llandons

I just recently got Auto Cad 2002 and I am having trouble plotting. I have a normal 11x8.5 paper printer and I want to print out the plane design so that is it the accutal size on the paper. so it will print out a large number of sheets that I have to piece together to get my banner but it will not work any ideas on how I can print out the design in the accual size and piece the pages together? thanks

jacs

Set the scale in the plot dialog to 1:1 and plotting area use window function.

Closterman

I have a 24" printer. I can print to 150 feet long if you want !!
Just e-mail me or visit my website for more info (www.mraerodesign.com)

DanSavage

My Feedback: (5)

I suppose you could do it that way if you have nothing else to do on a weekend.

Or, you could go to Kinko's web site and download their File Prep Tool to generate a full size plan, then take it down to your local Kinko's and have them print it on their large-format laser printer (36" X 150') for $10 or so.

YMMV,

Dan

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

Landon,
Just make a layer plotted with 10.5 X 8 inch squares. Then print each square individually. Or do Kinko's as Dan said.
John

patternwannabee

My Feedback: (1)

LLandons,

I’ve been experimenting with a few ways to plot full size model drawings on my home printer. I have an HP Deskjet which, like yours handles 8.5 x 11 size sheets.

The results using Kinko’s plotters and their File Prep Tool were pretty inaccurate. Over a 36” length the drawing was off by ¼”. But this was not just a scaling error- some inches were larger and some were smaller than an inch. Two identical copies did not match up when placed one on top of another. It’s possible different Kinko’s have different plotters, and you may find an accurate one. If you decide to go this method, I suggest you draw a ruler with 1/16” gradations, include it in your drawing, and bring a tape measure to the store. If there is an unacceptable error and you can demonstrate it, they probably won’t charge you for the plot.

I have an engineering friend who used to have access to wide format plotters at his work. After a lot of hassle, we were finally able to print out a six page plan, but came across some problems. The scale of these pages varied from different print runs (the ruler trick proved very useful). Although the scaling error was small, pages from the first run and the second run could differ by 1/8” which was not acceptable to me.

“Tiling” a drawing is very time consuming, and also pretty inaccurate. More than 2 sheets, and you’ll probably be starting to introduce some major error in your result.

I’ve found the best way to print CAD drawings full size on my Deskjet is to use Continuous Sheet paper available at Office Max or Staples (it comes in a box of 1000 continuous sheets for about $8). It’s like Banner paper, but it’s much cheaper, and it has pinfeed holes and perforations. Determine how many sheets your drawing will take, tear off that many sheets, also tear off the pinfeed holes before inserting in your printer, and use the Banner Paper option in your print dialog box. You may also have to set the print orientation to Landscape. Now I can’t guarantee that Auto Cad will work the same way… I use Delta Cad, but if you care to download the Demo Version, send me a PM and I can walk you through it. This method works great for fuselage Top and Side views. Most planes up to 60 size will fit on a 8.5” wide banner strip. You can separate the Top view from the Side view as you don’t really need them on the same strip. A wing may take 2 or 3 strips, but at least it’s a lot less than matching up 12 or so tiles.

I’ve gone so far as to purchase a roll of Plotter paper, cut it to 8.5” x 80” strips and feed it into the printer this way. I also had to build a paper feed roll which would maintain some pull on the paper being fed in, so that it would track straight. At first, I thought the drawings would be inaccurate in the lengthwise direction (80” is a lot of opportunity to be off), but the results were astonishingly accurate. I can lay two identical strips on top of one another and not notice more than 1/32” error in 70”

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

PATTERNWANNABE

You are going to make a certain Kinko advocate and reader of this forum upset with that type of do-it-yourself, work around language. Interesting solution I must admit, but what driver is used on the printer. Ones I saw by H-P would not enable such to happen. OR,are you using a software driver?

Other situation being, is that if you watch carefully, you can get a plotter for less than a gasoline trip. I have already obtained three plotters off of eBay. They were local, and either no-sale or I was only bidder. They went from no cost, to $1 and to $10. I just drove over to the place and loaded it up in back of pickup truck. Each was 36 inch wide format, and CAD software will usually understand plotter set-up. Plotters now days work just like big printers, 'xecept they take up more space, and seldom work properly with Windows XP.

A whole lot cheaper than putting on clean clothes, and driving to Kinkos, and waiting in line for the 18 year old to locate your transmitted work.


Wm.

MarkD

Another good way to print plans is with a wide carriage dot-pin matrix printer. Keep your eyes out at your local thrift store (i.e. GoodWill, Salvation Army, etc.)- I just found an absolutely mint Panasonic KX-P3626 for $10.00 (new retail is about $500). I have an old Epson LQ-1000 I got from a trash can that works well. The wide carriage printers were meant for heavy duty office/buiseness use and are built like tanks

One hint: The older dot matrix printers will not work with a modern parallel port set for EPP or ECP modes (as most modern computers default to)- you just get garbage. Go into your computer's Setup Menu at power up and set the parallel port to "Normal". If you use a scanner or other device on your paralell port you may have to switch the setting back and forth as needed.

I have found the dot matrix printers to be very accurate and repeatable. My Panasonic prints out .003" short per 12"- so a 6 foot print ends up .018" short.

I am trying to get a roll of white butcher's paper to print on (15" wide x 1000 feet and 40# weight), but fanfold paper from office supply store work well.

MarkD

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

patternwannabee,
When you tile a drawing use snap to intersection to get accurate prints.
John

Couch-pilot

Turbocad, Dynacad, and my fav, Drawingboard LT all tile drawings automatically. Just select # of rows and columns, and paper size.

Or make friends with guys like me - Plot up to 42" x 150 '

starcad

My Feedback: (7)

I think what he is doing is using a different ACad driver to allow for continuous roll feed paper.

As stated, just search out a used plotter like I did. 36" X 48" Calcomp 1043. Sure it obsolete but I couldn't beat the price - FREE. I just picked up 30 pins off ebay for 20 bucks so I be plottn' for a while.

Guy

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

STARCAD:

My 1043GT which I got for free will handle 36" by 64" plots. I often wish I could squeeze yet another two inches in length out of it.

I got a Drawingmaster 800 for $10 and a Drawingmaster 600 for $1. These both will do 36" by 125" plots, but seldom the length is necessary. For reproduction purposes, the blueprint places will either not accept or not guarantee the copy to be accurate or straight. Paper for these is a bit expensive on retail basis, but I got a big load as the result of an auction and am set for a few years now.

I also use a 965 on occasion, as it is so much more adjustable than the later ones, and will plot on unusual sized paper, including oval.

These are all a bit heavy duty, but so...nice instead of arranging to plot out at some agency to which I need to spell out pen parameters etc. They are so much faster than equavalent H-P and are quite quiet, except for the cooling fans.

Wm.

patternwannabee

My Feedback: (1)

Coosbay,

Sorry for the long delay in my response.

As to whether I'm using a software driver or printer driver, I could not tell you (maybe you could tell me how to identify?). All I can say is I'm using an HP Deskjet 895 Cse along with DeltaCad. When I say print, the program asks me which print area to print, when I say OK, the Print Dialog Box appears asking me about print quality, paper size, etc. Here is where I specify Banner Paper instead of Cut Sheet. When I say OK, then my printer makes some extra noises (that's when I know the printer thinks it's banner paper).

The Print dialog box is the same as what I get when printing out Word and Excel documents, so I would think it is the driver that came originally installed on my computer (I have not updated any drivers).

As for picking up a plotter from EBay, I would like to do that. I have browsed EBay a few times last year for plotters, but got very confused. The trouble being I have no idea which plotters would work on my machine (Windows 98) and what other stuff I would need in terms of cables and pens and software. Is there some website I could look at to familiarize myself with old plotters? Also, most of the old plotters I spotted the seller would say "Powers up--lights go on, no other guarantees". Usually is this a good sign?

After spending a few hours looking at Ebay, I finally decided I should be building or flying instead.

Starcad, and MarkD, thanks for your responses. I will keep an eye out for a wide dot-matrix printer. Now I've got something to do if I have to accompany my wife to the Goodwill store.

In the meantime, I'll limit myself to 8 or so inch wide strips.

Couch-pilot

Check your e-mail..

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

Hummm....
I have no such dialog box for banner plots. Its just one sheet at a time generally. I belong to the H-P tech site and will have to dig into their driver archives. They have been into compatibility issues with Windows XP lateley.

Stay with 98. This obsolete OS will operate about 90% of the past and present printers and plotters. I loaded up a copy of System Commander better than a year ago, and it permits use of different separate operating systems which don't interfer with one another. You can then load up a newer OS or an older one, depending upon your what equipment and software there is a need to run. Do your drawings in one OS, then switch over to another for plotting.

Don't buy from anyone describing the plotter as you have mentioned. It just means they flipped on the switch. Go to the plotter discussion at Lorand.net and you can download most any plotter driver for the five leading manufacturers. Then load the CAD software and the driver onto a laptop. Then drive over to whoever was offering the plotter. Most these guys noted on eBay have language stated or will permit you to run a test plot at their location before taking home. Take a serial or parallel cable, a large sheet of paper for plotting and your laptop configured to go. H-P plotters take a different style of cable than others, as they twist some connector wires. Many plotters have a P.O.S.T. routine, or an interior plot check routine. The fellows at Lorand will tell you how to initiate one of these routines also. If you have no laptop, you may be able to convinvce the seller to initiate the self check and give you results. On some page feed plotters this means the seller must have one sheet of the proper sized paper. Most pawn shops don't have a 36 by 48 handy. This is important as many plotters have optical edge sensors, and unless you load paper for the test plot, an error message will come up.

Once you have a plotter running at home, you get away from just making lines and convert into making plans. A whole different world of detail drawings, tabulated instructions, line weights, line types, custom title blocks and your own logo on every sheet.


Wm.