Print Preferences Dialog

Used to adjust printing and print engine settings.

You can access this dialog from the following:

Print dialog: Settings > Preferences

Many printing settings that were previously available only through configuration variables are stored in the user preference file and can be set in the Print Preferences dialog. The configuration variables are still honored and those defined override the corresponding preferences. Preferences for which an override is in effect are disabled in the dialog.

System administrators can remove the Preferences menu item from the Settings menu by setting the MS_PLTDLG_DISABLE_PREFERENCES_DIALOG configuration variable.

Setting	Description
Allow paper size editing	If on, the size of the print can be modified in the Print dialog. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_ALLOW_FORM_SIZE_EDIT configuration variable. Note: This setting applies only to Bentley printer drivers.
Show print status dialog	If on, a print status dialog opens when a job is being printed. You can cancel the print job. For rasterized and rendered prints, you also can see the status of the rasterization process. This check box is on by default. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_SHOW_PRINT_STATUS configuration variable.
Hide advanced layout controls	If on, the Rotation field and the Mirror option menu are not displayed in the Print dialog. The orthogonal print Rotation option menu is shown instead. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_SHOW_BASIC_LAYOUT_CONTROLS configuration variable.
Enable auto rotation	If on, the plot rotation is manipulated in order to achieve the best fit. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_ENABLE_AUTO_ROTATE configuration variable. Note: This setting applies only to the HPGL2, HPGLRTL, and PSCRIPT Bentley printer drivers.
Enable auto orientation	If on, the paper orientation is manipulated in order to achieve the best fit. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_ENABLE_AUTO_ORIENT configuration variable. Note: This setting applies only to CALS, JPEG, PDF, PNG, PRINTER, and TIFF Bentley printer drivers.
Enable scale preservation	If on, the current plot scale is preserved when a new view, fence, or paper size is selected. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_ENABLE_PRESERVE_SCALE configuration variable.
Enable scale clipping	If on, the plot fence or sheet size is reduced to accommodate the specified scale factor. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_ENABLE_SCALE_CLIPPING configuration variable.
Auto fit view	Controls the setting for the print area. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_AUTO_FIT_VIEW configuration variable. None — If set to None, the print area is set to View. Fit Master — If set to Fit Master and a fence or sheet is not defined, the print area is set to Fence. Fit All — If set to Fit All and a fence or sheet is not defined, the print area is set to Fence.
Default form scale priority	If on, the default form scale is reapplied whenever the paper size changes. By default, the current print scale is preserved. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_FORM_SCALE_PRIORITY configuration variable.
Maximize on new plot area	If on, the print size is maximized automatically when the print area changes. This includes when a view number is selected or a fence is placed. By default, the current print scale is preserved. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_MAX_ON_NEW_AREA configuration variable.
Honor sheet layout	If off, the Print dialog operates as if no sheet layout information is set. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_SET_LAYOUT_FROM_SHEET configuration variable.
Honor sheet plot style table	By default, any plot style table (CTB or STB file) specified in the sheet definition is automatically attached to the plot. If off, sheet plot style tables are ignored. This is controlled by the MS_PLT_SET_PLOT_STYLE_TABLE_FROM_SHEET configuration variable.
Set units from sheet	If off, the Print dialog's units are not set from the sheet definition. Other sheet attributes, such as form size and scale, are honored. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_SET_UNITS_FROM_SHEET configuration variable.
Use sheet instead of fence	By default, sheet definitions in the model take priority over the active fence. New fences are ignored when the print area is set to Sheet. If off, the active fence takes priority over sheet definitions. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_AREA_PRIORITY configuration variable.
Preview entire page	(Applies only when not in Full sheet mode) If on, the Preview dialog displays the physical paper size, including a rectangle showing the usable area. If off, it displays only the usable area. Note: This setting applies only to Windows printer drivers.
Preview usable area	(Applies only when in Full sheet mode) If on, the usable area is depicted in the Preview dialog. Note: This setting applies only to Windows printer drivers.
Preview accurate rotation	If unchecked, preview always shows the plot as if it had no rotation. This setting is only valid for plot rotations of 90 or 270 degrees and for the following printer drivers: hpgl2.pltcfg, hpglrtl.pltcfg, and pscript.pltcfg. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_SHOW_ACCURATE_PREVIEW_ROTATION configuration variable. Note: This setting applies to Bentley printer drivers only when the print rotation is 90 or 270 degrees.
Thumbnail preview timeout (sec.)	Controls how long the thumbnail preview in the Print dialog paints before stopping to allow the rest of the dialog to refresh. The default is 10 seconds. This is controlled by the MS_PLTDLG_THUMBNAIL_PREVIEW_TIMEOUT configuration variable.