Expert: Bob - 4/10/2004

Question
I am pretty new to auto cad.I do plumbing drawings for the shop I work for.Iam using auto cad 2002.I just did my first drawing it turned out really good.The problem I have is this..I start out with a dwg. file that is e-mailed to me.I do all my plumbing layout and email it to a printing company.The printer had a hard time with it he told me next time send it to him as a plot file not a dwg.How do I convert it from dwg. file to a plot file?
Thanks
Gary

Answer
Hi-- Congratulations on your drawing coming out well. You don't say how you learned AutoCAD, but maybe it is time for a good book, so you can work efficiently. If you are missing this knowledge, you are very likely missing more. Also form the habit of poking around at all the possibilities in AutoCAD Help.
Plotting would be a chapter of that book, so I can't give you the whole story here. Simplified version: you plot to a plot file (you dont convert your drawing to one). You need to configure the reprographic service's (printing company)plotter in your AutoCAD (start with the file menu, find the Add-a-plotter Wizard), then notice the check box that appears on the 2nd page of the plot dialog when you have selected a plotter, not a small printer.  The .plt file is only good to print from, and is much smaller than the AutoCAD dwg file.
It is important to plot to a file, even if the reprographer will take your dwg, because YOU control what is plotted, not them, as well as the fact that it is more efficient.
Bob