
In this article, we'll explain how to print your drawing once you've finished it, using the plot command. To print, you can select plot from the file menu, use the Control P shortcut or type plot in the command line. When the plot command is activated, a window will appear where you can configure the print settings.
In the printer/plotter section, select the name that corresponds to the plotting method, for example: DWG to PDF. Then choose the paper size. LusoCAD offers several standard sizes. The plotting area determines which part of the drawing will be printed. You can choose between display, extents, limits, view and window. The window option is the most convenient, as it allows you to choose what appears on the printout by selecting two corners. After choosing window, check the centre of the plotting box to ensure that your drawing is centred on the page.

In the plot scale section, you can change the scale factor of the drawing in relation to a unit, such as millimetres. In this example video, we selected "fit to paper" so that the drawing adapts to the size of the sheet. The plot shading option mainly affects 3D drawings, so we left the default setting for most 2D work. The quality option offers various levels, from draft (the lowest quality) to maximum (the highest quality). You can also include or exclude elements such as background, line thicknesses, transparency and plotting styles.
A very important setting is the orientation of the drawing. If your design is wider, choose landscape. To preview how the printout will look, click on preview to see an accurate image. When you're happy with the preview, select plot to save the file. Once saved, a text report will be available. The final PDF will demonstrate the quality and detail of your work.

Next, let's focus on plotting styles, also called pen assignments. When you open the plot command, you'll notice a plot styles drop-down menu. This menu allows you to select, open or create plot styles. Start by analysing the current plot style and then click on new to create a new one. You can use a PCP file or create one from scratch. For demonstration purposes, let's create one from scratch.
Click on the plot style editor to see all the available colours. You can modify any colour to assign new line thicknesses, line types or fills. In this example, make all the colours the same and adjust the line thickness to highlight the differences between plotting styles. To select all the colours, click on the first one, hold down the Shift key and click on the last one. Change the colour by selecting use object colour and update the line thickness. Save and close to apply the changes. Preview the plot to see the new style in action; the line thickness and red colour are now visible.

To manage plotting styles, open the styles folder by typing Styles Manager in the command line. You can add new PCP files to this folder, making them available in the plot table style settings.