AutoCAD 2002 and higher versions

AutoDESK introduced plot style tables with AutoCAD 2002. It is very simple, it is a table that determines which layer is plotted how.

In old days, when we used to make drawing on tracing paper by using rapido, we used to use 0.2, 0.5 and 1 mm rapido thicknesses. By the time when we started drawing by using computer, there used to be plotters that have different sizes of pens in them. These plotters used to have a cartridge that is composed of 8 pens. A different number is assigned to each of the pen spaces in cartridge. What you have to do is simple to determine which of the colors in layer table will be plotted by using which number of pen. This is the most primitive form of the plot style table that was used in the beginning. Using different pen thicknesses for different colors is still a valid principle. In addition to this, idea of using different named plot styles arises.

Today, you can use indefinite number of colors in AutoCAD layers. However, generally 255 is used as the primary color for plotter. There are two different types of plot styles as ‘color dependent plot style tables ( .ctb )’ and ‘named plot style table ( .stb )‘. By this way, you can save tables that you have prepared by using relevant extensions as files. You can access these tables by using control panel of your windows under the ‘Autodesk Plot Style Manager’ (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1

First, let’s take a look at the ctb files. If you double click on acad.ctb file and open it, then the screen shown in Fig. 2 will open up.

Fig. 2

You can make all necessary settings by suing ‘ Table view‘. However, this is hard for 255 colors and more. AutoCAD is giving some predefined plot styles like acat.ctb for colored printing and monochrome.ctb for black and white printing and some other purposes.

Now, let’s move on to stb files. In order not o make the same settings for all of the colors and to get rid of the necessity to assign pen styles to colors, named plot styles are being used. In these tables, you need to create styles as much as you need only. You can see the monochrome.stb file in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

Here, only two styles named as Normal and Style 1 are defined. Colored and filled lines are defined under name Normal, and black and white filled lines are defined under Style 1 name. You can examine how a new style is being created under  ‘Form View‘ title (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4

All of the plot style settings are listed on the right side. I will not go into details and talk about the settings here. Now, let’s look at how we are setting which one of these to use. First of all, you must decide which one of name based or color based styles you are going to use. After this selection, we go to ‘Plot and Publish‘ from Options window ( you can access it from Tools / Options menu ). By selecting ‘Plot style table settings’ button from here, we can open the window shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5

First, you select which one of the tables you would like to use ( ctb / stb ) ( 1 ), and then select any of the default tables. If you select CTB method, then plot style table properties will be adjusted according to the color of your layer. However, if you select STB, then you have decide which style that you are going to use in the layer table (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6

After all, you will determine which method you are going to use. It is better to use named styles when you are willing to create a company standard. By the way, please note that we selected Style 1 from monochrome.stb table in order to print black and white. However, even though you selected the style named Normal from the same table, layer that are used with this style will be printed as colored.

Good Bye.

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Autocad, Plotting, Printout