Plot layouts

Module(s): Plot Layout

You can use the Plot Layouts tool to plot a layout.

To plot layouts

1. Click Plot Layouts (How).
   

   Activate Plot Layouts in one of the following ways

   • Menu bar: Create Plot Layout

   • Toolbar: Basic Tools Layout flyout
   • Palette: Tools Create area in the following module(s):

   Plot Layout

   When the layout has been created with a Windows driver, the program checks the following:

   

   Windows drivers are printer drivers delivered with the Windows operating system or by the device manufacturer. In Allplan, either Windows drivers or Allplan vector drivers can be used for printing and plotting.

   

   A printer driver is a program that translates graphical commands into control characters (e.g., HPGL, PostScript) for a particular printer. You can use Windows drivers or Allplan vector drivers (in connection with output channels) as printer drivers in Allplan.

   • Availability of output device saved with layout
     

     Availability of output device saved with layout

     When you are using Windows drivers, Allplan checks whether the output device saved with the layout is available. If this is not so, the following options are available:

     A layout without an available output device is selected

     The border of the printable area of the layout you selected last is temporarily used for displaying this layout.

     The Plot Layouts tool opens for layouts without available output devices.

     For small-format documents (DIN A4/DIN A3), the Windows default printer is used. If you have defined an Allplan default plotter in the Options, Layouts and plotting page, this plotter is automatically assigned to the layout. Otherwise, you can specify which output device you want to use in a dialog box.

     Click

     • Settings to specify the Allplan default plotter in the Options. Then start the plot operation again.
     • Yes to open the Print Setup dialog box. If the layout had already been selected when you started the program, Allplan proposes the default output device and its default paper format. If the layout was selected after you started the program, Allplan proposes the output device of the layout you selected last and its default paper format.
       Define new settings for the layout.
     • Cancel to cancel the plot operation and to retain the settings.
   • Availability of format saved with layout
     

     Availability of format saved with layout

     When you are using Windows drivers, Allplan checks whether the paper format saved with the layout is available. If this is not so, the program attempts to find the paper format that is best suited to the page.
     If this attempt fails, the standard format of the selected output device is used.

     You may need to change the format for plot output. The entire plan layout remains unchanged.

     Note: If a new paper format is not entered for the output device when you select the standard format, the original format is still saved in the layout and used for plotting if it is available again.

     The Plot Layouts dialog box opens after these checks.

2. Click the
   • Selection tab to output layouts and plot files and to select elements you want to exclude from the plot operation.
   • Output tab to set up the page, switch between Windows drivers and Allplan vector drivers, select a different device or make device-specific settings.
   • Settings tab to make general settings.
   • Archiving tab to archive layouts using document management systems.
3. Click
   • Plot to start plotting.
     When you are using Windows drivers and you have selected several layouts for plotting, you can make settings for printing in batch mode.
   • Close to save the settings without starting the plot operation.
   • Cancel to quit the tool.