How to Use the Plot Styles Manager in BricsCAD

Quick answer: The Plot Styles Manager lists your plot style table files (CTB and STB) and lets you create new ones via a wizard or edit existing ones.

Launching the Plot Styles Manager

Choose Plotstyle manager… from the File > Print menu, or run STYLESMANAGER. A file dialog opens showing the contents of the PlotStyles folder, defined by PLOTSTYLEPATH.

Creating a New Plot Style Table

1. Launch the Plot Styles Manager.
2. In the PlotStyles folder, double-click Create a Plot Style Table; the Plot Style Table Editor opens.
3. Choose Create new from scratch.
4. Either choose CTB or STB as the table type, or choose Create from existing table and select a file from the dropdown or via Browse.
   • CTB (Color-dependent Plot Style Table): bases plotting on entity color, matching pen thickness and linetype to color. Older and less flexible, but the default for all new drawings.
   • STB (Named Plot Style Table): bases plotting on named plot styles, letting you set parameters per entity or per layer. Newer and more flexible, but potentially incompatible with other software that reads DWG files.
5. Type a name in the Table name field and click OK; the Plot Style Table Editor opens.

Creating a New Plot Style Table in the Print Dialog

1. Launch PRINT; the Print dialog opens.
2. Under Plot style table, click Create new plot style; the Add Plot Style Table dialog appears.
3. Type a name and click OK. If Launch Editor is checked, the Plot Style Table Editor opens; if Use this plotstyle for the current drawing is checked, the new table is used in the current layout.

Worth knowing: unlike creating one through the Plot Styles Manager, this procedure doesn’t let you choose the table type freely, it creates a CTB file in a CTB-type drawing, or an STB file in an STB-type drawing, matching whatever type the current drawing already uses.

Editing a Plot Style Table

Via the Plot Styles Manager: launch it, then double-click the table you want; the editor opens.

Via the Print dialog: open the Print dialog, select a table from the Plot Style Table list, and click Edit plot style.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between creating a plot style table through the Manager versus the Print dialog? The Plot Styles Manager lets you freely choose CTB or STB. The Print dialog instead automatically matches whatever type (CTB or STB) the current drawing already uses.

Why would I avoid using an STB table if it’s more flexible than CTB? Compatibility, STB files can be incompatible with other software that reads DWG files, while CTB is the older, more universally compatible default.

Where does BricsCAD look for plot style table files? The PlotStyles folder, defined by PLOTSTYLEPATH.

Can I base a new plot style table on one that already exists? Yes, choose Create from existing table in the Plot Style Table Editor and select or browse to the file you want to start from.