Ever wanted to know how to perform a specific operation? Ask the experts.
#78610 by valprest
Fri Aug 21, 2020 8:29 pm
How do I export a Datacad drawing (.aec) to an Acrobat format (.pdf)? I need to send electronic drawings to clients who do NOT have Datacad.
#78611 by joshhuggins
Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:30 pm
See the Datacad manual, Chapter 19 Printing Your Drawing on page 401 (for Datacad 21, other versions will be similar).
#78697 by Ted B
Sat Sep 05, 2020 11:43 pm
I use PDFill to output all my drawings on paper and .PDF for distribution. It's a free PDF printer that lives on your PC's printer list. I plot-out each drawing page to a designated folder, then use their PDFTools to combine the individual pages into one file for inkjet printing, and for digital distrubition. The compiled drawing file also serves as my record file-copy so I don't have to save a paper copy.

https://www.pdfill.com

I print all my paperwork to .PDF as my record and distribution copies; construction docs, specifications, scanned sketches and markups, project memos and all printed correspondence. Strangely, I still have boxes and boxes of Bankers Boxes filled with file folders of paper.
#78758 by ORWoody
Fri Sep 11, 2020 9:36 pm
I use Win2PDF and have found it to be quite flexible. The important thing for me is that it has the capability to create layered PDFs. That might be much more common now, but when I was first searching for a decent PDF creator, it was what you saw was what you got in most creators. Now, with Win2PDF, a user can turn off my border or whatever I have that's unneeded for use in their file. One can also create a quick PDF or batch plots PDFs that are not layered for when you don't want to give filtering capability to the user.
Good luck,
#78760 by Mark Bell
Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:56 am
valprest wrote:How do I export a Datacad drawing (.aec) to an Acrobat format (.pdf)? I need to send electronic drawings to clients who do NOT have Datacad.


The quickest way is using QuickLayout from the Utility/Print menu. Use the S8 Setup menu to select your printer or a printer driver you want to use and the paper size. Make sure the drawing info you want to print is on screen and you've done a regen/zoom extents to fit it to the screen, then pick F0 Quicklayout which allows you to bring the drawing sheet and place it 'under' the drawing info. If the scale is wrong pick another suitable scale, then pick F1 Print to display the piece of paper (white background) with drawing info on it. Pick Save As in the pop up menu which allows you to save the drawing as a PDF with the option of saving the PDF with all the DataCAD layers or have everything output on a single layer. Done and ready to send.
The Print menu also allows Batch printing which is useful when using Multi-Sheet Printing (MSP) and the File/Merge option also allows you to bind all the PDF's into a single PDF as well as add a password etc. Lots of options all from within DataCAD.
#78761 by ORWoody
Sat Sep 12, 2020 7:00 am
Mark:
Thanks for this rundown. I am constantly amazed at how I get into the habit of doing something "like I always have" and don't bother checking to see if DataCAD has provided an even better way of doing the same thing. This is a perfect example of my missing something very useful.

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