Milton R. Fitzgerald, Jr. sends instructions for converting an AutoCAD DWG file into a PDF file.

"In the past this was a problem if you didn’t have a third-party application. Since AutoCAD 2008, the process has been much easier. All you really need to do is to plot your drawings, just like you are going to a printer, except use the correct driver. The following steps will take you through the proper procedure for setting up plotting to PDF."

• Select Plot from the pull-down menu, or click the Plot icon. Under Printer/Plotter, select the DWG to PDF plotter option.
• Change/update other settings including Paper Size, Plot Styles (Pen Colors), Plot Areas, Shaded Viewport options, Drawing Orientation and, if required, Plot Scale. Follow up by checking and modifying settings as necessary under the remaining tabs.
• At the lower left corner, select Preview box. This step is important to ensure your PDF file looks the way you want. If not, modify settings as needed until you are satisfied.
• If your plot preview looks good, press Enter, plot, and you are done.

NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: This process is not unlike printing to PDF in any other application. For some, it helps to think of this process as "plotting to PDF." You can also plot to DWF. The setup is essentially the same, except you select the DWF6 Eplot.pc3 plotter. For step-by-step guidance about DWG-to-PDF conversion in AutoCAD 2010 (including some shortcuts), see Lynn Allen's A PDF Wish Come True! in her "Circles and Lines" column series for Cadalyst.