The AutoCAD Sheet Set Manager is a beautiful thing.  When everything goes right, it works like a dream and increases productivity exponentially.  I think that the complexity that exists within the AutoCAD SSM is either unknown or taken for granted, because as simple a concept that the SSM can be, it is also a beast that must be tamed and respected.

One of the first and most common issues people have had with the Sheet Set Manager and, specifically, publishing, is the system variable PUBLISHCOLLATE.  The PUBLISHCOLLATE system variable was discussed earlier this month in this post, but as a quick review:  PUBLISHCOLLATE controls whether sheets are sent to a plotter individually or as a whole and whether or not plots by others can be sent between yours.  When applicable to plotting PDFs, it controls whether a separate file is created per sheet or a multi-sheet file is written containing the entire set.  Many people have experienced issues with PUBLISHCOLLATE when it is set to “1″. As I said, this is a quick review.  Go to the original post to understand the concepts behind the PUBLISHCOLLATE system variable fully.