open and edit .plt file

[PaulSinnott1828]

How do I open and edit a plt so that can modify and plot the file ? My software is Autocad Architecture 2009

[pendean]

You don't really: what exactly are you trying to acomplish? Perhaps there is a better solution.l

[MarySeufert]

You can not open and edit directly a PLT file. If you have express tools loaded, try PLT2DWG which will convert Plot files that are in HPGL format.

Edit: I can convert a PLT file to PDF if that would help.

[PaulSinnott1828]

I would l like to be able to preview the plt files before I send them for plotting. I guess it is not possible to edit a plt file ? 

[MarySeufert]

Try a quick search for PLT Viewers, there are a couple of free options out there. I currently have KIP Request which will view/spool them or I can convert them to PDFs, I've also used Oce viewer/spooler products in the past.

[whawco]

If your still out there how do you convert a plt to pdf?

[MarySeufert · Accepted solution]

I personally no longer have the software to do this. 

In the past I used Oce and KIP plotter spooling software to convert PLTs to PDFs.  Do a google search for PLT Viewer and you can find a bunch of different software.

[sharpl]

@pendean, is there any better solution for AutoCAD 2017? I need to be able to maybe bring into AutoCAD or manipulate or at least view. the plttodwg command gives an error message about the NOT PROPER HPGL format.  Thank you!

[pendean · Accepted solution]

PLT is not a defined file format, it is the default name of a plot that is directed to a file: it is so driver dependent it is useless to use these days when you have the entire planet accepting PDF as the defacto shareable file format for just about everything not printed on paper.

Why do you think you still need a PLT file? It's not 1989 anymore.

[sharpl]

plt. is what I have. Another option is a poorly converted dwg that takes days to clean. My Question was HOW and I got the question WHY instead of any valuable input. How so? 🙂

[MarySeufert]

Sorry, but you are out of luck.  The PLT format IS outdated - all you can do is view it or print it, no one is creating new tech around this format.  And yes, if the PLT file is not formatted in a way AutoCAD can interpret, it will not bring it in nicely.  There is no easy button available for this one.  Your better off printing, scanning to PDF and editing it there.

[sharpl]

@MarySeufert, right click is not allowoing me to print to pdf. Do I change the extension? Please advise, thx!

[MarySeufert]

You have to send the PLT to the plotter.  Changing the file type is chaos.  Like I stated above google search for a spooler/viewer.  Kip and Oce are two plotter brands that have had built in spooler programs.

[d_whynot]

Yes, I realize this thread is quite old (as am I), but while reviewing some CDs I had in storage, I came across several folders containing .plt files. Unfortunately, the Express Tools I have for AutoCAD 2026 wouldn’t convert them—it flagged the files as incompatible HPGL format (they're actually HPGL/2).

Since older files often work better with older or specialized tools, I tried ViewCompanion from softwarecompanions.com. The trial version was sufficient for my needs. I was able to open and save the .plt files as PDFs. From there, I could import and convert the PDFs into vector format.

While ViewCompanion does offer a direct .plt to .dxf export option, I found the results to be less than ideal. Converting through PDF provided a cleaner and more reliable outcome.