topic Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings? in AutoCAD Forum

AutoCAD - How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 14:18:08 GMT

I am publishing a book. I presewnted it to the publisher with the CAD drawings inserted as PDF files. Now their Art Director is asking me to give them my CAD files in another format eps, jpeg, tiff and other formats. I do not have the capabilities to do that. AND this disturbs me that they want me to do the work!!! Don't publishing companies have better publishing software (like InDesign, etc.)? I can not believe they are asking me to do this or that they don't know how!!!!!

Please someone help me find out how CAD is inserted (BETTER than PDF!) into books.

[ The subject line of this post has been edited to include the product name by @handjonathan ]

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

paullimapa — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:02:33 GMT

It's time to find another publisher. But all kidding aside, most publishing companies don't know how to deal with CAD drawing file formats. But I'm really surprised they can't use PDFs. Maybe they want a higher quality file format which you can output from AutoCAD called EPS. To create an EPS printer/plotter:

1. In AutoCAD type the command: PlotterManager

2. Double click on Add-A-Plotter Wizard

3. In the Add Plotter - Begin window, make sure My Computer is selected and click Next

4. Under Manufacture, select Adobe & under Model select Postscript Level 1 Plus & click Next a couple of times

5. Under Ports window, select Plot to File & click Next

6. Name this plotter as EPS & click Next & Finish.

Now from AutoCAD enter the Plot command & use the Printer Plotter you just created called EPS to create an EPS file for your publisher.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

jggerth — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:09:46 GMT

If you have Acad, you certainly DO have the ability to generate an EPS file. If an EPS plotter does not show upo in your list of plotters, use the Add a Plotter Wizrd to create one,

In the Wizrd, select 'My Computer' to have all settings managed locally, then hit next.

For Plotter Model, pick Adobe for the manufacturer, and Postscript Level 2 as the model

For Ports, pick Plot to ifile at the top of the dialog

Give it a name.

Then use it like any other plotter.

(why would you not want to do the work? it's your book!)

ninja'ed

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Kent1Cooper — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:31:52 GMT

We use some free programs from PDF995.com. One is their PDF995 "virtual" .PDF printer that we print drawings to in .PDF format [it just asks for a file location and name, rather than putting on paper], and another is called PDFEdit995, which has an option [in its Image tab] to convert the last document printed through PDF995 to any of a variety of formats, including .JPG and .TIF, with choice of DPI resolution so you can make as sharp as the Publisher wants.

Also, the EXPORT command has an .EPS option in my older version here, and likely more choices in newer versions.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

dgorsman — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:47:41 GMT

Watch the image file formats. JPEG can get "jaggy" for linework, more so as the compression is increased. Best used for photographs. TIFF is one of the better formats for this, and it supports lossless compression. Another benefit is using CMYK colors rather than RGB, the former being very prevalent in the printing industry.

As for them asking you to produce the images... well, yeah. If you send them the raw information they cannot guarantee the image they produce is what you want. Then comes the re-work, complaints, more rework, reversed decisions, blahblahblah.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 21:33:52 GMT

Thank you soooooooooo much!!!!!

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 21:36:04 GMT

Thank you so much. The reason I did not want to do it as I have an old computer 2010 and old AutoCAD 2010 and I thought my images might not be the best.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 21:37:19 GMT

Thanks but PDF files are not good quality. I'll try .EPS.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

jggerth — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 21:43:10 GMT

Remember that eps is somewhat of a raw format, you'll need publishing software to actually view it (although IIRC an EPS file can be placed in Word...)

You can also set the vector resolution up, all the way to 5080x5080 DPI or down to 75x75, under properties for the eps printer. Check with the art director and see what they want for that.... to much is a waste, to low looks jaggedy.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 17:50:17 GMT

Thank you so very much. Your instructions were perfect! I have already saved about 12 EPS files in a separate folder. I went to Word and tried to insert a EPS files, but learned this cannot be done. The publisher must insert them into their books a different way. Do you have any knowledge of the process?

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

paullimapa — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 18:34:14 GMT

Glad that you're now able to generate EPS files from AutoCAD.

Now if you followed my instructions on creating the EPS plotter/printer, then the EPS files created from AutoCAD should have no problems being inserted into Word (See attached for examples).

The attached zip file contains a drawing & EPS files created from AutoCAD 2015.

It also contains a Word 2007/2010 document with the EPS files inserted using the following method:

Click Insert> Picture and then select the EPS file

The quality when viewed on the screen may be not as good. But when this EPS embedded file is printed to a postscript printer, the resolution is excellent for publishing.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 20:03:17 GMT

Can EPS files when inserted into Word be manipulated to a different size like the PDF files?

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

paullimapa — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 20:06:21 GMT

After they're inserted into Word, you can click on the EPS file and then click on the grips to stretch the size of the image to be smaller or larger on the page. Open the sample Word file I attached in my previous post & try it...

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Kent1Cooper — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 21:36:54 GMT

@Kent1Cooper wrote:

.... the EXPORT command has an .EPS option ....

I was wondering how that would compare to the "virtual EPS printer" as pli described. It might be the same if you use only black stuff with things like lineweights assigned to everything, but if you use color-based lineweights plotting as black, EXPORT to EPS keeps the on-screen colors -- maybe it's equivalent for things like renderings, though. I didn't try layer-based lineweights to see whether they come through in the EPS result, since we do lineweights with colors [and since I have no conceivable use for EPS files myself].

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 19:11:34 GMT

You are so very wonderful to help me and through a holiday no less!!!!!! I followed your instructions to the letter. Thank you so much. I was able to insert the EPS from CAD drawing into Word. But I have a problem. The drawing is tiny and when I enlarge it to the proper size, the space around it does not allow text! It fills half the page. Can this be cropped or eliminated in the process?

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

paullimapa — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 06:10:13 GMT

Now you are getting into the territory of how to use Microsoft Word. Your publishing company should be able to help you with these layout questions. But the basic steps are you click on the EPS picture in Word, right mouse click and clcik on Format Picture, click on Layout tab, then click on Tight & click OK. Then you can insert a Text box to layout more text around the EPS image. See attahced zip containing an example of this formatted Word doc.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 20:15:35 GMT

I wish I could give you more Kudos!!! You have not only given me a solution but wonderful instruction for this beginner. I have just talked with a publisher. The EPS files are fine even though they have to be cropped and sized in Word!!! You are wonderfully generous and kind to have helped me. Thank you so very much.

Re: How do publishing companies insert CAD drawings?

paullimapa — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 21:18:19 GMT

You are very welcome & glad I could help...cheers!!!