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BryanF · 04-07-2012, 19:47

I need to get pdf software for cad 2007 ASAP its either that or i need to buy an A3 printer...
sick tired of trying to get a good quality pfd's form the 'cad to pdf' option

any help greatly appreciated

writetojd · 04-07-2012, 23:03

Cute PDF is a decent free tool that will appear on your list of printers once installed correctly.

Hope that helps

rcdk1 · 04-07-2012, 23:15

writetojd beat me to it! But here goes anyway:

I've found CutePDF Writer (www.cutepdf.com) to be a simple but effective way to PDF drawings and documents. It installs as a printer and so is available to all software with a print function. We use it at work with Map3D 2010 and Civil3D 2011 in preference to Autodesk's own PDF function.

The disadvantages are:

landscape drawings are rotated through 90 degrees on screen. This isn't a problem if you're printing from the PDF but it means drawings can't be viewed properly on screen. I manually rotate the drawings afterwards.
It's hard to control file sizes. However I've only found this an issue when creating PDFs of drawings with images in them (e.g. location maps on Discovery Series tiles). Again I manually compress these files.
Large areas of solid hatch can be grainy.

BryanF · 06-07-2012, 00:19

Thanks for that, I have cutepdf but again find something is lost when transferring to PDF then print - especially colour/ hatch and text

koaj · 11-07-2012, 21:33

Have you tried PrimoPDF? Have found it to produce good pdfs from cad drawings. Their website is http://www.primopdf.com/

shane6977 · 18-07-2012, 11:17

I have used PFF995 before quite successfully.

Fixing Good · 28-09-2012, 14:45

How are you getting poor quality from DWG to PDf in Autocad?
I use this feature all the time and its perfect. I produce extremely high detail A0 manufacturing drawings and they are crystal.
Maybe you lineweights are set too high?

PaudyW · 26-10-2012, 15:40

try and get a copy of 2010 if you can has dwg to pdf built in and its great, primo wont change raster images and other external refs properly, but handy for drawings, check your pen assignmates and printer settings when converting to pdf, also if your printing change settings so print jobs is handled by computer and not printer / driver, had problems before with missing lines etc, cause printer memory was too small

**Capt'n Midnight** · 27-10-2012, 00:56

http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/

set paper to A0 etc.

Kevin Irving · 27-10-2012, 01:03

I think that the DPI can be limited on some PDF creators. I was trying to make an A2 poster (from a PowerPoint presentation, admittedly!) an I kept losing quality. Any higher DPI and the PDF creator would crash.

air · 27-10-2012, 01:11

Another vote for PDF Creator here, easy to add a custom pc3 file to save preferences on page rotation, plot resolution etc.

04-07-2012, 19:47	#1
BryanF Registered User Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cork Posts: 2,421 Adverts \| Friends	cad to pdf software I need to get pdf software for cad 2007 ASAP its either that or i need to buy an A3 printer... sick tired of trying to get a good quality pfd's form the 'cad to pdf' option any help greatly appreciated

04-07-2012, 23:15	#3
rcdk1 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 482 Adverts \| Friends	writetojd beat me to it! But here goes anyway: I've found CutePDF Writer (www.cutepdf.com) to be a simple but effective way to PDF drawings and documents. It installs as a printer and so is available to all software with a print function. We use it at work with Map3D 2010 and Civil3D 2011 in preference to Autodesk's own PDF function. The disadvantages are: landscape drawings are rotated through 90 degrees on screen. This isn't a problem if you're printing from the PDF but it means drawings can't be viewed properly on screen. I manually rotate the drawings afterwards. It's hard to control file sizes. However I've only found this an issue when creating PDFs of drawings with images in them (e.g. location maps on Discovery Series tiles). Again I manually compress these files. Large areas of solid hatch can be grainy.

11-07-2012, 21:33	#5
koaj Registered User Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Limerick Posts: 14 Adverts \| Friends	PDF Printer Have you tried PrimoPDF? Have found it to produce good pdfs from cad drawings. Their website is http://www.primopdf.com/

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04-07-2012, 23:03	#2
writetojd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Navan, damn spelled it backkwards again Posts: 162 Adverts \| Friends	Cute PDF is a decent free tool that will appear on your list of printers once installed correctly. Hope that helps

06-07-2012, 00:19	#4
BryanF Registered User Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cork Posts: 2,421 Adverts \| Friends	Thanks for that, I have cutepdf but again find something is lost when transferring to PDF then print - especially colour/ hatch and text

18-07-2012, 11:17	#6
shane6977 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 49 Adverts \| Friends	I have used PFF995 before quite successfully.

28-09-2012, 14:45	#7
Fixing Good Registered User Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Abroad Posts: 23 Adverts \| Friends	How are you getting poor quality from DWG to PDf in Autocad? I use this feature all the time and its perfect. I produce extremely high detail A0 manufacturing drawings and they are crystal. Maybe you lineweights are set too high?

26-10-2012, 15:40	#8
PaudyW Registered User Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 109 Adverts \| Friends	try and get a copy of 2010 if you can has dwg to pdf built in and its great, primo wont change raster images and other external refs properly, but handy for drawings, check your pen assignmates and printer settings when converting to pdf, also if your printing change settings so print jobs is handled by computer and not printer / driver, had problems before with missing lines etc, cause printer memory was too small

27-10-2012, 00:56	#9
Capt'n Midnight 00:00 Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 40,639 Adverts \| Friends Mod: Biology, Lifehacking, Popular Science, Windows	http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/ set paper to A0 etc.

27-10-2012, 01:03	#10
Kevin Irving Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Dublin Posts: 2,154 Adverts \| Friends	I think that the DPI can be limited on some PDF creators. I was trying to make an A2 poster (from a PowerPoint presentation, admittedly!) an I kept losing quality. Any higher DPI and the PDF creator would crash.

27-10-2012, 01:11	#11
air Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Limerick Posts: 1,283 Adverts \| Friends	Another vote for PDF Creator here, easy to add a custom pc3 file to save preferences on page rotation, plot resolution etc.