How to Fix Zigzag or Jagged Lines in AutoCAD PDF Prints (With Examples)

Have you ever zoomed into a PDF exported from AutoCAD and noticed that your clean curved lines turn into awkward zigzags? You’re not alone. This issue is surprisingly common, especially in drawings with dashed lines or arcs. Thankfully, the fix is simple—with the right settings.

Let’s walk through the issue and how to solve it with image references.

The Problem: Jagged Dashed Lines in AutoCAD PDFs

In the image below, you’ll notice that dashed lines in curves appear jagged or broken. This usually happens when using the default DWG To PDF.pc3 plotter with lower-quality settings.

📷 Example of the problem when zoomed in on a printed PDF:

These errors become obvious when zooming in, and can look unprofessional in client-facing documents.

Solution: Use Better Settings and Plotters

1. Switch to a High-Quality PDF Plotter

Instead of using DWG To PDF.pc3, switch to:

AutoCAD PDF (High Quality Print).pc3

This uses higher vector resolution by default and provides better results for curved and dashed lines.

2. Manually Increase Vector and Raster Quality

Go to Plot Window → PDF Options and set:

• Vector Quality: 1200 dpi (or 2400 for large prints)
• Raster Quality: 400 dpi (or 600 for images)
• Merge Control: Choose “Lines Overwrite” for sharper overlap handling

📷 Screenshot of correct settings:

To access this, click “PDF Options…” in your plot settings window:

3. Resize the Viewport for Better Clarity

If your drawing content appears small within a large layout sheet, AutoCAD compresses it—resulting in jagged output even with high DPI.

📷 In the example below, the left side shows jagged results due to a small-scale viewport:

✅ By zooming into the area or increasing the viewport scale, the output improves significantly.

📷 Final improved output with correct settings and larger viewport:

Other Plot Settings to Check

In your Plot settings window:

• ✅ Uncheck “Plot transparency” unless absolutely needed

• ✅ Ensure plot scale is 1:1 if possible

• ✅ Use acad.ctb or an appropriate plot style table

Summary: Get Crisp Lines in AutoCAD PDF Prints

Final Tip

If your linework still looks off, try opening the PDF in a different viewer (like Adobe Acrobat). Some third-party viewers render vectors poorly even if the file is fine.

For more fixes and AutoCAD tips, browse our full Autodesk troubleshooting blog series.