Create .pdf files (old printing)

You can use any standard pdf printer to create .pdf files, such as pdfFactory, Win2PDF, or Adobe Acrobat. You can print several drawings at a time, and use several printer instances.

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu > Settings > Advanced options > Printing.

Before you start creating .pdf files using Adobe Acrobat, ensure that you have Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Distiller installed and configured with the Adobe Postscript Printer Driver set up to print to file. Consult your Adobe documentation for more information.

Also ensure that you have an Adobe postscript printer instance in the Tekla Structures printer catalog.

In Document manager, select the drawings of which you want to create .pdf files.
Right-click the selected drawings and select Print Drawings....
In Print Drawings dialog box, select the pdf printer instances you want to use.

If you select several printer instances, Tekla Structures sends each drawing to the printer instance that is using the smallest paper size on which the drawing will fit. For example, if you have two printer instances selected, one A4 and one A3, Tekla Structures will send A4 drawings to the A4 printer instance and A3 to the A3 printer instance.
If needed, modify the printing settings and add frames and fold marks in the PDF.
Click Print.

Tekla Structures creates the .pdf files and saves them in the folder that you specified when you defined the printer instance. The file will have the name shown in Document manager with the extension ps.

Limitations

Do not use the Print to file option when you create .pdf files.