Editing a Plotter Configuration

Editing a Plotter Configuration
In step 8 of the previous exercise, you exited the Add-a-Plotter Wizard without editing the newly
created plotter configuration. You can always go back and edit the configuration by opening the
Plotters window (choose File  Plotter Manager) and double-clicking the configuration you want
to edit. You can recognize a plotter configuration file by its .pc3 filename extension.
Many users use their Windows system printer or plotter for other applications besides AutoCAD,
and frequently the AutoCAD settings for that printer are different from the settings used for other applications.
You can set up AutoCAD to automatically use its own settings so you don’t have to reconfigure
your Windows system printer every time you switch applications. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Choose File  Page Setup Manager to open the Page Setup Manager dialog box.
2. Click the Modify button to open the Page Setup dialog box.
3. Select the printer that you want to configure in the Name drop-down list of the Printer/
Plotter group.
4. Click the Properties button just to the right of the drop-down list to open the Plotter Configuration
Editor dialog box. A list box displays all the properties of the printer or plotter. Not
all these properties are editable, however. Each time you click a property in the list box, the
lower half of the dialog box displays the options associated with that property.
5. Click the Custom Properties item in the list box. The lower half of the dialog box displays the
Custom Properties button.



6. Click the Custom Properties button. You’ll see the Windows system printer options. These
are the same options you see when you edit the properties of your printer by choosing
Start  Printers And Faxes or Start  Control Panel  Printers And Other Hardware.
7. Adjust these settings the way you want them when you plot from AutoCAD, and click OK.
8. Back in the Plotter Configuration Editor dialog box, click the Save As button. A standard file
dialog box appears.
9. Enter the name of the plot configuration you’ve set up, or accept the default name, which is
usually the name of the Windows printer or plotter, and click Save.
10. Click OK in the Plotter Configuration Editor dialog box; then, click OK in the Page Setup
dialog box.
The Plotter Configuration Editor offers a wide variety of options that are fairly technical in
nature. If you want to know more about the Plotter Configuration Editor, see Appendix B.

Plotting Image Files and Converting 3D to 2D
If your work involves producing manuals, reports, or similar documents, you may want to add the Raster File
Export option to your list of plotter configurations. The Raster File Export option lets you plot your drawings
to a wide range of raster file formats including CALS, JPEG, PCX, Targa, Tiff, and BMP. You can then import
your drawings into documents that accept bitmap images. Images can be up to 8,000 × 8,000 pixels (set
through the Plotter Configuration Editor) and can contain as many colors as the file format allows. If you need
several raster formats, you can use multiple instances of this or any plotter configuration.
To convert your 3D wireframe models into 2D line drawings, use the Flatshot tool described in Chapter 20.
You can then include your 2D line drawings with other 2D drawing for plotting and printing.