Use a Raster Image for a Company Logo in a Drawing

Company logos can often custom fonts, contain a complex layout, and might not translate well to standard AutoCAD gemoetry. Chances are your company already has an image file they use for their company letterhead, so why not use the same resource for your drawings as well.

The Reference Manager (EXTERNALREFERENCES command) allows you to attach an image file such as a JPEG or PNG to a drawing file. To attach an image file, do the following:

1. On the application menu bar, click Insert menu > Raster Image Reference.
2. In the Select Reference File dialog box, All Image Files should be selected in the File Format pop-up menu.
3. Browse to and select the image file you want to attach.
   Files greyed out cannot be attached to the drawing as a raster image.
4. Click Open.
5. In the Attach Image dialog box, specify the insertion point, scale, and rotation for the image being attached.
   Select Specify on-screen if you want to specify the values interactively in the drawing window.
6. Optionally, change the path type for the image being attached.
   I recommend using Relative Path or No Path if you are going to be sharing files with other users of AutoCAD.
7. Click OK and specify the values that you are prompted for in the drawing window.

Additional notes of interest:

• Consider using a greyscale image for your company logo. Most plotting and printting is done in black and white anyways, so there is no advantage of using a color logo for your drawings.
• Set the RTDISPLAY system variable to 1 improve the performance of the PAN and ZOOM commands when raster images are attached to your drawing.
• Use the IMAGECLIP command to control which part of the image you want to have visible in your drawing.