Do you need to print your AutoCAD drawings to a PDF file? It’s a common requirement for sharing and archiving CAD files, and fortunately, it’s quite easy to do. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of printing AutoCAD drawings to PDF step by step.
Step 1: Open the Drawing
If you haven’t done so already, open the AutoCAD drawing that you want to print. You can do this by navigating to the File menu and selecting Open, or by using the shortcut Ctrl+O.
Step 2: Set Up Your Page Layout
Before printing your drawing to PDF, it’s important to set up your page layout properly. This includes specifying the paper size, scale, and orientation.
To access the Page Setup Manager, go to the File menu and select Page Setup Manager. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut Ctrl+P.
Note: It’s a good practice to create a new page setup specifically for printing to PDF so that you can easily reuse it in the future.
Step 3: Configure Plot Settings
In the Page Setup Manager dialog box, select your desired page setup from the list and click on Modify. This will open the Page Setup dialog box.
In this dialog box, navigate to the Plot Device tab and select “DWG To PDF.pc3” as your plotter name. This is an AutoCAD built-in virtual printer that allows you to print your drawings directly to PDF format.
TIP:
- If you don’t see “DWG To PDF.pc3” in the list of available plotters, you may need to install it first. To do this, go to the Plotter Configuration Editor and click on Add A Plotter. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the PDF plotter.
Step 4: Customize Plot Settings
Once you have selected “DWG To PDF.pc3” as your plotter, click on the Properties button to customize your plot settings.
In the Plotter Configuration Editor dialog box, you can specify various settings such as paper size, plot area, plot scale, and plot style table (CTB or STB). Adjust these settings according to your requirements.
TIP:
- If you want to include layers and other properties in your PDF file, make sure to enable the “Include layer information” option in the Plotter Configuration Editor.
Step 5: Preview and Print
After customizing your plot settings, click on OK to close the dialog boxes and return to the Page Setup Manager. In this dialog box, click on Apply to apply your changes.
Now you can preview how your drawing will look when printed by clicking on the Preview button. Use this feature to ensure that everything is set up correctly before proceeding.
Finally, when you are ready to print your drawing to PDF, click on OK in the Page Setup Manager dialog box. Specify a name and location for your PDF file in the Save As dialog box that appears, and then click on Save.
Congratulations!
You have successfully printed your AutoCAD drawing to a PDF file. You can now easily share or archive your CAD files without worrying about compatibility issues.
Note: Remember that these instructions may vary slightly depending on the version of AutoCAD you are using. However, the general process should remain the same.
Thank you for reading this tutorial. We hope you found it helpful!