In the world of professional drafting, efficiency is king. One of the biggest time-sinks for AutoCAD professionals is manual plotting. If you are still printing layouts one by one, you are losing valuable billable hours. Master these batch printing strategies to streamline your delivery process.
1. The Power of Page Setup Manager
Before you even think about batch printing, your layouts must be standardized. Use the Page Setup Manager to define printers, paper sizes, and CTB files. By creating a named page setup, you can apply consistent settings across multiple sheets instantly.
- Right-click any layout tab.
- Select "Page Setup Manager".
- Create a "New" setup and define your plot parameters.
2. Mastering the PUBLISH Command
The PUBLISH command is the gold standard for AutoCAD batch plotting. It allows you to gather multiple drawings (DWGs) and layouts into a single list to print to PDF or a physical plotter.
Pro Tip: Save your sheet list as a .DSD file. This allows you to reload the same set of drawings for future revisions without re-selecting files manually.
3. Utilizing Sheet Set Manager (SSM)
For large-scale projects, the Sheet Set Manager is indispensable. It doesn't just manage your files; it acts as a central hub for automated plotting. You can right-click an entire project subset and select "Publish" to run the background plotting process while you continue working.
4. Background Plotting vs. Foreground Plotting
To maximize productivity, ensure Background Plotting is enabled. This allows AutoCAD to process the print job in the "background," freeing up your cursor so you can keep drafting while the PDF generates.