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

From TBG Two Minute Training

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

From TBG Two Minute Training

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.

From TBG Two Minute Training

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.)

From TBG Two Minute Training