Both of the following videos deal with paper space, model space, and printing. The only difference is the type of file being used to print. Read the description below see what the differences are.
Method 1 CTB File (older file is Autocad use this method)
Method 2 STB File (Newer Files in AutoCad)
AutoCAD uses to types of drawing areas. One is called model space, which is where you will do the bulk of your drawing. This a limitless space, where you draw things at full size and zoom in and out as needed. If an object you are drawing is 10′ by 15′, you draw it at 10′ by 15′.
The other type of drawing space you will use is called paper space. Paper space is where you select a sheet size to represent the paper size your drawing will print at. You then use a viewport (created with MVIEW) to look into model space. The viewport can be set to a scale so that you can control the scale of your final drawing.
Use MVIEW to create a viewport in paper space (or use the preloaded one when you create a new viewport. Double click inside the viewport to pan and adjust the scale, you can select a pre-loaded scale from the lower right hand corner, and use the lock icon to lock the viewport to a particular scale. You can also draw directly into the model from paper space at this point. Double click outside the viewport to move back to paper space where you can draw things that you want to go specifically on the sheet.
You can switch between model space and various paper space views using the tabs on the lower left corner of the drawing space in AutoCAD. (If these have disappeared, you can type LAYOUTTAB and then type 1 to turn them back on). The + symbol on the tabs allows you to add a new paper space layout.
In paper space, type PLOT to open the layout options where you can select the printer for the layout, (usually AutoCAD PDF (General Documentation) to create a pdf when you print). You can also select the paper size and orientation. Clicking Apply to Layout will update these changes for that paper space.
AutoCad recently switched how they do printing colors. The older method is a CTB file that tells AutoCad how to print each color in the file. Newer files use an STB where you set up different plot styles and then select which plot style you want to use in the layers menu
STB File Method:
To tell AutoCAD how to print the drawing you will set up an stb file. To set up how AutoCAD prints colors, select the arrow in the lower right hand corner of the PLOT window to expand the options. You can select an existing stb file if you have already made one, or you can make a new one. When you make a new one you can select “Start from Scratch”, and give the file a name, Then select “Plot Styles Table Editor…” You can then select Add Style and choose what color the style prints, if it has transparency etc. Give each one a name, and then you can select how each layer in your drawing prints using the LAYERS Menu and selecting the plot style you want in the plot style column. You can also select all of the layers and give them the same plot style, and then make a few players print in gray, or red, or whatever you like.
You may see an older template or drawing with a ctb file instead of an stb file. This was an older system that assigned each color in the drawing a different way to print. Usually all of most of the color were assigned to print in black, with maybe a few set to be grayscale.
Good luck, this is tricky, but gets easier the more often you do it.