Set Color, Screening, Grayscale, and Dither in Plot Style Tables

You can use a plot style to assign color, screening, grayscale, and dither properties.

Assign Plot Style Colors

The default setting for plot style color is Use Object Color. With this setting, the object retains its layer or individually set color. If you assign a plot style color, the color overrides the object's color at plot time. You can specify one of 255 ACI colors, a true color, or a color book color. The plotter must be configured for True Color if you want to plot True Color plot styles.

Note: If you use a plot style table saved in AutoCAD 2000 or later, the True Color values change to the nearest match in the current version's palette.

Use Screening

You can select a color intensity setting that determines the amount of ink placed on the paper while plotting. The valid range is 0 through 100. Selecting 0 reduces the color to white. Selecting 100 displays the color at its full intensity. Screening is effective only if your plotter is configured to plot colors or grayscale. Also, dithering must be enabled.

Use Dithering

A plotter uses dithering to approximate colors with dot patterns, giving the impression of plotting with more colors than the ink colors available in the plotter. If the plotter does not support dithering, the dithering setting is ignored.

The most common reason for turning off dithering is to avoid false line typing from dithering of thin vectors and to make dim colors more visible. When you turn off dithering, colors are mapped to the nearest color, which limits the range of colors used for plotting. Dithering is available whether you use the object's color or assign a plot style color.

Note: Dithering disables merge control.

Convert to Grayscale

When you select Convert to Grayscale, the object's colors are converted to grayscale if the plotter supports grayscale. Light colors, such as yellow, are plotted with light gray values. Dark colors are plotted with dark gray values. If you clear Convert to Grayscale, the RGB values are used for the object's colors. Conversion to grayscale is available whether you use the object's color or assign a plot style color.

Procedures

To assign a plot style color

Click Home tab Output panel Plot.
In the Plot dialog box, under Plot Style Table, click the drop-down list and then click the plot style table that you want to modify. Click Edit.
In the Plot Style Table Editor, Table View tab, click the Color field for the plot style you want to change.
On the Color drop-down list, click the color you want to use or click Select Color to display the Select Color dialog box and do one of the following:
- On the Index tab, click a color or enter the ACI color number (1-255) or name in the Color box. Click OK.
- On the True Color tab, in the Color Model box, specify a color. (Enter a color value in the Color box or specify values in the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance boxes.) Click OK.
- On the Color Books tab, in the Color Book box, select a color (use the up and down arrow and click on a color chip.) Click OK.

To use screening

Click Home tab Output panel Plot.
In the Plot dialog box, under Plot Style Table, click the drop-down list and then click the plot style table that you want to modify. Click Edit.
In the Plot Style Table Editor, Form View tab, select the plot style you want to change.
In the Screening box, enter an intensity value between 1 and 100.
When finished, click Save & Close.
You can edit properties for multiple plot styles while in the Plot Style Table Editor.

Note: A common practice when using screening is to set the plotted color to black for each style so that the screening will be a percentage of black.

To enable or disable dithering

Click Home tab Output panel Plot.
In the Plot dialog box, under Plot Style Table, click the drop-down list and then click the plot style table that you want to modify. Click Edit.
In the Plot Style Table Editor, Form View tab, select the plot style you want to change and select Dither.
Select On or Off.
When finished, click Save & Close.
You can edit properties for multiple plot styles while in the Plot Style Table Editor.

To enable or disable conversion to grayscale

Click Home tab Output panel Plot.
In the Plot dialog box, under Plot Style Table, click the drop-down list and then click the plot style table that you want to modify. Click Edit.
In the Plot Style Table Editor, Form View tab, select the plot style you want to change and select Grayscale.
Select On or Off.
When finished, click Save & Close.
You can edit properties for multiple plot styles while in the Plot Style Table Editor.