Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 4 : Using Plot

 1. Select the tab you would like to Publish. "Right-click" on the tab and select the "Plot"

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2.Select the "DWG to PDF.pc3" in the "Printer / Plotter" dialog to plot the drawing to PDF.

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3. Select your appropriate paper size.

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4. Then select your appropriate pen settings and click "Ok".

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Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 3 : Using Publish

A third method of making PDF's from AutoCAD uses the "Publish" command.

1. Select the tabs you would like to Publish. "Right-click" on the tabs and select the "Publish Selected Layouts"

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2. Within the Publish dialog, select the "Publish Options"

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3. Within the "Publish Options" dialog scroll down to "General DWF / PDF Options" and find the "Type" setting. This will allow you to make a lot of single-sheet PDF's or one multi-sheet PDF. (Note: It does not matter what your publishcollate variable is set to, it will still make a multi-sheet PDF.)

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4. Next. scroll down to "Layer Information" and set that to "Don't Include" and click "Ok". The reason for turning off the layer information, is that if the person you are sending it to does not have an up-to-date print driver it may not print the layers correctly and also may cause confusion if a client or consultant accidentally turns some layers off.

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5.  Under the "Publish To" section of the Publish dialog choose "PDF" if it is not already selected.

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6. Click "Publish" to save the PDF to your desired location.

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Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 2: Using Export

This method is probably the most versatile of the 4 different methods of making PDF's. The reason for this is because it is possible to print a single layout, multiple layouts, override layout paper sizes, scale, and pen weights.To export a drawing to PDF please follow the steps below.

Method 2 - Export the Drawing to PDF

1. Use the Command: "ExportPDF"
or...
Click the "Application" button (The big button with the "A" on it) and scroll down to Export->PDF

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2. While in the dialog, first set the options by clicking on the "Options" button in the far right side of the dialog box.

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3. While in the options dialog box, scroll down to "Layer Information" and select "Do Not Include". The reason for turning off the layer information, is that if the person you are sending it to does not have an up-to-date print driver it may not print the layers correctly and also may cause confusion if a client or consultant accidentally turns some layers off.

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4. Choose where to save the PDF and click "Save".

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5. Optional: You can change the setting to export the current layout only or all layouts.

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6. Optional: You can choose to export using the current page setup or you can choose another page setup like plotting 1/2 size. From this location you can also change the pen sizes, paper sizes, and scale.

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Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 1: Using Sheet Set Manager

With the advent of AutoCAD 2011, we have changed how we make PDF's. No longer will we use 3rd Party programs such as Bluebeam and Adobe to make PDF's from AutoCAD. Instead Autodesk has provided a PDF maker built into AutoCAD that has proven to be more reliable than the 3rd party applications. There are now 4 different ways to make PDF's of your AutoCAD drawings.

Method 1 - Sheet Set

1. From the Sheet Set Manager, find the publish button in the upper right corner. Click the down arrow to show the publish options for the sheet set. Select "Sheet Set Publish Options" from the drop down menu

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2. In the "Publish Options" dialog find the "File Format" option and set that to "PDF"

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3. While in the properties dialog, scroll down to "Layer Information" and set to "Do Not Include" and click "Ok". The reason for turning off the layer information,  is that if the person you are sending it to does not have an up-to-date print driver it may not print the layers correctly and also may cause confusion if a client or consultant accidentally turns some layers off.

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4. Once those settings are set for the Sheet Set, find the PDF icon in the upper right portion of the Sheet Set palette. This will print the selected sheets to PDF. (Optional: right-click on the selected files and select Publish->Publish to PDF.)

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