 | ||||||
| Autodesk DWG or DXF | Autodesk DWF | Adobe PDF (PostScript) | Océ LDF | HP PLT (HPGL) | various PLT (Tiff) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print on any printer? | yes | yes | yes | Océ only | device specific | device specific |
| Scale to various page sizes? | not print ready | yes | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Supports merge control for accurate colors? | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Print full and half size from same file? | not print ready | yes | yes | if it contains a VIC; otherwise same as Tiff | yes | no (darkens when reduced) |
| File size small enough to be emailed? | possibly | yes | possibly | yes | no | no |
| Measure electronically before printing? | AutoCAD | Design Review | Adobe software | no | no | no |
| Contains useful metadata to aid printing decisions? | yes | yes | no | no | no | no |
| Contains hyperlinks to navigate from sheet to sheet? | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Electronic review process integrated with AutoCAD? | Design Review | Design Review | Adobe software | no | no | no |
| Text is searchable to locate sheets for printing? | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Supports merge control for accurate printing? | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Supports different scales per viewport? | yes | yes | no | no | manually | manually |
| Optimal for electronic takeoff before printing? | yes | yes | no | no | no | no |
| Contains multiple print sheets in a single file? | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Combines CAD and nonCAD prints into one file? | no | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Contains 3D that can be printed? | yes | yes (from any application) | yes (from some applications) | no | no | no |
| Files are self-contained? | no (XREFs) | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Independent of AutoCAD version? | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Can be used for archiving? | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Protects intellectual property? | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| File format is open and freely available? | no | yes | available under license fee | no | available under license fee | yes |
| Free viewer available? | yes (104 MB) | yes (10 MB) | yes (27 MB) | yes (14 MB) | yes (various) | yes (various) |
| Customer already has viewer? | unlikely | possibly | likely | unlikely | likely (native application) | likely (native application) |
| Can print without special software components? | no (Object Enablers) | yes | yes | no (Océ Repro Desk) | yes | yes |
| Time and overhead for reprographers? | high | Océ = moderate PLP = low KIP = low | moderate | low (Océ only) | smallest | smallest |
| Can be created for free? | no (AutoCAD-based products) | yes - using DWF Writer | no - using Adobe software, but free writers exist | yes (Océ Client Tools) | various (native applications) | various (native applications) |
| Is primarily used for: | plans (engineering collaboration) | design data | specifications (textual documents) | commercial printing | generic printing | generic printing |