How To Print From AutoCAD To A Large Format Printer

Getting your AutoCAD drawings onto paper can be tricky if you are working on complex files or unfamiliar printers. This article guides you through how to print from AutoCAD to a printer, as well as how to convert a CAD drawing to PDF.

Printing AutoCAD drawings to a printer

Plot dialog box settings

Printer/plotter

This dropdown list contains the printing devices which have been configured to work with AutoCAD. Choose the device which you will be using to print your AutoCAD drawing. The Properties button to the right of the drop-down list contains settings which will have been preconfigured by your computer.

The Printer/plotter dropdown list also contains various PDF printing options, as seen in the image below. We will cover the different AutoCAD-to-PDF options further down in this guide.

The Plot to File button saves your drawing as a .plt file so that it can be printed later, on another computer, or by a print production service.

Paper Size, Number of Copies
Make sure you have selected the right paper size and have the matching paper ready in your printer. You can also choose the number of copies you’d like to print.

Plot Area This is where you need to decide what you want to print from your drawing. If you have yet to set the visibility of your layers you want to print or hide, you will need to do that first. Next, click the dropdown list to find five options: Display, Extents, Limits, View, and Window. Assuming you have checked the “Fit to paper” option, this is what will be printed from your choice of plot area:

• Display: Print what is on the screen, including any blank areas
• Extents: Fill the print area with all visible objects in the drawing
• Limits: Print everything that lies within the limits grid set in your drawing. If your drawing contains Layouts, then you will see a Layout option instead
• View: Print a view that you have saved with the drawing. If there are no saved views, this option will not appear.
• Window: This allows you to drag a window around any part of your drawing that you want to print.

To see what your print will look like using different Plot Area options, simply click the Preview button at the bottom left of the Plot dialog box.

Plot Scale
If want to print to scale from AutoCAD rather than fitting it to your paper, uncheck the “Fit to paper” option. You can then select either a predefined scale from the dropdown list or enter a custom scale.

Plot Offset
This allows you to either centre the plot on the plot area instead of starting from the origin or input a custom amount of space to offset the plot.

The expanded Plot dialog box

How to convert a CAD drawing to PDF

As AEC firms move toward remote work and digital transformation, digital file sharing is slowly becoming the norm. Instead of printing physical copies of your CAD drawings, you may find yourself converting your DWG files to PDF instead. Not only are PDF drawings more easily readable by users without AutoCAD, but they can also preserve layer data and other properties at your chosen file quality.

What confuses many users is that AutoCAD offers three different ways to convert your CAD drawing to PDF. Here, we explain the differences between each method and which you should choose for your needs.

Plot to PDF

Export to PDF

Publish to PDF

Determining lineweights for your drawings

Tips to ensure print precision from your CAD drawings

Ensure colours and patterns are distinct

When preparing your drawings, review them at a smaller scale and check if differentiating patterns, textures, and supporting text are sufficiently distinct. This can prevent confusion between different construction materials and construction delays.

Print using HPGL/2 drivers

Choose the right printer for your needs

Learn how you can achieve better efficiency for your business and make the right considerations when investing in a large format printer plotter.