How to plot to PDF in black and white

[Anonymous]

When I plot to PDF (DWG to PDF.pc3), my PDF is in colour. I want the PDF to be in black and white. I selected, in the 'Plot Style Table Settings' in the 'Plot and Publish' tab, "Use colour dependent plot styles" and "Greyscale.ctb" as my plot style. When I return to my Plot window, I still don't see "Greyscale.ctb" as my option for my plot style table. What am I missing or doing wrong? 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

what you do set in the _PUBLISH dialog is not stored in the layout.

If you want to assign a layout a CTB- or STB-file you'll have to do this by using command _PAGESETUP or _PLOT (and then button "Apply to Layout").

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

I tried doing that through _PAGESETUP and _PLOT but I don't have an option to select "Greyscale.ctb" in my Plot Style Table (pen assignments), which I'm assuming is what I want to select if I want to plot black and white PDF's. 

How do import or save the "greyscale.ctb" file to my plot style so that I can select it for my PDF print? 

So what I see is the problem, is that I don't have any ".ctb" file extensions to choose from in my Plot Style Table (pen assignments). Only the ".stb" file extensions. How do I get the ".ctb" file extensions to show up in my _PLOT or _PAGESETUP windows? 

Hope someone can help me because this is frustrating me as in older drawings of mine done on older versions of AutoCAD, I am able to plot black and white PDF's. So I don't understand why the ".ctb" file extensions are not showing on this drawing. 

Thank you. 

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[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

>> I don't have an option to select "Greyscale.ctb"

>> Only the ".stb" file extensions

That means that your drawings are build for "the other mode". DWG-files can either be "plot-style-dependent" or "color-dependend" mode (can be verified using sysvar CPLOTSTYLE).

You can either switch the mode of your drawings using command _CONVERTPSTYLES (>>>details<<<) or you create a plot-style-table that creates monochrome/grey-scale output.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Thank you Alfred! That worked!! Much appreciated. 

[kenhuse]

I was stuck with a color dependent plot style so I was unable to change it to monochrome.ctb.

So I saved the drawing as different name then went into model space, selected all, then went to properties and selected black for all the colors.

This mostly solved the problem but the blocks were still their original colors so I exploded them individually and changed them to balck. It was the only solution that worked for my situation after having spent at least a couple hours looking through the web. 

[pendean]

@kenhuse Did you try SETBYLAYER command's block-content option to resolve the issue vs exploding and changing the blocks?
Or the dozens of free LISP that pretty much do the same or more without exploding the blocks https://www.google.com/search?q=autocad+lisp+to+change+blocks+colors+without+exploding

HTH

[kenhuse]

I was completely in the dark about those things until you mentioned them.
Thanks! Will give SETBYLAYER a go. Unfortunately, I have Autocad 2012 Lt.
where lisp routines don't work

[pendean]

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@kenhuse wrote:
Unfortunately, I have Autocad 2012 Lt.

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For future reference, LT users are best served in the forum dedicated to that variant over here https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-lt/ct-p/2000

[Rick_SorensenD4PEU]

This solution was exactly what I needed! 👍