DWG TrueView: Publishing DWF in black and white

A frequently asked question is "How do I publish a black and white DWF file from an AutoCAD drawing (DWG) that is in color. This question normally comes from Autodesk DWG TrueView users who occasionally receive drawings from AutoCAD users. To publish a black and white DWF file from a DWG that has color:

1. The first step is to load the drawing into Autodesk DWG TrueView.
   

2. If the person who supplied the drawing has not already specified that color should be mapped to black and white, use of the PUBLISH command:
   
   
   results in a DWF file with color: Download A-01.dwf (89.1K).

3. Model space is where AutoCAD users work. Layouts show how the work in model space appears on the paper. Think of layouts as a "print preview." AutoCAD drawings have more than one layout, since it may be desirable to print all or parts of a drawing in different ways. To provide the advantages of an electronic plot, DWF files are generally published from the layouts. So to change the settings, the trick is to go to the layout tab and select the Page Setup Manager:
   

4. You select the page setup for the layout and click Modify:
   

5. In the upper right is a "plot style table (pen assignments)" item. You use the pull down to select monochrome ctb. Click the image below to enlarge.
   
   
   After saving your changes, using the PUBLISH command results in a DWF file with black and white: Download A-01-monochrome.dwf (87.7K).
   
   In the early days of AutoCAD, plot styles were always applied by mapping one color, e.g. red, to a particular style, e.g. dashed. This is why the styles can be applied using a ctb (color table) file. Later versions of AutoCAD allowed this type of functionality to be applied directly, independent of color, using a stb (style table). For most Autodesk DWG TrueView situations, the color table method applies.

With a DWF file, a user simply prints. It is possible to print a color DWF file in black and white. This is available in the print dialog. Click the image below to enlarge.

It is possible for a novice DWF user to overlook the "Print in" item in the "Color Setting" section of the print dialog. For this reason, it is sometimes desirable to publish DWF files in black and white. This allows DWF files to look just like the paper in addition to the other capabilities they provide. With Autodesk DWG TrueView, someone with a DWG can make someone else's life a little easier by sending them a black and white DWF.