acad.ctb, monochrome.ctbacad.stb, monochrome.stbCONVERTPSTYLES command.| Action | Command / Setting | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Check current mode | PSTYLEPOLICY | 0 = STB, 1 = CTB |
| Switch new drawings to STB | Options → Plot and Publish → set default | Only affects new drawings |
| Convert existing drawing | CONVERTPSTYLES | Irreversible — backup first |
| Assign style to layer (STB) | Layer Properties → Plot Style column | Double-click to open picker |
| Edit CTB/STB file | STYLESMANAGER | Opens plot styles folder |
| Apply to layout | Page Setup Manager → Plot Style Table | Per-layout override |
monochrome.ctb.PUBLISH to batch all layouts into a single multi-page PDF. Drag sheets to reorder. Set "Publish to" → PDF. Ideal for complete drawing set submittals.The PLOT command (Ctrl+P) is AutoCAD's print hub. Every setting here can also be saved as a named page setup via PAGESETUP so you never re-enter them.
| Dialog Section | Key Setting | What It Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Printer/Plotter | PC3 file selection | Output device — real plotter or virtual (PDF, DWF) |
| Paper size | Drop-down list | Physical sheet dimensions; list varies by PC3 driver |
| Plot area | Display / Extents / Limits / Window / Layout / View | Which portion of the drawing to include |
| Plot offset | X / Y offset, Center the plot | Shifts drawing on paper; use "Center" for quick centering |
| Plot scale | Fit to paper / custom ratio | 1:1 for layouts; custom for model-space prints |
| Plot style table | .ctb / .stb file | Controls lineweight, color, screening per object/layer |
| Shaded viewport | As displayed / Wireframe / Hidden / Rendered | 3D display mode for the output |
| Plot options | Plot object lineweights / Plot with plot styles | Must be checked for lineweights and styles to apply |
| Drawing orientation | Portrait / Landscape / Upside-down | Rotation of drawing on the paper sheet |
A named page setup stores all PLOT dialog settings — printer, paper size, plot style, scale — and can be applied to any layout with one click. This is the professional way to ensure consistent output across every sheet in a project.
| Action | How | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open Page Setup Manager | PAGESETUP or right-click layout tab → Page Setup | Manages setups for this drawing |
| Create new setup | Click New → name it → configure → OK | Name clearly: "ANSI-D-PDF-Mono" etc. |
| Apply to layout | Select layout → Set Current | Instantly applies all stored settings |
| Import from another DWG | Import button in Page Setup Manager | Reuse firm standards across files |
| Override at plot time | PLOT dialog "Page Setup" drop-down → pick a different setup | Temp override without changing layout default |
| Sheet Set override | SSM → right-click sheet → Page Setup Override | Batch-applies a setup to all sheets in set |
| Standard | Size Name | Inches | mm | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANSI | ANSI A | 8.5 × 11 | 216 × 279 | Details, notes |
| ANSI | ANSI B | 11 × 17 | 279 × 432 | Small plans, shop drawings |
| ANSI | ANSI C | 17 × 22 | 432 × 559 | Mid-size plans |
| ANSI | ANSI D | 22 × 34 | 559 × 864 | Full construction plans |
| ANSI | ANSI E | 34 × 44 | 864 × 1118 | Large site plans |
| ARCH | ARCH C | 18 × 24 | 457 × 610 | Architectural plans |
| ARCH | ARCH D | 24 × 36 | 610 × 914 | Standard arch sheet |
| ARCH | ARCH E | 36 × 48 | 914 × 1219 | Large arch/civil sheets |
| ISO | A4 | 8.27 × 11.69 | 210 × 297 | International standard |
| ISO | A3 | 11.69 × 16.54 | 297 × 420 | International half-D |
| ISO | A1 | 23.39 × 33.11 | 594 × 841 | International D equiv. |
| ISO | A0 | 33.11 × 46.81 | 841 × 1189 | Largest ISO sheet |
Lineweight is the printed pen thickness. AutoCAD stores lineweight in millimeters. Assign lineweights to layers, not individual objects — then control output via your plot style file.
Acceptable for quick single-view prints or early review sets. You must calculate the correct plot scale manually:
Plot Scale = Plot units ÷ Drawing units
Example: 1/4" = 1'-0" scale → 1 inch on paper = 48 inches in model → enter 1 : 48 in plot scale, or equivalently 0.25 inches = 12 drawing units.
Use "Fit to paper" only for review prints — never for issued-for-construction drawings.
The professional standard. All scale control happens inside the viewport — the layout sheet itself always plots 1:1.
Workflow: create layout → set paper size → insert title block at 1:1 → create viewport → set viewport scale (e.g., 1/4" = 1') → lock viewport → plot layout at 1:1.
Multiple viewports at different scales can coexist on one sheet. PSLTSCALE controls linetype scaling across viewport boundaries.
PUBLISH creates multi-page PDF files or sends multiple sheets to a physical plotter in one operation. It respects each sheet's page setup.
| Step | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Type PUBLISH | Opens the Publish dialog |
| 2 | Add sheets | Current drawing layouts auto-populate; use "Add Sheets" for other DWGs |
| 3 | Reorder / remove sheets | Drag handles or use Move Up/Down buttons |
| 4 | Set "Publish to" | PDF, Plotter named in page setup, or DWF |
| 5 | Click Publish | Runs in background (BACKGROUNDPLOT = 1) |
| 6 | Check Plot Status | Tray icon / PLOTSTAMP for confirmation |
| CTB File | Purpose | All colors → Black? | Lineweight source |
|---|---|---|---|
monochrome.ctb | All-black construction drawings | Yes | Layer lineweight |
acad.ctb | Full color output | No | Object color determines pen |
grayscale.ctb | Grayscale PDF | No (gray mapping) | Layer lineweight |
Screening 25%.ctb | Fade background to 25% | No | Color-dependent |
Fill Patterns.ctb | Solid fills as patterns | No | Color-dependent |
| Custom firm standard | Project-specific pen mapping | Varies | Varies by color range |
| Command | Alias | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
PLOT | Ctrl+P | Opens Plot dialog — main print interface |
PAGESETUP | — | Creates/manages named page setups per layout |
PUBLISH | — | Batch plot multiple layouts/drawings to PDF or plotter |
PREVIEW | — | Shows print preview without opening full PLOT dialog |
STYLESMANAGER | — | Opens folder containing all CTB/STB plot style files |
CONVERTPSTYLES | — | Converts drawing between CTB and STB mode |
PLOTTERMANAGER | — | Opens folder of PC3 plotter configuration files |
LAYOUTWIZARD | — | Step-by-step layout creation with printer/paper settings |
VIEWPLOTDETAILS | — | Report log of recent plot history and errors |
PLOTSTAMP | — | Adds stamp data (date, file name, scale) to print output |
EXPORTPDF | — | Export directly to PDF from Application menu (no PLOT dialog) |
DWFATTACH | — | Attach DWF/DWFx as underlay reference |
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lines print too thin / hairline only | Plot style table not applied, or "Plot with plot styles" unchecked | Check plot style table assignment; check "Plot with plot styles" in PLOT dialog |
| All lines print black, color ignored | monochrome.ctb applied | Switch plot style table to acad.ctb or a color CTB |
| Dashed lines print as solid | PSLTSCALE = 0 or wrong linetype scale | Set PSLTSCALE = 1; adjust LTSCALE / viewport annotation scale |
| Drawing offset on paper (not centered) | Plot offset set to 0,0 | Check "Center the plot" in PLOT dialog |
| Wrong paper size cuts off drawing | Layout border doesn't match PC3 paper list | Edit PC3 file to add custom paper size or rescale layout |
| Viewport contents don't print | Viewport is on a non-printing layer, or VPLAYER frozen | Set viewport layer to printable; check per-viewport layer freeze |
| PDF text is blurry / raster | Using a Windows system PDF printer instead of DWG To PDF.pc3 | Switch to DWG To PDF.pc3 for vector output |
| Hatch prints very slow or crashes | Dense hatch at tiny scale (microhatch) | Increase HPSCALE; use HPDRAWORDER; check for nested hatch |
| Background color prints in PDF | PLOT background = screen color | Options → Display → uncheck "Apply solid background color to layouts"; or set plot background to white |
| PUBLISH hangs or fails silently | BACKGROUNDPLOT conflict or missing page setup | Set BACKGROUNDPLOT = 0 for troubleshooting; verify each sheet has a valid page setup |