How to Print Black and White in AutoCAD?

Understanding Black and White Printing in AutoCAD

AutoCAD offers various settings for printing, often referred to as "plotting," to achieve the desired output for your designs. Printing in black and white—or monochrome—can be essential for clarity and consistency in presentations or submissions. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to print black and white in AutoCAD.

Step 1: Accessing the Plot Dialog

1. Launch AutoCAD and open the drawing file you wish to print.
2. Navigate to the Application menu, typically located in the upper-left corner.
3. Select Print and choose Plot from the dropdown. This will open the Plot dialog box.

Step 2: Selecting the Printer

1. Inside the Plot dialog, you will see a field labeled Printer/Plotter. Click this dropdown menu.
2. Select your desired printer from the list. If you don’t see the printer you want, ensure it is correctly installed on your system.

Step 3: Modifying Printer Properties

1. After selecting your printer, locate and click the Properties button next to the printer selection.
2. This will bring up the Properties window. Look for a section titled Device and Document Settings.
3. Click on Custom Properties and then Setup.

Step 4: Choosing the Color Option

1. Within the Setup window, look towards the bottom left for an option labeled Color or Black/White.
2. Select the Black/White option. This ensures all layers will print in black and white.
3. After you make this selection, save the changes to the PC3 file (Printer Configuration File) by clicking the appropriate save button.

Step 5: Setting Layer Colors (for Complex Drawings)

1. If your drawing contains multiple layers and you want to print them in various shades of gray or black, start by pressing CTRL+A. This will select all layers in the drawing.
2. Locate the VP Color column in the Layer Properties Panel.
3. Click one of the color boxes corresponding to contained layers.
4. A dialog box will open. From this, choose the color Black (or 250). Click OK and ensure your settings are properly applied.

Step 6: Finalizing Your Plot Settings

1. Return to the Plot dialog and confirm all your selections are correct.
2. Adjust any additional settings as needed, such as scaling or paper size.
3. When everything looks good, click the OK or Plot button to begin the printing process.

FAQ

1. What does it mean to use a CTB file?
A CTB (Color-dependent Plot Style Table) is used in AutoCAD to control how colors will be printed based on their assigned values. Using a CTB file allows you to define color settings for various objects in your drawing.

2. How can I ensure that my objects plot in grayscale?
To print in grayscale, you will need to adjust the plot style settings by choosing the grayscale option in your plot style table. Ensure that your printer supports grayscale printing, as light colors will convert to corresponding shades of gray.

3. Why are some objects printing in color even when I selected monochrome?
Objects may print in color if they are assigned TrueColor values instead of indexed colors or if the drawing is set to use named plot styles (STB) rather than color-dependent styles (CTB). Double-check your layer settings and plot style table configuration to ensure proper output.