How to protect autocad files

I need to protect autocad files for modifying (but drawing must be
plotable!).
What are the possibilities? Is there any option in autocad (like password
protection) or conversion in other formats?
I tried with conversion into PDF, but then the problem is plotting that
file. I don't want to plot in file because it should be plottable on all
plotters.

tnx

 

You can try CadLock (www.cadlock.com). Alternately you could plot a
DWF which is viewable and plottable.

-Tim

 

So is PDF.
___

 

Alternately you could plot a

And editable.

 

Copy your drawings on a CD (and close the session)

bob.at

 

You're kidding, right?

 

No No really he means it.....

you cant then copy from the CD-Rom to a Hard Disk
you then can't use explorer to un-right protect it.
You then can't load it into AutoCAD
and
you then can't alter the file and re-save it.

 

??? I seem to do that frequently...

 

I think Alan was joking.

 

Very likely...

 

How do I do that (where to select DWF format in Acad2004)?
Does it depends on what plotter/printer you are doing that?

 

I made pdf with Adobe Acrobat 5.0. Printing a small drawing (A4,A3 paper
format) on my laser printer is OK, but when I tried to plot big drawings
(A1,A0 paper format) on plotter (I don't have my own plotter, but I've
sended to a several specific shops who does plotting drawing from autocad
format) and they couldn't plot big format on their plotters (the biggest
plotted paper format was A3) - plotter was HP or Kayocera.
Is it a problem with drivers, that people didn't configure when plotting?
How do You plot big pdf drawings?

 

Over here, PDF files are now the preferred format for plotting services
for ALL sizes. It might be time to find an alternative plotting service.