Plotting the Plan

Plotting the Plan
To see first hand how the Plot command works, you’ll plot the
Plan
file by using the default settings
on your system. You’ll start by getting a preview of your plot, before you commit to printing your
drawing. As an introduction, you’ll plot from the Model tab of an AutoCAD drawing, but be aware
that typically you should plot from a Layout tab. The Layout tabs give you a greater degree of control
over how your output will look. You’ll be introduced to the Layout tab later in this chapter. Now, let’s
get started!
First, try plotting your drawing to no particular scale:
3.
Choose View 
Zoom 
All to display the entire drawing.
4.
Choose File 
Plot to open the Plot dialog box. You can also right-click the Model tab at the
bottom of the AutoCAD window and choose Plot.



5.
If the Name option in the Printer/Plotter group shows None, click the drop-down arrow
and select your current Windows system printer.
6.
In the Plot Area group, make sure the Display option is selected in the drop-down list. This
tells AutoCAD to plot the drawing as it looks in the drawing window. You also have the
option to plot the limits of the drawing or select an area to plot with a window. In addition,
you can choose to plot the extents of a drawing or a saved view.



7.
Make sure the Fit To Paper option is selected in the Plot Scale group.
8.
Click the Preview button in the lower-left corner of the dialog box. AutoCAD works for a
moment and then displays a sample view of how your drawing will appear when printed.
Notice that the view also shows the Zoom Realtime cursor. You can use the Zoom/Pan Realtime
tool to get a close-up of your print preview.

1.
Be sure your printer or plotter is connected to your computer and is turned on.
2.
Start AutoCAD, and open the
Plan.dwg
file.