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Question to CAD program users : How do you print your drawing life-size?

IAmTheAntipop

IAmTheAntipop

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Jun 10, 2014
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#1
Ok, I'm not sure if this is the right section to ask this question, but how do you print your drawing life size?
I already tried converting my CAD drawing to a jpg image and then use Rasterbator to print it in different segment so I could assemble it later but it make my drawing waaaay too big, any ideas? Thanks!
 
#2
what is the actual size of the full scale object? it needs to be printed on a large format printer, or plotter. standard width for such plotters is 24" or 36" and many print duplication centers have them. you may need to find out if you must convert to PDF format (no scaling) as many print services do not print native CAD .dwg file format.
 
#4
Really depends. You have to scale it 1:1, that's the first step. Print-wise, just gotta find a place that can print that big. If the place you're printing to can do a certain width, ask if they cut in rolls or on sheets and work with splitting your drawing up to where it will fit.

I have a 24" vinyl plotter and can cut 24" wide and as long as the roll will allow.
Call around. Office Depot will be able to do slightly larger sizes, but you'll wanna call a print shop to see if they can do bigger. They're usually cheaper as well.
Remember to try to put something in there that's to a scale that you can measure. Like literally add a ruler so you can match it up to a physical ruler to make sure it's a true 1:1
 
#7
You either draw it 1 to 1, or when you export it you do it there. What cad program are you using? And what file type do you have it in? I may be able to help you. I'm doing some work right now in Solidworks. Usually when I convert drawings from Solidworks to a .dwg or .dxf there's an option to enable 1:1 output.
 
#9
Ahh. Never even heard of it. When in doubt, google your question. There's usually a lot of help and information for specific questions like this on forums and all over the internet. I searched but didn't find much. I did find that eMachineShop apparently doesn't support tile printing. So maybe that's a limitation it's got. But figure out how to work around it.
If you can only print 8-1/2 X 11, do this.... Draw 4X 8-1/2"X11" rectangles on your drawing, basically splitting it into 4 quadrants. Put some registration marks in there. Just take a triangle and put it random spots. Try to print up each piece and line them up with the registration marks. This is how it works for doing vinyl decals with multiple colors. I don't try to match up the lines of the image I'm cutting, I line up the registration marks and it works each time.
 
#11
DraftSight is a free 2D CAD program, distributed by Solidworks. It has a user interface similar to AutoCAD LT, and it supports direct file printing--no need to convert to jpg or raster, just print to your Windows printer. It even reads DWG files. It's the best CAD freebie I've tried, and I've tried a bunch.

When I need to print exactly to scale, I print something on my printout that is an exact, measurable distance, like a line with tick marks every inch. I measure it after printing a test sheet and if necessary I adjust my print scale factor something like 1.02:1, for example, until I dial it in perfect.
 
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#12
nashvillebill said:
DraftSight is a free 2D CAD program, distributed by Solidworks. It has a user interface similar to AutoCAD LT, and it supports direct file printing--no need to convert to jpg or raster, just print to your Windows printer. It even reads DWG files. It's the best CAD freebie I've tried, and I've tried a bunch.

When I need to print exactly to scale, I print something on my printout that is an exact, measurable distance, like a line with tick marks every inch. I measure it after printing a test sheet and if necessary I adjust my print scale factor something like 1.02:1, for example, until I dial it in perfect.
Click to expand...
DraftSight is awesome, it is actually a port of AutoCAD 2006 or 2008.

The whole post is spot on, great advice. I have access to a large scale printer at work, so I just use that.

lowsound
 

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