Printing multiple layouts in one go in AutoCAD 2006

Hi

I've got a feeling that the print dialog actually changed in 2005, but I
never used that version, so you're getting the question now instead.

In AutoCAD 2004, it was possible to send all the layout tabs, or
selected layout tabs to print at the same time, by ticking a box in the
print dialog.

I can't see any option for doing this in 2006 however.
Has the option disappeared completely, or am I looking in the wrong place?
If this option has disappeared, it means that certain sending prints of
a drawing that is on a number of layouts is a 5 minute task, where you
need to keep in front of the computer, rather than a time to leave the
computer to get on with spooling the prints without any intervention.

Furthermore, my experience of background printing so far has been that
it seems to take far longer to complete than printing normally would, &
that you can't send multiple prints in the background, as you have to
wait for one to print before you can send others. So it is only realy
useful for continuing to work on the drawing, but induces a delay when
you just have to wait if you are trying to produce a lot of separate
plots instead.

 

That checkbox was most likely eliminated due to the introduction of sheet
sets in 2005. I'm using 2005 and as far as I've read, there haven't been
any changes made to plotting in 2006. So here's the deal in 2005:

In your drawing, click on a layout tab and then press and hold the shift or
ctrl key while selecting the rest of the layouts.
Then right-click on any layout tab and choose "publish selected layouts"
from the context menu.
(This option is only available when you have selected more than one layout).
The publish dialog opens.
You should see a list of your selected layouts and their status.
On the lower left, under "publish to", select the "plotter named in page
setup" option.
You can also add layouts (or sheets as they are referred to) from other
drawing files by clicking the "add sheets" button.
You may need to select "include plot stamp". I think it is off by default.
You only have to set these options once.
Click "publish" and you should be on your way.

Regarding background plotting, there is a setting in options > plot and
publish, for background processing. I believe this can also be accessed by
right clicking the plot/publish icon in the status tray.

The usual and customary confusion and difficulty that Autodesk introduced
here is the word "publish" which can also mean "plot". After you select
multiple layouts and right-click, "plot" is disabled on the context menu.
Now what does that mean to the logical thinking user? To me it means that
plotting is disabled. But instead, "publish selected layouts" appears
which can mean plot if you select the option in the publish dialog that
opens. Books are published, cad drawings are plotted. But not in Autodesk
land. If you search the help files for "plotting multiple layouts", you
won't find anything but if you search on "publish multiple layouts", voila.
You'll get a short version of the procedure I listed above. Same thing with
"sheets". Is a layout a sheet or is a sheet a layout or both? I don't
know, I'm so confused. I wonder what life is like for a new user.

Pete

 

Thanks for the quick response.

Like you though, I still don't quite see why they needed to remove the
old way of doing it, or for that matter why they needed to call it publish.

 

The feature doesn't appear to be available in SDI mode (I guess that's
single drawing compatibility). Any remedy to this situation?