AutoCAD PDF Underlays Plot Fuzzy

Applies to:
All AutoCAD-based Products

Issue:
Plotting with a PDF underlay results in the PDF being either fuzzy or unreadable (pixelated)
View in AutoCAD:
 
Plotted PDF of same area:
 

Causes:
PDF files attached as PDF Underlays in AutoCAD-based products are treated as referenced underlay objects rather than native DWG geometry. When plotting with the built-in PDF plot drivers, PDF underlays typically are processed through the rasterization pipeline, even if the source PDF contains vector content.

Solution:
There are two options to help with that issue:

Option 1:
If maintaining vector output/quality is required, you should convert the PDF content into native AutoCAD entities using the PDFIMPORT command, as native DWG objects can be plotted as vector geometry

Option 2:
If the PDF is a mix of Raster and Vector and PDFIMPORT doesn’t give you the desired results, then you will need to increase the PDF plotter raster DPI to a higher value
 

WARNING: Increasing the DPI of the raster Image Quality can increase the size of the PDF significantly, so go up in steps until you have a usable PDF and something small enough to be useful.

About the Author

Support Team Manager - AEC Team<br><br>An AutoCAD Certified Professional, Ryan is responsible for taking client cases and assisting with issues with the software - everything from regular glitches to software deployments and whatever else goes wrong. He's proficient in AutoCAD-based software, Revit, Navisworks, 3ds Max, customization of software and deployments, LISP and VBA Coding

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