AutoCad :: New Plotter Configuration

So we have a new plotter at work, and I am trying to use it with the publish command. However, because all of our old drawings are saved with our old plotter name, choosing the new plotter isn't an option for all of our old dwgs that havent been set up using the new plotter name. Since our dwgs number in the 1000s, going through each one and renaming them would be impracticable.. but having to individually plot each one is pretty impracticable as well..

So I tried to figure out a workaround, by opening up our new template that has the new plotter configuration on it, hoping I would be able to use it to set all the old dwgs that I have open at the time to the new plot setting.. but the printer name comes up as something different when I try to use it for publish, and if I use it, I get an error and nothing prints. I know the settings used in the new template work, I have been able to print it out. So what I'm asking is, is there anyway I can use the new plotter to publish all of our old drawings?