Plotmaker master template: what is zzBlack?

[R Muller]

The Plotmaker template comes with three .pmk "things" (I have no idea what to call them) embedded in the various sizes of master layout sheets. They are called zzBlack Pens.pmk, zzGrayPens.pmk, zzNCS Pens.pmk. I can't find any documentation on what these are, but they look useful.

What are they and how does one use them?

[James Murray]

They're for switching the pen settings of individual drawings or the layout book itself.

This is about pen settings in PM. There's a link in there about switching the book pens.

To apply pens to one drawing, option/alt+click (dropper) on one of those PMKs, then Cmd+option/Ctrl+alt+click (syringe) on the drawing you want to change.

[R Muller]

Thank you, James. You have answered my question. After years of avoiding PlotMaker I have decided to learn as much as I can about the new version. So far, I think it's great, even though the tools are frustrating.

Now I have a new question: how does this pen-setting magic work?