AutoCAD Add-in — Help
Installation, first PDF, plot style tables, layouts, scale, updates, repair and removal.
How do I convert from AutoCAD to PDF?
- 1. Installation
Sign in to the PlotPDFPro website.
Download the AutoCAD add-in and complete the installation.
- 2. Open the drawing
Open the DWG drawing you want to convert to PDF in AutoCAD.
Press Ctrl+P to open the Plot window.
- 3. Select PlotPDFPro
Under Printer/Plotter, select PlotPDFPro.pc3.
- 4. Centre the drawing
Under Plot Offset, select Center the plot.
- 5. Select your CTB settings
Under Plot Style Table, select the CTB file you want to use.
If your office uses a custom CTB, you can continue using your existing standard.
For black-and-white output, choose the CTB settings that produce a black-and-white result.
This preserves line weights and print quality when the PDF is later sent to a physical printer.
- 6. Select a PlotPDFPro paper profile
Under Paper Size, you will see the printable paper profiles created by PlotPDFPro.
Select the profile that matches the drawing's actual output height.
This value represents the paper height used when the drawing is physically printed.
- 7. Select the plot area
Under What to plot, use Window to select the drawing area to convert to PDF.
- 8. Enter the actual output scale
Under Plot Scale, clear Fit to paper.
Then enter the actual output scale, for example 1:50, 1:100, or 1:200.
- 9. Set the quality
Under Shaded Viewport Options, set Quality to Maximum.
Select Apply to Layout to save the settings.
- 10. Start the conversion
On the AutoCAD ribbon, select PlotPDFPro > Convert to PDF once.
On first use, your browser opens. Approve the requested permission to connect your PlotPDFPro account.
- 11. Get your PDF
Return to AutoCAD.
AutoCAD may appear unresponsive briefly during conversion. Do not click again or restart the operation during this time.
Follow conversion progress in the PlotPDFPro window at the bottom right.
When conversion finishes, the PDF is saved automatically to your Downloads folder.
Your files are retained for 7 days
Converted PDF files are retained by PlotPDFPro for 7 days from the conversion date.
No additional credit or fee is charged to download the same PDF again during this period.
The file is deleted automatically at the end of the seventh day.
Viewing long PDF files
Open very long architectural and engineering PDF files quickly on Windows with the free PlotPDF Viewer, see the whole roll at a glance and print at true scale.
Installation
Run PlotPDFPro Setup.exe and grant administrator permission.
Setup finds the AutoCAD versions on your computer by itself. You do not need to enter any path.
PlotPDFPro.pc3 is placed into every AutoCAD version found. There is no manual copying.
The last step offers "Start AutoCAD"; if you tick it, the newest AutoCAD version on the computer opens.
If AutoCAD was open during installation, close it and open it again; the ribbon appears in the new session.
CTB and plot style tables
The add-in brings no lineweight interpretation of its own. AutoCAD applies whichever CTB or STB file is assigned to the layout.
If the lineweights in the output differ from what you expect, first check the plot style table in the layout's page setup: the add-in does not change that setting.
Named plot styles (STB) and colour-dependent tables (CTB) cannot be used in the same drawing; this is an AutoCAD rule, not a PlotPDFPro restriction.
Layouts
Each layout is a separate page with its own paper size, scale and plotter configuration. PlotPDFPro plots the active layout.
You can plot from the Model tab, but using a layout is recommended for scale control: the sheet's scale is defined in the layout.
Scale
The scale is read from the layout's page setup. The add-in does not rescale.
If you will measure from the PDF and the layout scale is anything other than 1:1, make sure it is set correctly; the output keeps that scale.
If "fit to page" is enabled in the printer driver when you print the PDF, the scale is lost. That is a result of the print setting, not of the PDF.
Several AutoCAD versions
However many AutoCAD versions there are on one computer, one installation is enough. Setup finds them all.
Both PlotPDFPro.pc3 and the ribbon add-in are installed into every version found in the AutoCAD 2022 – 2027 range.
The installer contains a separately built add-in for each AutoCAD generation. AutoCAD decides itself which one to load; you do not have to choose.
If you install a new AutoCAD version AFTER PlotPDFPro, PlotPDFPro.pc3 has not yet been placed into that version. The "PlotPDFPro Onar" (repair) shortcut fixes this.
Updating
Download and run the new version. Setup upgrades the existing version in place; you do not need to uninstall first.
During the update, PlotPDFPro.pc3 is replaced with the certified version.
If you have a PC3 you edited yourself, back it up before updating.
Repair
Run the PlotPDFPro > "PlotPDFPro Onar" (repair) shortcut in the Start menu. The installer is not needed: the certified files are already stored on your computer.
If you have the installer, running it again also performs a repair.
Repair is the right tool when the ribbon does not appear, when PlotPDFPro.pc3 has been deleted, or when you installed a new AutoCAD version after installing PlotPDFPro.
Repair puts the certified file back and runs the verification again. If the certified file itself is damaged, nothing is deployed and you are told so.
Verifying PlotPDFPro.pc3
PlotPDFPro.pc3 is a certified file: it is produced once, verified and distributed as it is. Setup does not regenerate it.
To check that the copy on your computer is identical to the certified version, run the "PlotPDFPro Onar" (repair) shortcut in the Start menu; the Pc3Certified line in its output must be True.
To check that the file has reached AutoCAD, open the Plot (PLOT) dialog in AutoCAD: PlotPDFPro.pc3 must appear in the printer list.
If you want to compare it by hand, the certified digest is in the assets\PlotPDFPro.pc3.sha256 file in the installation folder.
Uninstalling
Control Panel > Programs and Features > PlotPDFPro for AutoCAD > Uninstall.
The add-in, the ribbon and the application files are removed.
PlotPDFPro.pc3 is deleted only if it is identical to the certified version. If you edited the file, it is left in place: silently deleting a configuration you work with would not be right.
Troubleshooting
The ribbon does not appear: is your AutoCAD version between 2022 and 2027? AutoCAD 2021 and earlier are not supported.
The ribbon is still missing: close AutoCAD completely and open it again, then run the "PlotPDFPro Onar" (repair) shortcut.
Plotting does not start: make sure the drawing has an active layout and a defined paper size.
PlotPDFPro.pc3 is not in the printer list: run "PlotPDFPro Onar" (repair); AutoCAD versions installed after setup are covered this way.
The installation logs are under %ProgramFiles%\PlotPDFPro\AutoCAD\logs\; attach this folder to a support request.
Tutorial videos
The following tutorials are being prepared. They will be published on this page when ready; for now only their topics are listed.
- Installation — Running the Setup file and checking the installation afterwards. In preparation
- First conversion — Producing your first PDF from inside AutoCAD. In preparation
- Using CTB — How plot style tables affect the output. In preparation
- Layouts — Choosing a layout and the paper size. In preparation
- Scale — Keeping the scale and how print settings affect it. In preparation
- Troubleshooting — What to do when the ribbon does not appear. In preparation
Still not solved?
Write to us through the channels on the Support page. If you include the installation logs (%ProgramFiles%\PlotPDFPro\AutoCAD\logs\) and your AutoCAD version, our first answer will be closer to a solution.