are lots of settings — things like printer selection, page size, scaling, orientation, plot styles, etc.

Using Page Setups

To save time and avoid repeating the same settings over and over, AutoCAD lets you save your print settings into something called a Page Setup.

A page setup saves things like:

• Which printer or plotter to use
• What paper size you want
• Whether you want grayscale or color
• If you want to export to PDF or DWF

You can even have different page setups for different layouts in the same drawing file!

How to Create a Page Setup

Follow these steps to create your own page setup:

1. Right-click on the Model tab or a Layout tab at the bottom of your screen.
2. Choose Page Setup Manager.
3. The command behind this is PAGESETUP.

Make sure the tab you’re on (Model or Layout) is the one you want to define the setup for.

1. Inside the Page Setup Manager, click New.
2. Type a name for your new page setup.
3. Click OK. Now you’ll see a dialog box that looks just like the Plot dialog box.

In this new window, choose all the settings you want:

• Printer name
• Paper size
• Plot scale
• Plot style
• Drawing orientation

Once everything is set, click OK to save it.

Using Your Page Setup to Print

When it’s time to print:

1. Open the Plot dialog box.
2. Choose your saved page setup from the list.
3. All your settings will automatically appear.
4. Click Preview to check the result.
5. If everything looks good, click OK to print or export.

In the example below, a page setup named “Hitchhiker” was selected. Instead of printing to paper, it creates a DWF file.

You can even save page setups in your drawing templates (.DWT files) or import setups from other drawings.

Creating a Page Setup for PDF Output

Here’s how to set up your drawing to export as a PDF file:

1. Open the Page Setup Manager and create a new setup.
2. Under Printer/Plotter, choose:
   • AutoCAD PDF (General Documentation).pc3

Next, choose the other settings:

• Paper Size The dropdown includes portrait and landscape options. Just pick the size you need.
• Plot Area Usually, you’ll select “Layout” or “Extents” to include everything in the drawing.
• Plot Offset Use this to center the drawing or adjust it if it looks off. Note: printers often leave a small margin around the paper, so you may need to test it.
• Plot Scale If you’re printing from the Model tab, use a scale like 1/4″ = 1′-0″. If you’re in a Layout tab, use a 1:1 scale (full size).
• Plot Style Table (CTB) This lets you change how colors are printed. For example, you can print a colored drawing as black and white (monochrome).

To get monochrome output:

• Choose monochrome.ctb in the Plot Style Table dropdown.

Always click Preview to see how your print will look before finalizing.

In the Preview window, you’ll see options to Print or Close the Preview.

Once you’re happy with your settings, save them as a page setup named something like “PDF-Monochrome.”

Now, every time you want a black-and-white PDF, just:

1. Click Print
2. Choose “PDF-Monochrome”
3. Click OK

Sharing Your Drawing Files

Depending on what you want to share and with whom, AutoCAD gives you several options:

Final Thoughts

Great job! You’ve now learned how to print, export, and share your AutoCAD drawings.

From here, you just need to:

• Practice what you’ve learned
• Review chapters when needed
• Keep expanding your skills

And if you want to learn even more, here are some great places to explore:

• Press F1 in AutoCAD for built-in help
• Visit the AutoCAD forums
• Browse tutorials and blog posts on Autodesk’s website
• Watch video lessons on AutoCAD training platforms
• Ask local experts if you get stuck

Wishing you continued success and productivity with AutoCAD!