Adding an Output Device

Adding an Output Device
This chapter mentioned that you can set up AutoCAD for more than one output device. You can
do this even if you have only one printer or plotter connected to your computer. You might want
multiple printer configurations in AutoCAD for many reasons. You might want to set up your
system so that you can print to a remote location over a network or the Internet. Some printer configurations
are strictly file oriented, such as the AutoCAD .dwf format for Internet web pages or
raster file output. (See Chapter 27 for more on .dwf files.)
AutoCAD works best with printers and plotters configured as Windows system devices. Although
you can add devices through the AutoCAD Plot Manager, Autodesk recommends that you set up your
plotters and printers as Windows devices and then use the System Printer option in AutoCAD to select
your output device. (In Windows XP, choose Start  Control Panel  Printers And Other Hardware 
Add A Printer to configure a new printer.) You can use the Add-A-Plotter Wizard to create predefined
settings for your system printer so that you can quickly choose a printer or plotter setup.
You can also configure additional printers through the AutoCAD Plot Manager; this method
also uses the Add-A-Plotter Wizard. Here’s how it’s done:
1. Choose File  Plotter Manager to open the Plotters window. Your view of the Plotters window
may look a little different depending on your operating system, but the same basic
information is there.



You can also open this window by clicking the Add Or Configure Plotters button in the Plot
And Publish tab of the Options dialog box. It’s just an Explorer window showing you the
contents of the Plotters folder under the Documents and Settings folder for your Windows
user profile.
2. Double-click the Add-A-Plotter Wizard icon to open the Add Plotter dialog box. You see the
Introduction screen, which describes the purpose of the wizard.
3. Click Next. The next screen of the wizard lets you select the type of setup you want. You’re
offered three options: My Computer, Network Plotter Server, and System Printer. The My
Computer and the Network Plotter Server options offer plotter options based on AutoCADspecific
drivers. The main difference between these two options is that the Network Plotter
option asks you for a network server name. Otherwise, they both offer the same set of options.
The System Printer option uses the existing Windows system printer as the basis for the setup.
4. If you click the My Computer radio button and then click Next, you see a listing of plotter
models that are supported by AutoCAD directly through AutoCAD’s own drivers. If you
use a PostScript device, or if you want to convert drawings to raster formats, this is the place
to select those options. You can select the plotter or printer manufacturer name from the
Manufacturers list on the left and then select a specific model from the list on the right. If you
have a driver for a specific plotter or printer that isn’t listed, you can click the Have Disk button
to browse to your driver location.
5. After you’ve made a printer or plotter selection, click Next. You’re then asked if you want
to use an existing PCP or PC2 configuration file for the selected plotter. PCP and PC2 configurations
files are plotter configuration files from earlier releases of AutoCAD.
6. Unless you plan to use one of those files, click Next on the Import PCP Or PC2 screen. If
you selected My Computer in step 4, the Ports screen opens. With the Plot To A Port option
selected, you can select a port from a list to which your printer or plotter is connected. The
Configure Port button lets you set up the port if you have a specific requirement for the port.
Or, if you intend to plot to a file instead of to a port, you can select the Plot To File radio button
at the top. An AutoSpool option is also offered if your printer requires this feature.



If you selected an option in step 4 that doesn’t require a port setup, click the Next button to skip
this option; the Plotter Name screen opens. You can enter a descriptive name in the Plotter
Name text box. This name will appear in the Printer Name drop-down list of the Plot Or Page
Setup dialog box.