Variations in Lineweights and Colors When Outsourcing Plotting

Issue

If you send your files to another office or business to print (example: a reprographics shop), the colors, lineweights, or other features may appear differently from how they appear when your office prints them. How can you prevent these variations?

Solution

We have a couple of suggestions:

• Send a PDF file along with the .dwg to the printing agency. This can help control the output. The built-in AutoCAD PDF exporter works well, but we can also offer a few recommendations for third-party PDF export software.

• We also recommend printing the LFX Pens drawing – and also keeping a PDF of this document handy. (Both files are available for download below.) You can then compare the two outputs to determine the extent of the differences between your printouts and the outside agency's.

(Right-click and select "Save As" or "Save Target" from the menu.)