Plot Dialog Box

Specifies device and media settings, and plots your drawing.

PLOT (Command)

Toolbar:

Printing allows you to output a single layout at a time. If you want to print more than one layout at a time, use the PUBLISH command.

Page Setup

Displays a list of any named and saved page setups in the drawing.

. Imports a page setup from another drawing.
. Creates a new named page setup based on the current settings in the Plot dialog box.
Always Default to Previous Plot Settings. When checked, updates the current settings to match what was used on the previous plot. Then each time you plot, the initial settings match what was used on the previous plot.

Printer/Plotter

Specifies a configured plotting device to use when plotting layouts.

If the selected plotter doesn't support the layout's selected paper size, a warning is displayed and you can select the plotter's default paper size or a custom paper size.

Name

Lists the available PC3 files or system printers from which you can select to plot the current layout.

PDF Options or Printer Configuration

If PDF output is selected, displays the PDF Options dialog box, which gives you the ability to optimize a PDF file for the specific purpose you are creating it.
If a printer is selected, displays the Print dialog box where you can choose the printer settings. Printer settings are saved in a .pc3 file which can be selected the next time you plot.

Plotter

Displays the plot device specified in the currently selected page setup.

Where

Displays the physical location of the output device specified in the currently selected page setup.

Plot Settings

Paper Size

Displays standard paper sizes that are available for the selected plotting device. If no plotter is selected, the full standard paper size list is displayed and available for selection.

If the selected plotter doesn't support the layout's selected paper size, a warning is displayed, and you can select the plotter's default paper size or a custom paper size.

A default paper size is set for the plotting device when you create a PC3 file with the Add-a-Plotter wizard. The paper size that you select in the Page Setup dialog box is saved with the layout and overrides the PC3 file settings.

Orientation

Portrait. Orients and plots the drawing so that the short edge of the paper represents the top of the page.
Landscape. Orients and plots the drawing so that the long edge of the paper represents the top of the page.

What to Print

Specifies the portion of the drawing to be plotted.

Display. Plots the view in the current viewport in the selected Model tab or the current paper space view in the layout.
Extents. Plots the portion of the current space of the drawing that contains objects. All geometry in the current space is plotted. The drawing may be regenerated to recalculate the extents before plotting.
Limits. When plotting from the Model tab, plots the entire drawing area that is defined by the grid limits.
Window. Plots any portion of the drawing that you specify. When you select Window, use the pointing device to specify the two corners of the area to be plotted, or enter coordinate values.

Scale

Controls the relative size of drawing units to plotted units. The default scale setting is 1:1 when plotting a layout. The default setting is Fit to Paper when plotting from the Model tab.

Fit to Paper: Scales the plot to fit within the selected paper size and displays the custom scale factor in the Scale, Inch =, and Units boxes.
Scale: Defines the exact scale for the plot. Custom defines a user-defined scale. You can create a custom scale by entering the number of inches (or millimeters) equal to the number of drawing units.
Scale Lineweights: Scales lineweights in proportion to the plot scale. Lineweights normally specify the linewidth of plotted objects and are plotted with the linewidth size regardless of the plot scale.

Note: You can modify the list of scales with SCALELISTEDIT.

Plot Style Table (Pen Assignments)

Sets the plot style table, edits the plot style table, or creates a new plot style table.

Name (Print as displayed)

Displays the plot style table that is assigned to the current Model tab or layout tab and provides a list of the currently available plot style tables.

If you select New, the Plot Style Table Editor is displayed, which you can use to create a new plot style table.

Edit

Displays the Plot Style Table Editor, in which you can view or modify plot styles for the currently assigned plot style table.

Print with Plot Styles

Specifies whether plot styles applied to objects and layers are plotted.

3D Viewports

Specifies how shaded viewports are plotted and determines their resolution level and dots per inch (dpi).

Shading

Specifies how views are plotted. To specify this setting for a viewport on a layout tab, select the viewport, right-click and then, click Properties.

From the Model tab, you can select from the following options:

As Displayed. Plots objects the way they are displayed on the screen. (Available in AutoCAD LT)
Legacy Wireframe. Objects in wireframe regardless of the way they are displayed on the screen, using the legacy SHADEMODE command. (Available in AutoCAD LT)
Legacy Hidden. Objects with hidden lines removed regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen, using the legacy SHADEMODE command. (Available in AutoCAD LT)
Conceptual. Plots objects with the Conceptual visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen.
Hidden. Plots objects with hidden lines removed regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen.
Realistic. Plots objects with the Realistic visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen.
Shaded. Plots objects with Shaded visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen
Shaded with Edges. Plots objects with Shaded with Edges visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen
Shades of Gray. Plots objects with Shades of Gray visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen.
Sketchy. Plots objects with Sketchy visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen.
Wireframe. Plots objects in wireframe regardless of the way they are displayed on the screen.
X-ray. Plots objects with x-ray visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen
Rendered. Plots objects as rendered regardless of the way they are displayed on the screen.

Quality

Specifies the resolution at which shaded viewports are plotted.

You can select from the following resolution options:

Draft. Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted as wireframe.
Preview. Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at one quarter of the current device resolution, to a maximum of 150 dpi.
Normal. Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at one half of the current device resolution, to a maximum of 300 dpi.
Presentation. Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at the current device resolution, to a maximum of 600 dpi.
Maximum. Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at the current device resolution with no maximum.
Custom. Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at the resolution setting that you specify in the DPI box, up to the current device resolution.

DPI

Specifies the dots per inch for shaded views, up to the maximum resolution of the current plotting device. This option is available if you select Custom in the Quality box.

Note: DPI is disabled if no printer is selected.

Print Options

Specifies options for lineweights, paperspace, and more.

Print Object Lineweights

Specifies whether lineweights assigned to objects and layers are plotted.

Print Transparency

Specifies whether object transparency is plotted. This option should only be used when plotting drawings with transparent objects.

Attention: For performance reasons, plotting transparency is disabled by default. This setting can be overridden by the PLOTTRANSPARENCYOVERRIDE system variable. By default, the system variable honors the setting in the Page Setup and the Plot dialog boxes.

Print Paperspace Last

Plots model space geometry first. Paper space geometry is usually plotted before model space geometry.

Hide Paperspace Objects

Specifies whether the HIDE operation applies to objects in the paper space viewport. This option is available only from a layout tab. The effect of this setting is reflected in the plot preview, but not in the layout.

Print Upside Down

Orients and plots the drawing upside down.

Include Plot Stamp

Turns on plot stamping. Places a plot stamp on a specified corner of each drawing and/or logs it to a file.

Plot stamp settings are specified in the Plot Stamp dialog box, in which you can specify the information that you want applied to the plot stamp, such as drawing name, date and time, plot scale, and so on. To open the Plot Stamp dialog box, select the Plot Stamp On option, and then click the Plot Stamp Settings button that is displayed to the right of the option.

You can open the Plot Stamp dialog box with the PLOTSTAMP command.

Plot Offset

Specifies an offset of the plot area relative to the lower-left corner of the printable area. The Plot Offset area of the Plot dialog box displays the specified plot offset option in parentheses.

The printable area of a drawing sheet is defined by the selected output device and is represented by a dashed line in a layout. When you change to another output device, the printable area may change.

You can offset the geometry on the paper by entering a positive or negative value in the X and Y offset boxes. The plotter unit values are in inches or millimeters on the paper.

Center the Plot: Automatically calculates the X and Y offset values to center the plot on the paper. This option is not available when What to Print is set to Layout.
X: Specifies the plot origin in the X direction relative to the setting of the Plot Offset Definition option.
Y: Specifies the plot origin in the Y direction relative to the setting of the Plot Offset Definition option.

Preview

Displays the drawing as a PDF as it will appear when plotted.

Note: The preview file name is based on the drawing and layout name so you easily identify the preview file if you wish to reference it later.

Save as PDF

Saves the drawing as a PDF using the current plot settings.

Apply to Layout

Saves the current Plot dialog box settings to the current layout.