topic Re: PRINT PREVIEW in AutoCAD Forum

PRINT PREVIEW

orendothan — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 00:50:51 GMT

In version 2021 and 2022 someone decided to change the previous plot command, so it only recalls the settings of the last print after a print was executed. When I work on a drawing I do a previous plot print preview to see what it looks like on a page, sometimes I do it every few minutes to see how things are scaled and proportioned. In 2021 and 2022 version the print previous feature only works if you click ok and print your file. This is so annoying that I do not use AutoCAD 2021 or 2022 because of that. I also jump around a lot from one drawing to the other on different paper sizes and scales, so I have to constantly print sheets in order for print previous to work on each file.

Can someone please tell the autocad programmers that this is a really dumb idea. Can you please revert it back so people using autocad don't have to print a sheet in order to know what it will look like in a print previous. I literally do this a hundred times a day easy.

Did someone find a way around this?

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

Alfred.NESWADBA — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 06:15:27 GMT

Hi,

>> I do a previous plot print preview

Can you please let me know (screenshot, or command called) what the "print previous" command is?

I only know the _PLOT command or _PREVIEW command, but both have nothing to do with "previous".

- alfred -

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

imadHabash — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 08:51:20 GMT

Hi,

Would you please show us your plot dialog ?

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

pendean — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 13:08:09 GMT

@orendothan Nothing changed for plotting between 2021 and 2022 based on your post with no examples, screenshots or how we all can reproduce your issue in detail in both 2021 and 2022 programs.

Try again?

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

nrz13 — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 15:08:49 GMT

This behavior did in fact change starting in 2021. I recall seeing a post for this issue around the time 2021 came out.

Before 2021/2022, in the PLOT dialog, if you hit the "Preview..." button to see what your layout looks like, go to another layout, and select "<Previous plot>" under "Name" in "Page setup", it will remember the preview settings from the other layout. Now, in 2021/2022, you have to actually plot, rather than just preview, to retain the previous preview settings.

I'm torn on this one, because this change has thrown me off as well because AutoCAD let you retain the settings from just the preview for as long as I can remember. However, the function itself says "<Previous plot>". To avoid confusion, ideally AutoCAD would show a third option: "<Previous preview>" in addition to "Import..." and "<Previous plot>".

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

orendothan — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 15:50:14 GMT

That's correct as nrz13 stated above. This is exactly the issue. Not sure why autocad decided to change something that worked so well, and revise it to make it so disfunctional. I seriously still use autocad 2020 because of this issue.

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

Alfred.NESWADBA — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 16:56:24 GMT

Hi,

thank you @nrz13 , never used this in the way you described. Thank you for making it more clear to me what the question was about!

But sorry to be out here..

- alfred -

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

nrz13 — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 17:48:16 GMT

@orendothan
You should report this issue through your Autodesk Account and suggest a solution similar to my post which provides both options to accommodate all users. I will try to do the same when I have time.

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

pendean — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 19:05:04 GMT

@nrz13 Thank you for the detailed explanation: I can repeat your "problem" in 2019 and 2020 versions of AutoCAD here in a quick test in one of my files (preview of an 11x17 layout, previous-plot in an A0 layout).

I found an old laptop with 2017 on it, and I am able to repeat the "problem" there too (preview of an 11x17 layout, previous-plot in an A0 layout).

Let me know if I misunderstood or got it wrong with my testing.

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

nrz13 — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 19:22:23 GMT

@pendean
I'm not sure I'm following your comments because the problem surfaced in version 2021, not 2017/2019/2020. So pre-2021, the language "<Previous plot>" was perhaps misleading, because it was actually "<Previous plot or preview>".

In 2021/2022, the "<Previous plot>" functionality now aligns with the verbiage, but at the expense of removing a feature I expect many users have relied on for years (including myself from time to time).

If I'm following you, though, to observe the difference you would indeed need to test it between two different layout types (such as 11x17 and A0 as you did). In pre-2021, if you did a print preview on an 11x17 layout and then went to your A0 layout, selected "<Previous plot>", it would load all the print settings from the 11x17 layout automatically and allow you to quickly print the A0 sheet to 11x17 with all those settings already configured.

My proposed solution would be to add in the previous functionality in the drop-down menu as it was, but call it "<Previous preview>" and leave the newly-changed "<Previous plot>" behavior as-is.

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

pendean — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 19:49:29 GMT

@nrz13

PREVIEW command in a layout set to Letter size:

then PREVIOUS PLOT in another layout set to AO size:

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

nrz13 — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 20:15:29 GMT

Yes, that looks like the typical behavior up to and through 2020. Obviously, without using "Layout" or "Extents" and "Fit to Paper" you won't see the entire layout of the A0. Now, in 2021/2022, it doesn't transfer over any of the previous layout settings (printer/plotter, paper size, plot area, margins, etc.) from the print preview, only the last plot. This is the behavior you'd expect based on the language of "<Previous plot>", but AutoCAD has worked the other way for years, so it has the potential to mess up some work flows.

That's why I suggested adding in an option on the drop-down menu for the previous way AutoCAD did it (with a new name) while retaining the new method, which jives with the language.

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

orendothan — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 23:29:23 GMT

@nrz13 how do I report the issue on my autodesk account. I see the link that you provided, but where do I report the issue.

Thanks for the response.

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

nrz13 — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 16:57:00 GMT

@orendothan

Looks like they've really made it a lot more complicated than it used to be. After you sign into the account, click on your user profile image in the top-right corner. Select the first option "Account Management". From there, you should see towards the top center of the page a notice that says "No open support cases". Click on that and then the "Post-purchase support" option on the next page. Then you'll be presented with a form. Select AutoCAD and for the text, I just put in "report a bug". Then, finally, it gives you the option to report a problem, which used to be an obvious link directly from the Account Management page. Then fill out your case to report the problem.

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

orendothan — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 17:18:58 GMT

Thanks @nrz13 I opened up a case

Re: PRINT PREVIEW

cheryl.buck — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 20:10:35 GMT

Hi @orendothan,

Thank you for posting, the Product Feedback link can be used to report the issue as well.

If a post answered your question or resolved the issue, please click the Accept Solution button.

Likes are always welcome.

All the best,