Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed most
of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large format
printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

"Frank Drackman" wrote in message
. ..
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Kinkos wouldn't be a bad bet. Just up the street from my house is a place
that does a lot of blueprint services, among other things. They also print
drawings from a number of formats. They can even print on vellum or mylar
if that would be helpful. You might also try looking for a place like that.

todd

In article ,
todd wrote:
"Frank Drackman" wrote in message
...
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Kinkos wouldn't be a bad bet. Just up the street from my house is a place
that does a lot of blueprint services, among other things. They also print
drawings from a number of formats. They can even print on vellum or mylar
if that would be helpful. You might also try looking for a place like that.

the generic name for such shops, and the yellow pages directory heading,
is "reprographics shops".

Note: the _easy_ way to get big output is to get a PostScript printer, output
full-size postscript from the CAD, package and send that througha 'posterizer'
routine that will tile as many 8-1/2 x 11 sheets as needed to make the full
drawing.

Using an old dot matrix printer and fan-fold paper, I can make full size
patterns of portions of a CAD drawings. Suits my purposes

Gary

"Frank Drackman" wrote in message
. ..
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

On Sep 28, 8:19 pm, "Frank Drackman" wrote:
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed most
of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large format
printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

I recently bought a HP 9800. Had a buddy cut me a stack of 13 x 19
vellum paper (From 28 x 20).
That makes for a SuperB size print. Plenty big enough for shop use and
making notations.
I paid under $ 300.00 (Can$) for the printer. (It also does nice
posters.)

Anything, .dxf or .dwg I get from architects is all on CD or via e-
Mail and revisions are also handled that way.
The odd time I need a bigger drawing, most blue-print houses can
handle .dxf and .dwg.

How big do you need to go?

r

I print out all the individual sheets and then tape them together. It
isn't perfect but works. As well, you can then take the taped up sheets
into a blueprint shop and they can run you a full size.
Just another option.
Cheers,
cc

"Frank Drackman" wrote in message
. ..
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most
of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

They yellow pages. Almost any print shop should be able to print it out.
Some times a little neighborhood shop is cheaper than a name store.

"Frank Drackman" wrote in message
. ..
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Blueprint places can usually do large sheet copying.

Max

I use an HP 36" plotter. Acquired from a company I worked for that went
bankrupt, and had me get rid of millions of dollars of equipment by
throwing it in a dumpster. Don's ask who they were, but a very reputable
company.

I was able to save 2 items, a large format 24" color laser printer and the
36" plotter. Both came with enough supplies to last me 3 years!

I print full size plans only when model making as I can glue the drawing
onto the wood and cut to the lines, it works really well with cog wheels and
smaller parts.

Jon
"Frank Drackman" wrote in message
. ..
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Sat, Sep 29, 2007, 3:04pm (EDT-1) (Jon) doth
sayeth:
snip I print full size plans only when model making as I can glue the
drawing onto the wood and cut to the lines, it works really well with
cog wheels and smaller parts.

Been awhile since I've done it, so almost forgot. At times I make
things with full size patterns glued on to the wood. The way I do it is
print the pattern in sections, usually 3 to 5 sheets, depending on the
project, on a standard Xero× machine. Trim them down, carefully align
them, glue down. Some are going on 4 foot long. For what I do, works
very well indeed - and have to travel no further than the nearest copy
machine. I'd tell you all the fine details, but I don't want to.



JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan

J T wrote:
Sat, Sep 29, 2007, 3:04pm (EDT-1) (Jon) doth
sayeth:
snip I print full size plans only when model making as I can glue the
drawing onto the wood and cut to the lines, it works really well with
cog wheels and smaller parts.

Been awhile since I've done it, so almost forgot. At times I make
things with full size patterns glued on to the wood. The way I do it is
print the pattern in sections, usually 3 to 5 sheets, depending on the
project, on a standard Xero× machine. Trim them down, carefully align
them, glue down. Some are going on 4 foot long. For what I do, works
very well indeed - and have to travel no further than the nearest copy
machine. I'd tell you all the fine details, but I don't want to.



JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan

The simple CAD program I have had around for years (AutoSketch) will
print a large drawing tiled across as many standard sheets of paper you
want. It will print registration marks to make the alignment easy to
do. I have used this method occasionally to make patterns for the
bandsaw. Usually I find a 1 to 1 print to be accurate enough for most
of my uses. However the scale is totally adjustable in both x and y so
it would be simplt to make a test print, measure and correct scale.
John

Sun, Sep 30, 2007, 12:51am (EDT+4)
(John*Siegel) doth sayeth:
The simple CAD program I have had around for years (AutoSketch) will
print a large drawing tiled across as many standard sheets of paper you
want. It will print registration marks to make the alignment easy to do.
I have used this method occasionally to make patterns for the bandsaw.
Usually I find a 1 to 1 print to be accurate enough for most of my uses.
However the scale is totally adjustable in both x and y so it would be
simplt to make a test print, measure and correct scale. John

I don't have a CAD program, I don't need one for income, so just
another expensive toy I don't need. Instead I use a Xerox to "scale" my
pattern up or down. I take a ruler, and have an idea of what % up or
down to go. Start there, measure, go up or down as needed, remeasure.
Usually right on within about 4 copies, so make all copies I want. AND
write down the setting on the master, so I don't have to do it again
next time. Inexpensive, works.



JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."

Frank Drackman wrote:
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have
developed most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but
don't have a large format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have
to offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Kinko's can do it. You take 'em a diskette, they print the sucker.

One word------Kinkos !!
"Frank Drackman" wrote in message
. ..
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed
most of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large
format printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

On Sep 28, 8:19 pm, "Frank Drackman" wrote:
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed most
of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large format
printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Kinko's is fine. They have a printer plug in that converts your file
to Kinko's version of a PDF and sends your file to whatever Kinko's
you want for printing. If you don't print all that much it's a good
way to go.

R

On Sep 28, 8:19 pm, "Frank Drackman" wrote:
Does anyone print full size drawings of their plans? I have developed most
of my recent final drawings with CAD programs but don't have a large format
printer.

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Local colleges with architecture departments probably still use
pen plotters capable of D sized sheets or larger.

That said, I stopped using AutoCAD years ago. Butcher paper
and #2 pencil inspire creativity better and will never go
obsolete.

Sun, Sep 30, 2007, 11:17am (EDT-3) (Ferd*Farkel)
doth sayeth:
snip Butcher paper and #2 pencil inspire creativity better and will
never go obsolete.

Totally agree. Except I seldom use butcher paper. And I use the
inexpensive plastic Pentel type mechanical pencils - about 10-12 for
just a buck or two. Paper and pencil do seem to make the mind more
creative somehow.



JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."

J T wrote:
Sun, Sep 30, 2007, 11:17am (EDT-3) (Ferd Farkel)
doth sayeth:
snip Butcher paper and #2 pencil inspire creativity better and
will
never go obsolete.

Totally agree. Except I seldom use butcher paper. And I use
the
inexpensive plastic Pentel type mechanical pencils - about 10-12 for
just a buck or two. Paper and pencil do seem to make the mind more
creative somehow.

Yeah, the mechanics of the software get in the way unless you've been
using it so long that it's transparent to you.

Now if you want to see something really cool try Corel Painter with
Wacom Cintiq. But you can buy a lot of paper and pencils for the
price of that setup.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Sep 30, 3:41 pm, (J T) wrote:
Sun, Sep 30, 2007, 11:17am (EDT-3) (Ferd Farkel)
doth sayeth:
snip Butcher paper and #2 pencil inspire creativity better and will
never go obsolete.

Totally agree. Except I seldom use butcher paper. And I use the
inexpensive plastic Pentel type mechanical pencils - about 10-12 for
just a buck or two. Paper and pencil do seem to make the mind more
creative somehow.

Easier to convey a sense of space and weight with a pencil than
a monitor. CAD is unbeatable for precision, but precision is
unnecessary (and a drag) for design work.


JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."

I was thinking on visiting the nearest Kinko's to see what they have to
offer for large printers.

Are there other places I should look?

Kinko's, Office Depot, some Staples are all places you can go but you
will be paying almost twice as much as a blueprinter that architects,
engineers & contractors go to. I am not saying to get blueprints since
nobody in the construction industry uses them anymore, except maybe an
old architect. You can also save your drawing in .pdf and .plt formats
as well as .dxf and .dwg.

As for using a printer to "scale" your drawing, not a good idea. most
all printers will not scale it accurately. Just try it and measure the
output yourself. At least Autocad can scale 1:1, 1:2 or any other
scale whether it is architectural or engineering. I am sure you know
this but when we have to scale any engineering drawings we do it X12.
But when the engineer gets them back they can't seem to figure out how
to turn them back (1/12)

Pen Plotters: Ha!! If you do have access to one of these dinosaurs
keep in mind it could take and hour or more to plot out your drawing,
depending on how many layers you have versus the new plotters they
have now, which any blueprinter should have which may take 2 minutes
to plot.

As previously mentioned, check out the yellow pages, call the
blueprinter, find out if you can email your drawing to them and it
will be printed out before you arrive or you can put it on a disc in
any of the formats mentioned above and wait maybe 5 minutes.

The only time I knew of someone going to Kinkos for a copy (8.5x11 or
drawing size) is because it is late and the blueprinter has already
closed for the night and they absolutely positively have to get their
copies tonight.

Hope this helps.

Dave FL

Mon, Oct 1, 2007, 4:39am (EDT-3) (Dave) doth sayeth:
snip As for using a printer to "scale" your drawing, not a good idea.
most all printers will not scale it accurately. snip

That just struck my eye. I've got a lot of books on building
things, steam engines, internal combustion engines, boats, etc., with
plans in them. These are books from around 1900 to the present. One of
the most recent acquisitions, Model Marine Steam, has plans for a
two-cylinder, double-acting, oscillating steam engine, meant to run in a
model boat. The plans take up a whole two pages. LOL Kinda funny how
something you'd usually think of as quite complicated would only have a
two page plan, and some wood projects take up a whole book to tell you
how to make them. But, I digress. NONE of the plans in these books are
to scale (how could they be?, the largest books are about 8" X 10 1/2")
and the later books anyway, often clearly state on the plan pages, NOT
TO SCALE.



JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."

"Dave" wrote in message

First off ... excellent, nice to know info on the other methods, BTW.

Thanks!

As for using a printer to "scale" your drawing, not a good idea.
most all printers will not scale it accurately.

That is surely true ... but, for most old country boys there's usually more
than one way to skin a particular cat.

So, just in case someone hasn't figured it out:

I've used a CAD program (AutoSketch and its predecessor), along with a
series of cheap ink jet printers down through the years, to print, to scale,
small parts (less than 14" or so) for use as templates, with accurate
results.

As an example, below is a photo of the legal size printout (on a rather
cheap HP 5510 printer) of the curved chair rail template that I used to make
a batch of 7 identical chairs, with a ruler laying on top as "the judge".

http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/12.5template.JPG

(It's a cheap digital camera, so if you zoom in, be careful that the
distortion/parallax of the camera lens on the "0" ruler edge and "12.5"
marks doesn't fool you ... take a look at the 6 1/4" mark on the ruler
instead, to get a better idea of the accuracy)

At least Autocad can scale 1:1, 1:2 or any other scale
whether it is architectural or engineering.

Bingo! ... On one printer I no longer use, I had to use a scale of 1" :
..995" in the CAD program, arrived at by trial and error, to get a "scale"
drawing to print out accurately on legal size paper. (I should have
mentioned that fact in the original post).

On the HP5510 I now use as a shop printer, a 1":1" scale has worked fine ...
thus far.

IOW, if you're determined and have no other tools at hand, you can get
excellent results ... AAMOF, I don't think I can cut to the approximately
1/128" error that showed on that particular ruler in the photo, in any
event.

On my "project tape measure", you could not see/measure any error on the
parts cut.

But you're right, you can't just take it for granted, you must measure to
make sure it suits your purpose.

A caveat: I always use legal size paper when doing this, and if you change
paper size I suspect you better double check/adjust the scale again.

I mention the above, because when the need arises to cut out identical small
parts as accurately as possible, this is a good step/method to know, at
least its worked for me.

Now, not only do we need to use the same tape measure throughout a project,
we need to calibrate it, our CAD programs, AND our printers.

as always YMMV ...

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/30/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Oct 1, 6:33 pm, "Swingman" wrote:
snip As an example, below is a photo of the legal size printout (on
a rather
cheap HP 5510 printer) of the curved chair rail template that I used to make
a batch of 7 identical chairs, with a ruler laying on top as "the judge". snip

There you go trying to prove me wrong. When printing directly from the
cad program it should come out to scale if you set it properly. If you
take an 11x17 (or other size) and try to scale it down using just a
copier is when we start screwing up the scale.

snip
Now, not only do we need to use the same tape measure throughout a project,
we need to calibrate it, our CAD programs, AND our printers. snip

OK, I have tried but still am unable to calibrate my tape measure.

I totally agree that we need to use the same tape measure, no matter
if it is a small job or taking as built dimensions of a building.

Dave

"Dave" wrote:
snip As an example, below is a photo of the legal size printout (on
a rather
cheap HP 5510 printer) of the curved chair rail template that I used to
make
a batch of 7 identical chairs, with a ruler laying on top as "the
judge". snip

There you go trying to prove me wrong.

Nope ... went to pains to NOT do that ... a shame you took it that way.

When printing directly from the
cad program it should come out to scale if you set it properly.

LOL, I would have sworn that was EXACTLY my point ... oh well, never mind,
I'm sure someone will find the information useful at some point in their
woodworking.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/30/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Oct 2, 11:19 am, "Swingman" wrote:

There you go trying to prove me wrong.

Nope ... went to pains to NOT do that ... a shame you took it that way.

I didn't take it that way, Sorry if it came out like that.

LOL, I would have sworn that was EXACTLY my point ... oh well, never mind,
I'm sure someone will find the information useful at some point in their
woodworking.

I agree totally but,
I am still trying to figure out how too calibrate my tape measure, LOL

Dave