After spending the time to set up a layout tab you may have encountered the frustration of inserting your title block onto the layout tab and it not inserting correctly.
This is because the X,Y coordinates of 0,0 (zero,zero) are not where you want them to be. The frustrating thing is that the default position for a layout tab is in relation to the “Printable area” which is represented by the dashed lines in the layout tab. The printable area is determined by the printer/plotter that is selected. But each printer/plotter has a different printable area, so you can imagine the confusion…
Luckily, there is a simple solution to this. You can specify whether 0,0 = either:
1) Lower-left corner of the printable area
Or
2) Lower-left corner of the actual paper
Here’s how:
- OPTIONS dialog box > Plot and Publish tab > select either 1) “Printable Area” or 2) “Edge of Paper”
After selecting the “Edge of Paper” option, you will need to change one more setting before you see the results that you are looking for. Remember that the setting that you changed in the OPTIONS dialog changes the offset. So where is this offset defined?
The offset is define in the PLOT dialog while plotting and also the “Page Setup manager.”
To open the Page Setup manager, simply right click on a layout tab and select “Page Setup Manager” from the right click menu.
Select the layout tab that you want to shange the settings for and then click “Modify”
Then change the offset values to zero for both the X and Y direction.
AutoCAD Tips 
I tried to change it but its still the same. The margin did not change. :(
The margin doesn’t change when you make the switch from the OPTIONS dialog box. All this does is change where the coordinate of 0,0 (zero, zero) is located
Once you’re in the Options menu and you select the printable area, it’s not doing anything when you press apply. Any suggestions?
I have seen this when I use it as well. When you type 0,0 or @0,0 it doesn’t do anything…
Try using the pound symbol before the 0,0 and see if that works. ex. #0,0
~Greg
I have updated the post to include an important step. That step is to define the offset value to zero
YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!!! Just joined a small office and I’m really determined to help out. We’re only just getting our setup in order so your blog is AMAZING!!!!!!Thanks!
Question:
Here’s how:
OPTIONS dialog box > Plot and Publish tab > select either 1) “Printable Area” or 2) “Edge of Paper”
in the plot and publish tab does the printable area depend on which printer is selected as the active printer? Cause I’ve tried getting the dotted margins evenly spaced along X&Y following all the steps. however the printable area is still not the entire sheet.
Yes – you are correct. The printable margins vary from printer to printer. Some people spend a lot of time fine tuning a custom .pmp file for a specific printer (.pmp = “Plotter Mapping Parameters”) so that it might be a little more centered but this seems like too much work and if someone switches printers then you may have to start all over.
One other trick that seems to help our users since we have so many is to have the users switch their layout colors to all one color so that there isn’t the white over grey, and then have them turn off the shaded outline of the layout and also turn off the printable area outline.
The prints tend to be more consistent.
We then use the “Full Bleed” option of a page setup so that we take up as much space on the page as possible.
~Greg
thanks you! full bleed works!