PDF Creation & Presets collects practical CAD plotting guidance for this topic within PDF & Publishing. Use these articles for setup, verification, troubleshooting and reliable final output.
The reliable AutoCAD-to-PDF workflow is: open the production Layout, select an AutoCAD PDF preset/PC3, choose the real paper size, keep the Layout at 1:1, Preview, save the PDF, then verify the PDF page size and scale.
AutoCAD ships with PDF PC3 presets designed for general documentation, high-quality printing, smallest file size, and web/mobile use. The preset affects resolution, layer information, hyperlinks, bookmarks and font/text handling.
DWG to PDF.pc3 is AutoCAD’s general-purpose PDF plotter configuration associated with older PDF workflows. Current AutoCAD versions also provide purpose-specific presets such as General Documentation, High Quality Print, Smallest File and Web and Mobile.
AutoCAD PDF (General Documentation) is one of AutoCAD’s predefined PDF PC3 presets. Its default vector quality is 1200 dpi and raster quality is 400 dpi; it includes PDF layer information by default.
AutoCAD PDF (High Quality Print) is one of AutoCAD’s predefined PDF PC3 presets. Its default vector quality is 2400 dpi and raster quality is 600 dpi; it includes PDF layer information by default.
AutoCAD PDF (Smallest File) is one of AutoCAD’s predefined PDF PC3 presets. Its default vector quality is 400 dpi and raster quality is 200 dpi; it does not include PDF layer information by default.
AutoCAD PDF (Web and Mobile) is one of AutoCAD’s predefined PDF PC3 presets. Its default vector quality is 400 dpi and raster quality is 200 dpi; it includes PDF layer information by default.
Create a custom PDF preset when none of AutoCAD’s predefined PC3 files meet the office requirement for quality, layers, fonts or file size. Start from the closest preset, change only documented options, and save it under a new PC3 name.