How to Fix PDF Plot Showing Hollow Outlined Text, Fat Lines, or Slow Adobe Rendering
Eliminate hollow TrueType text (TEXTFILL = 1), thick blobbed lineweights, and slow 'Flattening' messages in Adobe Acrobat when plotting DWG to PDF.
⚡ Quick Executive Fix
Set TEXTFILL = 1 and FILLMODE = 1 so TrueType fonts plot solid, set PDFSHX = 0 (or EPDFSHX = 0) to stop SHX fonts from generating thousands of sticky-note comments in Adobe Acrobat, and uncheck 'Scale lineweights' on 1:1 layouts.
1. Engineering Root-Cause Diagnosis inside the AC1032 DWG Database
Three PDF plotting defects frequently disrupt engineering submittals: (1) TrueType fonts (`Arial`, `ISOCP`) plot as hollow outlines instead of solid filled glyphs; (2) opening the resulting PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Bluebeam triggers a slow *"Reading untagged document / Flattening comments"* progress bar with yellow comment boxes around every text label; and (3) detail views appear as thick black ink blobs.
2. Step-by-Step Resolution Protocol in AutoCAD & GstarCAD 2027
1. Restore Solid Filled TrueType Fonts (TEXTFILL = 1 & Visual Style = 2D)
Set TEXTFILL = 1 and FILLMODE = 1, then verify that your Layout Viewport's **Shade Plot** property is set to `As Displayed` / `2D Wireframe` (and `HIDEPLOT = No`). Plotting a viewport with `3D Hidden` active forces TrueType fonts to render as hollow wireframe outlines.
2. Disable SHX-to-PDF Comment Boxes (PDFSHX = 0)
Because the ISO 32000 PDF specification lacks a native stick-font primitive for CAD `.shx` fonts, CAD plotters optionally attach a hidden PDF text comment annotation over every single SHX word so it is searchable. Set PDFSHX = 0 (or EPDFSHX = 0) to eliminate thousands of yellow comment boxes in PDF viewers.
3. Fix Thick Blobbed Lineweights on Half-Size A3 Plots
When plotting an A1 sheet scaled down to A3 (`Fit to paper`), check **Scale lineweights** in the Plot dialog so `0.50 mm` pens scale proportionally to `0.35 mm`. Conversely, on `1:1` Paper Space sheets, keep `Plot object lineweights` checked and verify your `.ctb` pen table doesn't assign `2.00 mm` to background layers.
3. Automated AutoLISP Diagnostic & Repair Script (C:CLEANPDFPLOT)
Load the following production AutoLISP routine into GstarCAD 2027 or AutoCAD via APPLOAD (or add it to gcaddoc.lsp) to automate this repair across affected project files:
(defun C:CLEANPDFPLOT ()
(setvar "TEXTFILL" 1)
(setvar "FILLMODE" 1)
(vl-catch-all-apply 'setvar (list "PDFSHX" 0))
(vl-catch-all-apply 'setvar (list "EPDFSHX" 0))
(setvar "LWDISPLAY" 0)
(command "_.REGENALL")
(princ "\n[CLEANPDFPLOT] Enforced TEXTFILL=1, FILLMODE=1, and disabled SHX PDF comment boxes.")
(princ)
)4. Diagnostic System Variables & Edge-Case Matrix
| Failure Symptom / Scenario | Command / SysVar | Production Remediation Rule |
|---|---|---|
| TrueType Arial text prints as hollow outlines | TEXTFILL = 1 & ShadePlot = 2D |
Enable TEXTFILL and ensure viewport Shade Plot is not set to Legacy Hidden. |
| PDF has yellow comment boxes on every text | PDFSHX = 0 / EPDFSHX = 0 |
Stops SHX stick fonts from creating PDF annotation comment overlays. |
| Detail drawings look like thick black blobs | CTB Lineweight / LWSCALE |
Assign 0.09mm–0.18mm pens to hatch/dimension colors in your .ctb table. |
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