How to Configure a Plotter in BricsCAD

Quick answer: Plotter configuration files (.pc3) override one or more settings of your Windows system printers, and you can keep multiple configurations for the same device. Unlike AutoCAD, BricsCAD’s PC3 files apply only to Windows system printers. Each contains the device driver and model, the output port, and various device-specific settings (not supported on Linux). PC3 files save to the Plotconfig subfolder of your Roamable root folder, the same location covered on this hub’s user files page.

Configuring the Built-in PDF Printer

1. Open the Print dialog.
2. Click the Printer/Plotter configuration list and choose Print As PDF.pc3.
3. Click Edit Plotter Configuration; the Plotter Configuration Editor opens with that configuration loaded.
4. Click the Settings tab.
5. Optionally edit the Graphics settings.
6. Optionally run Scale Calibration.
7. Click Custom Properties; the Print As PDF – Custom Properties dialog opens.
8. Optionally adjust Output quality and Layers support settings, the same Output quality section covered on this hub’s Shade Plot page for controlling Image DPI.
9. Click Manage Custom sizes…
10. To create a custom paper size: click Add, double-click the new entry, type a name and click OK, define its Width and Height, then define its Paper Margins (the printable area). With DISPPAPERMARGINS on, dashed lines mark these margins on the paper sheet in a layout; with DISPPAPERBKG on, the paper sheet’s background displays too, the same two variables covered on this hub’s paper space viewports page. Click OK to create the size.
11. Click OK on each remaining open dialog; the custom paper size is now selectable in the Paper Size list.

Creating a Plotter Configuration

1. Launch PLOTTERMANAGER; a file dialog opens to the folder defined by PLOTCFGPATH.
2. Double-click Create a Plotter Configuration; the Plotter Configuration Editor opens.
3. Select the printer you want to configure from the Printer name list.
4. Click the Settings tab.
5. Click Custom Properties…; a dialog specific to that printer’s layout opens (for Print as PDF specifically, this includes a Create bookmarks option, which auto-generates PDF bookmarks for named views). Custom Properties aren’t supported on Linux.
6. Adjust the printer’s settings and click OK.
7. Click OK on the Plotter Configuration Editor; the Save Plotter Configuration As dialog appears.
8. Optionally edit the PC3 file name (defaulting to <Selected Printer>.pc3).
9. Click OK on the confirmation dialog; the PC3 file is created.

You can create multiple configurations for the same printer by saving each under a different name.

Editing a Plotter Configuration

1. Launch PRINT; the Print dialog opens.
2. Select a plotter configuration from the Printer/Plotter configuration list.
3. Click Edit Plotter Configuration; the editor opens.
4. Continue from step 4 of the creation procedure above.

Assigning a Plotter Configuration

1. Choose the Model space or Layout you want to assign a configuration to.
2. Choose Page Setup from the File menu, or run pagesetup.
3. Choose a system printer, a PC3 file, or None (uses the default) from the Printer/Plotter configuration list.
4. Click OK.

If BricsCAD can’t find a drawing’s assigned plotter configuration file, it resets that assignment to None. The None device keeps its own set of paper sizes stored in the drawing, just like a real printer; if a layout’s stored printer is missing when opened, it switches to None while keeping the paper size, and the Print dialog flags both the missing printer and that Previous Paper Size. This matters especially for drawings from other parties set up for printers you don’t have, rather than silently resetting to a default paper size, BricsCAD shows you the originally intended size so you can choose something similar on an available printer, and that previous size can be saved into the drawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do PC3 files work the same way in BricsCAD as they do in AutoCAD? Not quite, in BricsCAD they apply only to Windows system printers, unlike AutoCAD.

Where are plotter configuration files stored? The Plotconfig subfolder of your Roamable root folder, the same location covered on this hub’s user files page.

What happens if a drawing’s assigned printer isn’t available on my computer? BricsCAD switches the assignment to None but keeps track of the drawing’s originally intended paper size, showing it as the Previous Paper Size in the Print dialog rather than silently defaulting to something else.

Can I create more than one configuration for the same physical printer? Yes, save each configuration under a different file name to keep them separate.