PC3 Files are Missing or Unavailable
Updated on: April 25, 2022
Issue
You want to plot your drawing but are unable to select a PC3 file.
Are your CTB files missing from the Plot style table menu? If so, please see our Missing CTB Files article.
Note that this menu may be completely blank, as pictured to the left, or it may be only missing your CTB files.
Cause
If you can't see your PC3 files in the plotter list, the Printer Configuration Search Path in the CAD Options dialog box is most likely assigned to the wrong folder.
Solution
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 Printer Configuration Search Path in the same way.
Check the folder path listed under Printer Configuration Search Path.
If this path is not pointing to the folder where your office stores your PC3 files, click on it to highlight it. Then click Remove.
You'll now point the path to the correct folder:
1. With the Printer Configuration Search Path still highlighted, click Add.
2. Click Browse.
3. Browse to the folder where your office's PC3 files are stored.
4. Click Apply.
You should now see your PC3 files in the plotter menu.
A PC3 file – the short name for "Plotter Configuration Version 3" – contains settings for a particular plotter on your network. When you create a PC3 file, you're configuring that plotter to always print in a specific way. Learn more about PC3 files >