CTB Files are Missing or Unavailable
Updated on: April 25, 2022
Issue
Your CTB plot styles (for example, LFX.ctb) are missing or unavailable, and you can't see them in the Plot Style Table pull-down menu in the Page Setup dialog box.
You might see one or more STB files in the Plot Style Table menu, as pictured to the right.
Missing PC3 Files
Are your PC3 files missing from the Printer/plotter menu? If so, please see our Missing PC3 Files article.
Causes
This issue has different causes, depending on what you see (or don't see) in the Plot Style Table menu.
Potential Cause #1:
If you see STB files in the menu, it means your CTB files have either been deleted or converted to STB files.
Potential Cause #2:
If the menu is completely blank, the the Printer Configuration Search Path in the CAD Options dialog box is most likely assigned to the wrong folder.
Solutions
Solution #1: Converting STB Files to CTB Files
If you see STB files in the Plot style table menu, you'll need to convert these STB plot files (also known as named plot files) to CTB, or color-dependent, plot styles.
It might sound complex, but this is actually a quick and simple process.
First, type CONVERTPSTYLES in the Command line and press Enter.
You'll see a message that the command will convert a Named plot style drawing to use Color Dependent plot styles.
Click OK to convert the STB plot styles to CTB styles.
You should now be able to select your CTB style from the Plot Style Table pull-down menu in the Page Setup dialog box.
Verifying the Conversion
To verify that the conversion was successful, return to the Page Setup dialog box and expand the Plot Style Table pull-down menu.
If you've closed the dialog box, open the Page Setup Manager:
Output ribbon, Page Setup Manager button
type PageSetup in the Command line
File menu, Page Setup Manager option
In the Page Setup Manager, click Modify.
The Page Setup dialog box will open. Expand the Plot style table pull-down menu.
The menu should now contain your CTB plot styles (files ending in .ctb).
You can now select the CTB plot style you want to use when you plot.
Solution #2: Point the Printer Configuration Search Path to the Correct Folder
Open the Options dialog box:
Manage ribbon, Options button
type Options in the Command line
right-click in the Command line and selecting Options from the menu
Tools pull-down menu
You may receive a message that the Printer Style Table Search Path is invalid. You'll be correcting that issue with the following steps, so you can close the message.
In the Options dialog box, select the Files tab.
Expand the Printer Support File Path by clicking the plus (+) sign to the left.
Expand the Plot Style Table Search Path in the same way.
Check the folder path listed under Plot Style Table Search Path.
If this path is not pointing to the folder where your office stores your CTB files, click on it to highlight it. Then click Remove.
You'll now point the path to the correct folder:
1. With the Plot Style Table Search Path still highlighted, click Add.
2. Click Browse.
3. Browse to the folder where your office's CTB files are stored.
4. Click Apply.
You should now see your CTB files in the plotter menu.
More on CTB Plot Styles
CTB, or color-dependent, plot styles are settings for how the 256 available colors in AutoCAD will appear when you plot them, including the lineweight assigned to each color. Each CTB style is stored in a separate file in your Land F/X / Admin folder. When you use CTB styles, you are essentially adapting some or all of the colors 0 through 255 to meet your office standards for plotting. You can use Color Plot Styles to plot in black and white or color.
For more information, see our About CTB Plot Styles page.