Continuing with the potential issues that can arise with the AutoCAD Sheet Set Manager, another issue to be considered is it’s use in an office where multiple people may be working on the same project simultaneously.  Opening files to editing works just the same as without the SSM.  If someone has the drawing open, it is locked for editing and others can open it read-only.  While this is great for controlling the content of your drawings, it also poses an issue for plotting.

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 …

I think there is a need for this quick post about publishing before taking a few days away for the holiday weekend.  Before that, though, let me say U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!  I’m just in the Independence Day spirit I guess.
PUBLISHCOLLATE is an important system variable to consider when plotting.  It can affect not only your PLT files and PDF files,  but the order and interleafing of plots coming off the machine.

One of the best, if not most used, aspects of the Sheet Set Manager is publishing sets of drawings.  Sure, AutoCAD already has a Publish feature, but the SSM does more and it does it better.  The key to publishing using the Sheet Set Manager is Page Setups.  Start by opening up your drawing template file or any file that you wish to become your template file for plotting purposes – this could be a copy of your corporate standard template or simply a blank drawing.