Scale printing for cheapskates

onono

I don't have the pro version. I can't afford it.

But, I need to print out a large scale print out. Larger than my dinky printer can manage.

I am hoping that I can do something that can be printed out at Kinko's. I am talking about a 36" x 96" print out at 1"=1" scale. They would like it in PDF. When I try to "save as pdf" it wants to break the thing down into 52 pages.

Aaaigh.

Ecuadorian

Did you try the "PDF Creator"?
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/

It works as any other printer, and from the advanced options you can choose any standard paper size.

linea

Use Doublecad xt, it is free. Set up a scene in su for each part of your work you want to print. Open the SU file in Doublecad, it will have made a paperspace view of each of your scenes (see tabs at bottom of screen). Click on each tab, set the scale on the toolbar on the right of the screen. Print or output to pdf. Easy.

onono

Thanks for the replies.

I can't use the Doublecad because I am on a MAC.

As for the typical scale printing, it limits the paper size to the printer you are using.

Or as far as I can manage it.

Thank you so much for helping though!

jwlyon1

Okay, let's see if this makes sense: You need to set up a custom page size first.

Go File/Page Setup/Paper Size/ Manage Custom Sizes:

Set up all the other things here too, like page orientation (critical!).

Once that dialog comes up, fill it out with your sheet size:

Make sure to give your sheet a logical name (Big Ol' Sheet is probably not a good one... )

Then you'll need to double check that the right sheet size is selected in the Page Setup window, if it is click OK. If not, select it from the pull down list. If it's not on the pulldown list repeat the above step making sure you save it with the right name and all that jazz.
Go to File/ Document Setup. Make sure all these settings are correct now that the page size is right.
Go File/Print (instead of Exporting, printing to pdf will work better for keeping scales and stuff accurate). The printer selected doesn't matter. Instead, use the PDF button on the bottom left, select Safe as PDF.

The downside here, as far as I know, is that it uses default settings to make the pdf. Which, in this case made an almost 300mb file! But it was the 36 x 96 inches so...

With your PDF now saved, you can do whatever you need with it!

I hope that helps! If I'm wrong... well, it worked for me!

Anssi

If your printout is linework and you don't need textures or shadows, checking the "Vector printing" would probably make the PDF file smaller, and the printout neater.

(it is called "use high accuracy HLR" in the PC Print dialog box, for some obscure reason)
Anssi

onono

Thanks yall.

I ended up doing something like that-- creating a page size.

I ran into a different problem though. When I wanted to print preview it, it went wonky. I went back to the file and it was stretched and weird. I closed out and re opened. Anyone else have print preview go buggy on them?

Anssi

@onono said:

Anyone else have print preview go buggy on them?

Someone else complained that their print preview was black. Did you try printing all the same? Was the PDF hunky-dory? It might just be another OpenGL problem.

Anssi