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When you plot your drawing from AutoCAD, you may find too many plotters in plotter list. You’ll see Windows printers and AutoCAD default printers in the list.
If your computer is connected to several printers, this list can be long. You can simplify this list and display only printers you need in AutoCAD. Let’s find out how to do this.
Hide Windows system printers
You can hide Windows printers in AutoCAD. Go to AutoCAD options, Plot and Publish tab. Check Hide system printers in general plot option.
Now only AutoCAD plotters are displayed. How can we plot to a plotter registered as Windows printer? You will need to create PC3 file for that plotter. Let’s see how to do that.
To use Autodesk Plotter Manager
AutoCAD plotters are defined in Autodesk Plotter Manager. You can find it by opening Windows control panel and click Autodesk Plotter Manager.
Windows will open a folder. These are PC3 files for AutoCAD plotters.
To remove AutoCAD plotters
To remove plotters is easy. Create backups first. Copy all files as backup.
Now you can remove plotters you never use. If you ever need them again, copy them back to this location.
To add AutoCAD plotters
By hiding system printers, now the printer/plotter is may not in the list. You need to create it with Autodesk Plotter Manager.
Double click Add-A-Plotter Wizard.
Follow the steps in this wizard and choose System Printer for this plotter.
Change the configuration if necessary. After you finish, the wizard created a PC3 file for that plotter.
To plot with the new plotter
If you try to plot now, you can see shorter list of the plotters. Now you can choose the plotter you created before from the list.
In our company we have different engineering disciplines and multiple pc3 files.
Is there a way to show only the pc3 files for that specific discipline, without having to change the plotter paths?
I want lean how to use the cadtools
I have also found organizing plotters on the list can be done with using subdirectories and pc3 filenames. AutoCAD sorts via alphanumeric on subdirectories and then filenames in a subfolder
Rather than deleting the printer printer.pc3.abc, that way it remains there if needed but AutoCAD won’t display it.
I do that with a lot of other applications as well.
Thanks John,
Yes we can also rename the file extension instead of deleting the file. I found that deleting file can be easier because not many people don’t know how to change the file extension.
That’s why I said we should backup the files first.
Hi,
Do you know if there is a way to arrange custome papres according to the first letter?
I have a lot of special papers and it’s vary diffeculte to find them in the list
Thanks a lot!
Hi & sorry for the late reply,
You can reduce the paper size list making it easier to browse through.
Please refer my tip published in the Cadalyst Magazine:
http://cadtips.cadalyst.com/page-setup-manager/make-plotting-easier