Storing a Page Setup

Storing a Page Setup
Unlike most other programs, AutoCAD offers hundreds of page setup options. It can be quite a chore
to keep track of and maintain all these options. But as you settle into using AutoCAD, you’ll probably
find that you’ll set up a few plotter configurations and stick to them. AutoCAD 2008 lets you save a
page setup under a name to help you store and manage the settings you use most.
You’ve already seen the Page Setup Manager dialog box on your way to preparing a page for
printing. In this section, you’ll take a closer look at this useful tool.
Follow these steps to create a page setup.
1. In AutoCAD, choose File  Page Setup Manager. You can also right-click a Layout tab and
choose Page Setup Manager. The Page Setup Manager dialog box opens. So far, you’ve used
only the Modify option in this dialog box to modify an existing page setup. Now you’ll try
creating a new setup.



2. Click the New button to open the New Page Setup dialog box.



To create a new page setup, first enter a name in the New Page Setup Name input box, and select
a setup from the Start With list box. AutoCAD will use the setup you select as the basis for the
new setup. Notice that AutoCAD offers the name Setup1 as a default name for a new setup.
4. Click OK when you’re finished. AutoCAD opens the Page Setup dialog box, where you can
choose the settings for your new page setup.
5. Click OK to return to the Page Setup Manager. Your new page setup is listed in the Current
Page Setup list box. From here, you can select a page setup from the list box and then click
the Set Current button to make it the current page setup for the layout.
You can also import other user-defined page setups by clicking the Import button. Because page
setups are stored in the drawing, the Import button opens a standard file dialog box that displays
drawing files. You can then select a file from which you want to import a page setup.
The current page setup applies to the current Layout tab; but after you create a new page setup,
it’s offered as an option in the Page Setup Manager dialog box for all other Layout tabs. You can also
select a page setup directly from the Plot dialog box by using the Name drop-down list in the Page
Setup group.



Page setups can be used with the Publish feature described in Chapter 27 to set up batch plots,
or in the Sheet Set feature to quickly setup sheet layouts. If you decide that you want to create an
entirely new page setup while in the Page Setup dialog box, you can click the Add button. This
opens a simple dialog box that enables you to enter a name for your new setup. After you enter a
new name and click OK, you can proceed to set up your page settings. Then, click OK again, and
the setup will be saved under the new name.