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If you don’t choose one, AutoCAD uses a default plot style file named acad.ctb, which gives all colors the same lineweight, and prints them using the object colors that you see on the screen. Q: What if I don’t want to select a plot style when I print?Ī: All plots are done using a plot style table. Carefully controlled line weights can make the difference between a crude, hard-to-read drawing, and a professional-looking work of CAD art. The principles below apply to either PDF creation, or paper printing.Ī: A plot style is a color and lineweight table, saved in special file in AutoCAD, that tells the printer/plotter how to take the object colors in a CAD drawing (red, yellow, cyan, etc.) and convert them into various lineweights in the printed drawing.Ī: You need the plot style table to control the lineweights in your printed drawing. Keep in mind that “Print” and “Plot” mean the same thing in AutoCAD, and that printing can be done to a PDF file, as well as to a sheet of paper.
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In this post we answer some FAQs regarding plot styles.
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In the real world of CAD in the workplace, each company usually has their own individual company standards, which makes it difficult to know what is the right way, or the best way, to set these up.
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Plot styles are often a subject of confusion for AutoCAD users.
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