Pen maps differ from Element Selection Criteria and Element Output Action pen table resymbolization in that they operate on individual vectors instead of entire elements. If you are familiar with printer driver configuration (.pltcfg) files' color maps (or .plt files' pen records), this feature can be considered a user interface for color maps, with the data stored in the pen table instead of the .pltcfg file.

Pen maps let you apply multiple output color and width symbology to different parts of the same element. For example, an element with a multi-colored custom line style or an associative hatch linkage definition with a different color, may be assigned unique widths for the specific colors. This is not possible using element-based output actions.

The order of resymbolization is as follows:

• First, any color maps defined in the .pltcfg file are applied.
• Next, any pen maps in the pen table are applied. If desired, you may disable individual pen table pen maps in order to keep the .pltcfg definitions.
• Finally, any RGB-color, grayscale, screening, and/or millimeter-width actions in the pen table's element-based output section are applied.