PageSetup

Print / Plotter Configuration

Selects the printer or plotter.

BricsCAD works with any output device installed on the system, including networked printers, print to file, faxes, and PostScript devices.

It also uses predefined printer parameters stored in PC3 files. See PlotterManager command.

Edit plotter configuration  

Opens the printer's Properties dialog box for customizing the printer's parameters.

Paper Size

Chooses the size of paper.

You can select standard sizes listed by the droplist; these are sizes supported by the printer.

While printer may appear to support many different sizes, you should select only the size of paper that is actually in the printer.

If User Defined appears in the list, the paper's dimensions are specified by the printer's Properties dialog box.

The image indicates the size, position and orientation of the current plot area on the selected paper size.

Units

Switches paper measurements between imperial and metric.

Plot Area

Specifies which area of the drawing to print:

• View - prints the current view or a named view. See View command.

Choose a view from the droplist:

• Extents - prints the extents of the drawing, which ensures every visible entity is printed.

Entities on frozen layers are not taken into account when calculating the extents.

• Limits - prints the limits of the drawing, as specified by the Limits command.

• Window - prints a rectangular area of the drawing.

You define the rectangular area by entering x,y coordinates or by clicking the Select Area to be Printed button.

Select area to be printed

Specifies the rectangular area to be printed.

Click the button; the dialog box is dismissed temporarily, and you are prompted:

Select first corner of window - specify one corner of the rectangle.

Select second corner of window - specify the other corner.

You can pick points or enter x,y coordinates.

The Print dialog box returns, with the pair of x,y coordinates added to the Windows Plot Area boxes.

Specifies the x,y coordinates of the lower-left and upper-right corners of the rectangular area to be printed.

You can enter x,y coordinates, or click the button to pick points in the drawing.

Plot Scale

Scales the drawing so that it fits the printable area of the paper.

The scale is calculated automatically by BricsCAD, and takes into account the print area of the drawing.

The printable area is the size of the paper, minus the margins.

The margins are the strips along the four edges that the printer uses for handling the paper.

When this option is turned on, you cannot specify the scale factor.

Specifies the scale factor of the printed drawing.

Choose a scale factor from the droplist, or select Custom to specify a scale factor.

Available scales in the list can be edited using the ScaleListEdit command.

For scale factors like 1:5, the drawing is scaled smaller.

For scale factors like 5:1, the drawing is scaled larger.

In Model Space page setups:

Specifies user-defined scale factors.

For example, to print a drawing of 50'-long house on paper 11" wide, enter:

Printed Inches = 11"

Drawing Units = 50'

BricsCAD works out the scale factor automatically.

In Paper Space page setups:

The Scale setting specifies the relation between paper units and drawing units. Paper units are either inches or millimeters. Drawing units can be feet, centimeters, meters, ...

Scale setting when drawing units are feet:

Scale setting when drawing units are cm:

Scale lineweights

If on, lineweights are scaled with respect to the plot scale.

Plot Style Table

Specifies the plot style table to use, which assigns properties to "pens," colors, and entities.

If the drawing does not use plot styles, then only CTB (color-based table) files are listed.

If the drawing uses plot styles, then only STB (style-based table) files are listed.

When you switch from Non to a named plot style, BricsCAD prompts you:

Assign plot style table to all layouts? - click Yes or No.

• Yes - assigns the CTB or STB plot style file to all layouts.

• No - assigns the plot style file to the current layout only.

Edit Plot Style

Opens the Plot Style Table editor dialog box. See PlotStyle command.

This button is available only when the drawing uses STB plot styles.

Create New Plot Style

Creates new plot styles; runs the Add Plot Style Table wizard.

If the drawing does not use named plot styles, then the wizard creates new color-dependent tables (CTB files).

If the drawing uses named plot styles, then the wizard creates new named plot style tables (STB files).

See StylesManager command.

Toggles the display of plot style names.

Drawing Orientation

Specifies the orientation of the drawing on rectangular paper:

• Portrait - The drawing or layout x-axis is aligned with the shortest edge of the selected paper size.

• Landscape - The drawing or layout x-axis is aligned with the longest edge of the selected paper size.

• Print upside down - Prints the drawing upside-down. This is useful when paper with a drawing border is loaded backwards in the printer.

Plot Offset

Specifies the offset distance for the print.

Enter positive or negative distances to move the drawing in the x and/or y distances:

• Positive values - move the drawing up and to the right.

• Negative values - move the drawing down and to the left.

The lower left corner of the drawing is moved by the specified distance.

This is useful when the paper has a title block area that might interfere with the drawing.

Centers the print on the page.

The center of the drawing is positioned in the center of the paper.

Together with Fit Print Area to Size of Page, these options are excellent for prints were scale is unimportant.

Plot Options

Toggles the use the lineweights:

• On - mimics lineweights in the print.

• Off - ignores lineweights.

This option is unavailable when Plot with Plot Styles is turned on.

Toggles the use of plot styles:

• On - uses plot styles determine the look of the printed drawing.

• Off - does not use plot styles.

Plot styles override lineweight settings.

Toggles printing order:

• On - prints model space entities first, followed by paper space entities.

• Off - prints paper space entities first, followed by entities in model space.

This option is available only when printing layouts; it is unavailable in model tab.

Toggles saving of print options:

• On - changes made to this dialog box are saved with the layout.

• Off - changes are not saved.

The next time you use this dialog box, you can select "Layout" from the Use Plot Settings From droplist.

Shaded Viewport Options

Allows to override the visual style of the current view when printing model space.

This option is disabled for paper space page setups.
The Shade Plot mode of a paper space viewport is defined in the Shade Plot property of the viewport.

The quality of the Rendered option is defined through the current render preset (see the RenderPresets command).

Preview

Displays a preview of the print. In the preview window, click the Print Settings button to return to this dialog box.

See Preview command.

OK

Saves the changes and returns to the drawing.

Cancel

Returns to the drawing editor.