9.1 Plotting, Batch Publishing & eTransmit

9.1 Plotting, Batch Publishing & eTransmit

Delivering architectural, engineering, and construction documentation involves managing dozens or hundreds of drawing sheets. Relying on manual, one-by-one plot workflows introduces unacceptable labor overhead, inconsistency, and missing reference errors. AutoCAD provides an integrated deliverable ecosystem centered on the PUBLISH command, vector PDF output presets, and the ETRANSMIT packaging utility.

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1. PLOT Workflow vs. Batch Publishing with PUBLISH

While the PLOT command targets a single layout or model space tab within the currently active drawing, the PUBLISH command orchestrates multi-sheet output across multiple open or unopened drawing files.

                                  ┌─► PLOT (Ctrl+P) ──► Single Sheet / Active Tab
Drawing Output Pathways ──────────┤
                                  └─► PUBLISH       ──► Multi-Sheet / Multi-Drawing Batch Output
                                                        (Exports to Plotter, PDF, DWF, or DWFx)

The Publish Dialog Interface and Sheet List Management

Executing PUBLISH opens the Publish dialog box. By default, AutoCAD automatically populates the sheet list with the Model tab and all Layout tabs from every drawing currently open in the AutoCAD session.

Key sheet list management controls include:

• Add Sheets (+ icon): Opens the Select Drawings file navigation dialog to browse and select unopened .dwg files from local or network drives, adding their layouts to the publishing queue.
• Remove Sheets (- icon): Removes selected sheets from the active publish list without affecting the underlying drawing files.
• Move Sheet Up / Down: Adjusts the sequential order of sheets, which directly dictates sheet sequence in multi-page PDF or DWF files.
• Show Details: Toggles an expanded information panel displaying the source drawing path, layout name, assigned page setup, plot device, paper size, and plot scale for the highlighted sheet.
• Include When Adding Sheets: Model tab and Layout tabs check boxes control which sheets are added when drawings are added to the list. In professional practice, include only layout tabs so model tabs stay out of construction-document sets.

Drawing Set Descriptions (.dsd Files)

Assembling a 50-sheet publishing set across multiple project directories requires significant setup time. AutoCAD allows you to save this exact configuration as a Drawing Set Description (.dsd) file.

Publish Dialog ──[Save Sheet List]──► Project_Set_RevA.dsd (Stores DWG paths, layouts & setups)
               ◄──[Load Sheet List]── Re-populates identical 50-sheet queue instantly

• Saving a Sheet List: Clicking the Save Sheet List icon prompts for a file name and directory, creating an ASCII text .dsd file. The .dsd records the drawing file paths, layout tab names, and assigned page setups.
• Loading a Sheet List: Clicking the Load Sheet List icon allows drafters to reload previously saved .dsd files. AutoCAD prompts whether to replace the current list or append the .dsd sheets to the active queue.
• Automated Milestone Publishing: Drafters maintain distinct .dsd files for project milestones (e.g., Schematic_Review.dsd, Permit_Set.dsd, Bid_Package.dsd), ensuring identical sheet composition across revisions.

Publish To Destinations

The Publish to: drop-down menu in the upper portion of the dialog defines the target output stream:

1. Plotter named in page setup: Routes each individual sheet to the specific hardware plotter or software printer driver defined in its saved page setup.
2. PDF: Generates digital vector/raster PDF deliverables using AutoCAD's internal PDF engine, supporting both single-sheet and multi-sheet outputs.
3. DWF / DWFx: Exports compressed electronic design review packages formatted for Autodesk Design Review.

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2. Applying Page Setup Overrides in PUBLISH

In standard production, layout tabs are configured with full-size page setups (such as ARCH D 24x36 or ANSI D 22x34) mapped to physical office plotters or high-resolution color plot styles. However, project teams frequently require half-size (11x17) monochrome check sets for in-house markup or municipal submission.

Manually opening dozens of drawings to alter page setups would be slow and introduce potential errors. PUBLISH resolves this through Page Setup Overrides.

Sheet 01 (ARCH D 24x36) ──┐
Sheet 02 (ARCH D 24x36) ──┼──► [Publish Override: 11x17 Monochrome PDF] ──► Unified 11x17 PDF Set
Sheet 03 (ARCH D 24x36) ──┘    (Original DWG page setups remain completely unchanged)

Page Setup Override Procedure

1. In the Publish dialog, select one, several, or all layout sheets in the sheet list using Shift+Click or Ctrl+Click.
2. In the Page Setup column for the selected rows, click the drop-down arrow and choose Import....
3. Browse to a drawing template (.dwt) or drawing file (.dwg) containing the desired standardized review setup (e.g., 11x17_Monochrome_PDF).
4. Select the named setup. AutoCAD applies the override to all highlighted sheets.
5. The Page Setup column now shows the imported setup name for those sheets.

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3. Background Publishing & The BACKGROUNDPLOT System Variable

Batch publishing a large set can consume significant processor and memory resources. AutoCAD controls whether plotting and publishing occur interactively in the foreground or asynchronously in the background via the BACKGROUNDPLOT system variable.

BACKGROUNDPLOT Value Settings:
  0 = Plotting: Foreground  |  Publishing: Foreground  (Fastest; locks UI)
  1 = Plotting: Background  |  Publishing: Foreground
  2 = Plotting: Foreground  |  Publishing: Background  (Standard production)
  3 = Plotting: Background  |  Publishing: Background  (Full multitasking)

Operational Considerations for Background Plotting

• Status Bar Notification: When publishing in the background, a pulsing printer icon displays in the application status bar tray. Clicking the icon reveals current sheet progress. Upon completion, a balloon notification reports whether the job succeeded or encountered errors, with a direct link to the plot and publish log file.
• Performance vs. Multitasking: Background publishing lets drafters keep working in the active drawing, but the batch usually takes longer than a foreground run because it shares resources with the editing session.
• Scripts: When PLOT or PUBLISH runs from a script (.scr) file, BACKGROUNDPLOT is ignored and processing happens in the foreground.
• Troubleshooting Fatal Errors: If a publish batch crashes midway without generating output, setting BACKGROUNDPLOT = 0 forces AutoCAD to process each sheet sequentially on screen, immediately exposing the specific corrupted xref, missing font, or invalid viewport causing the failure.

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4. AutoCAD PDF Presets & Vector/Raster Optimization

When publishing to PDF, AutoCAD utilizes dedicated internal PC3 printer drivers optimized for distinct delivery channels.

Resolution Hierarchy:   High Quality Print > General Documentation > Smallest File
File Size Hierarchy:   High Quality Print (Largest)   > General Documentation (Balanced) > Smallest File (Smallest)

Advanced PDF Options Configuration

Clicking PDF Options in the Plot or Publish dialog exposes critical vector, raster, and data management settings:

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                              PDF Options                                |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Quality:                                                                |
|   Vector quality:    [ ____ ] dpi      Raster image quality: [ ___ ] dpi|
|                                                                         |
| Data:                                                                   |
|   [X] Include layer information       [X] Include hyperlinks            |
|   [X] Capture fonts used in the drawing                                 |
|       [ ] Convert all text to geometry                                  |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

• Vector and Raster Quality (DPI): Vector resolution dictates how smoothly arcs, circles, and spline curves are tessellated. Raster resolution controls the output DPI of attached aerial photography, scanned site plans, and rendered images.
• Include Layer Information: Embeds AutoCAD layer hierarchy into the PDF document. When opened in Bluebeam Revu or Adobe Acrobat, recipients can toggle individual drawing layers on or off. While this adds slightly to file size, it is essential for engineering review and coordination.
• Include Hyperlinks: Retains clickable links embedded in block attributes, callouts, or text, routing users to external web URLs or sheet bookmarks.

Font Handling: Embedded Fonts vs. Geometry Conversion

Font handling in PDF output is a frequent source of deliverable defects and exam questions:

                                        ┌─► Capture Fonts ─────────────► Embeds TrueType; text remains searchable
Font Processing in PDF Options ─────────┤
                                        └─► Convert Text to Geometry ──► Vector strokes; unsearchable; no missing font errors

1. Capture fonts used in the drawing: TrueType fonts (.ttf) used in the drawing are embedded directly into the PDF file structure. If the recipient does not possess the custom font installed on their workstation, the PDF viewer renders the characters correctly using the embedded font data. All text remains selectable, copyable, and searchable.
2. Convert all text to geometry: Converts every text character into raw vector line and polyline strokes. This option should be used when:
   • Proprietary or third-party fonts have licensing restrictions preventing embedding.
   • Visual fidelity across non-standard PDF viewers must be guaranteed.
   • Disadvantage: Converted text cannot be searched using Ctrl+F, cannot be copied as text, and significantly inflates PDF file size.
3. SHX Font Handling (PDFSHX): SHX fonts are compiled geometric shapes rather than outline font files, and therefore cannot be embedded as TrueType font streams. AutoCAD handles SHX text via the system variable PDFSHX:
   • When PDFSHX = 1, AutoCAD automatically generates hidden searchable PDF comment annotations for every SHX text string, allowing Adobe Acrobat or Bluebeam search tools to locate SHX text despite its vector nature.
   • When PDFSHX = 0, SHX text is drawn purely as vector strokes with zero comment metadata, reducing file overhead.

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5. Electronic Deliverable Packaging with ETRANSMIT

Sharing AutoCAD files with external clients, structural consultants, or fabricators often leads to errors when referenced files are omitted. An external drawing rarely exists in isolation; it depends on external references (xrefs), raster image underlays, font definitions (.shx and .ttf), and plot style tables (.ctb and .stb).

The ETRANSMIT command evaluates the active drawing or entire sheet set, identifies every dependent asset, and packages them into a single, self-contained transmittal package.

Host Drawing (.dwg) ──┬──► Attached Xrefs (.dwg)
                      ├──► Raster Underlays (.tif, .png)
                      ├──► Plot Style Tables (.ctb / .stb) ──► ETRANSMIT ──► Client_Package.zip
                      ├──► Text & Shape Fonts (.shx, .ttf)
                      └──► Data Links (.xlsx)

Transmittal Setups Dialog

Typing ETRANSMIT opens the Create Transmittal dialog. Clicking Transmittal Setups... opens the setup manager where drafters create and modify reusable packaging configurations.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                        Modify Transmittal Setup                         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Transmittal package type:    [ Zip (*.zip)                            ] |
| File Format:                 [ AutoCAD 2018 Drawing Format (*.dwg)    ] |
|                                                                         |
| Transmittal Options:                                                    |
|   [X] Use organized folder structure                                    |
|   [ ] Place all files in one folder                                     |
|   [X] Bind external references:      ( ) Bind      (X) Insert           |
|   [X] Include fonts                                                     |
|   [X] Include unloaded file references                                 |
|   [X] Purge drawings                                                    |
|   [X] Include files from data links                                     |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Key Packaging Parameters and Options

1. Transmittal Package Type:

   • Zip (*.zip): Compresses the drawings and dependencies into a standard compressed archive. Recommended industry standard.
   • Folder (set of files): Copies all uncompressed assets into a designated target directory on disk.
   • Self-extracting executable (*.exe): Creates an executable archive that unzips automatically without third-party utilities.

2. File Format Conversion:

   • Automatically converts all packaged .dwg files down to legacy formats (AutoCAD 2018, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2004, or 2000). This ensures external partners using older AutoCAD releases can open the deliverables without requiring separate conversion utilities like Autodesk DWG TrueView.

3. Bind External References (Bind vs. Insert):

   • When checked, eTransmit automatically binds all attached xrefs directly into the host drawing databases, eliminating external dependency breaks.

1. Include Fonts: When checked, packages all compiled shape files (.shx) and TrueType fonts (.ttf) referenced by text styles in the drawing, preventing text substitution errors on recipient systems.
2. Purge Drawings: Automatically executes a silent database purge on all packaged drawings, stripping unreferenced layers, block definitions, linetypes, and styles to minimize package file size.
3. Include Files from Data Links: Packages the Excel or CSV files behind data-linked tables so those tables can still be updated after the package is unpacked. (eTransmit also rewrites reference paths to suit the folder structure you choose, so xrefs resolve when unpacked.)