Printing AutoCAD Drawings

I work for a printing company. I need to print autocad drawings from autocad on a regular basis, and just looking for any help on this subject....especially as far as picking the right ratio to keep drawings proportional.

If anyone knows any links to some info on this please let me know, as well as if there are any books I could pick up that might help.

Thanks!

Right ratio? Do you mean the right "scale"?

What types of drawings are these?

What sheet sizes would they normally be printed to?

Are the drawings being printed from model space or paper space?

I would think that as a printing firm, that you would receive the Acad drawings already set for printing/plotting at a 1:1 ratio. It is then up to you to determine how to save on printing costs and use less paper etc.

Wm.

Paper sizes are going to come into play at some point. Going from one size to the next larger may not be proportional.

Does sound a bit strange for a printing firm to have AutoCAD, it being an expensive program and all. Do you indeed have full AutoCAD? Or a viewer? or AutoCAD LT? It'll help us help you to get a bit more info.

Unfortunatly, there are as many ways as there are users to setup how the printing is done so it's hard to give one answer that covers it all.

A general advice I would give is to use the DIST command, type DI on the commandline, or go Tools > Inquiry > Distance and use that to measure the drawing. I assume you have a drawing border? most drawings have. By measuring the drawing border you will learn if the drawing is meant to plotted at 1:1 scale (if the measuerments actually correspond to an actual paper size) or if it's meant to be plotted at scale (a bit of calculating involved to figure out the scale then... and you also need to know what paper size it's suppose to be plotted as).

The second step would be to use that information in the Plot dialogue box. In there you have a Plot Scale are where you can either set it to 1:1 (if it is an actual paper size) or to a scale (if it's scaled).

It would help if we knew what info you get with the order. Do you know what paper size it's suppose to be printed as?

full version of autocad 2004

basically it comes in and they just say plot it, doesnt say on what size etc. this one I have right now says

1mm to 1.328 units if i scale to fit...but its my understanding that im supposed to try and get it at 1:1.....so the ratio wont get thrown off.

This is a new position for me, im a graphic designer....the person in the position before me...."learned" autocad on his own, which basically means it takes him forever to print something because he just trys a bunch of diff settings til it works out....but id rather know the correct way to do it.

Well you want to answer any of the other questions before we move on?

The drawings you get are primarily in Metric units?

I used the DIST command,but am not quite sure what to do.....i clicked the tool but then wasnt sure what to do after, ha......i clicked from one corner to the other but nothing happened...how do you use this tool and where will the paper size show up afterwards?

The Distance command should be used in conjunction with OSnaps. OSnaps allow for more precise picks like endpoints, intersections, midpoints, center, etc. With OSnaps running and using the Distance command I would recommend selecting the intersection of the drawing's border at the lower left-hand corner then selecting the intersection of the border in the lower right-hand corner. That should give you a distance of some kind.

I see you are still reluctant to answer some questions. Do we have to really repeat ourselves? The more answers you provide the better we will be able to help you.

The Distance command operates thusly. After invoking it AutoCAD will prompt you (at the command line, bottom of your screen) to Specify first point. AutoCAD now expects you to pick a point. Having done that AutoCAD will prompt you to Specify second point. AutoCAD then returns the distance between the two points you have selected. Here is an example of what you should see at the command prompt:

Command: dist

Specify first point: Specify second point:

Distance = 24.0000, Angle in XY Plane = 0, Angle from XY Plane = 0

Delta X = 24.0000, Delta Y = 0.0000, Delta Z = 0.0000

reluctant wouldnt be the right word...ha...I just dont know how to find the answers to the questions....they dont always specify a paper size to print on, which i also find weird myself, but then im guessing the Distance command would tell me the size and i would just print it the same size.

This is the extent of what the company taught me.....hit ctrl P...fool around with settings until it fits on page right, i know im lost.......

I open the drawings and then dont know what to look for....when asking questions please tell me where to find the answers.....i know thats alot of work but I would appreciate the help.

Thanks

Used Distance command...it asked for first point, i clicked lower left hand corner, asked for second point so i clicked lower right hand corner, then my command box just says Command:

not all the information you said would show up.....do i have to enable anything, OSNAP OTRACK LWT and PAPER are enabled

Now on to Osnaps. From your AutoCAD Help file (get used to using it).

"Object snaps constrain point specification to exact locations, such as a midpoint or an intersection, on existing objects. Using object snaps is a quick way to locate an exact position on an object without having to know the coordinate or draw construction lines."

In AutoCAD 2004 look at the bottom of your screen under the command line. You'll notice a series of buttons labeled Snap, Grid, Ortho, Polar, Osnap, OTrack, LWT and Model. To enable/disable a feature depress the button (watch the command line as it will tell you whether the feature is on or off). Turn on Osnap. To denote the "snaps" you would like to use right-click the Osnap button and select Settings. This should trigger the appearance of the Drafting Settings window Object snap tab. Check off the Osnap modes you wish to use then click on the OK button at the bottom of the window. Now when you use the Distance command and make your selections (as previously mentioned) a square yellow box will appear (with the word Endpoint next to it) or, if you enabled Intersection, then possibly a yellow "X" will appear (with the word Intersection) next to it. To sequence through all the snaps you enabled use your Tab button. Try it.

I would also suggest that you beg, borrow or buy a good after-market AutoCAD 2004 book by Omura, Finkelstein or one of the other noted AutoCAD authors. Due to the age of the software you are using you should be able to buy a good used copy (maybe even a leftover new copy) rather cheaply. Read it.

I have three lines available for display in the command prompt area. How many do you have?

If you miss seeing some of the text press your F2 function key. This will bring up the AutoCAD Text Window onscreen. Read what it says. Hit the F2 key again to close the window.

To repeat:

What types of drawings are these? Architectural, civil, structural, electrical, other?

Are you in model space or in a layout? Look at the area just above the command line. There should be at least two tabs. One says Model while the other says Layout1. There can only be one model space tab but there can be many Layouts. You'll usually know if you are in model space if the drawing you bring up has a black background (that's the default BUT it can be changed by the user). Layouts typically will have a white background as the default BUT they too can have a different color if desired by the user.

In one of your drawings, at the command line, type the word LIMITS then press the Enter key. What information is displayed? If you can't see it all press F2 and read it off the text window as previously mentioned.

You should ALWAYS require the customer to specify the scale they wish to have the drawing plotted at and the paper size they wish to have it plotted on. It should not be your job to guess. When you are wrong you waste your time, the company's paper/toner/ink and they lose money on the job.

Architectural

Layout

Loading AecBase40...

Loading AecUiBase40...

Loading AecProjectBase40...

Loading AecScheduleData40...

Loading AecArchBase40...

Loading AecSchedule40...

Loading AecStructureBase40...

Loading AecAreaCalculationBase40...

Loading AecArchDACHBase40...

Opening an AutoCAD 2004 format file.

Substituting [X-HELV1C.SHX] for [bOLD.SHX].

Regenerating layout.

Regenerating model.

AutoCAD menu utilities loaded.

Command: limits

Reset Paper space limits:

Specify lower left corner or [ON/OFF] :

Specify upper right corner :

Cannot set paper space limits when paper margins

or background are displayed.

Command: limits

Reset Paper space limits:

Specify lower left corner or [ON/OFF] : '_dist >>Specify

first point: >> Specify second point:

Distance = 1156.328, Angle in XY Plane = 0d0'0", Angle from XY Plane = 0d0'0"

Delta X = 1156.328, Delta Y = 0.000, Delta Z = 0.000

Resuming LIMITS command.

Reset Paper space limits:

You are aware that AutoCAD allows the user to select from a predetermined list of plot scales as well as having the ability to denote a custom scale right? I think some of your customers would really like something other than "plot to fit" determining the output as they may wish to be able to scale off the drawing. If it has no "normal" scale when they were expecting one then they will not be happy and neither will you. As for your boss...well, he may rethink his need for you. Get my drift?

the client might not be happy about this, they probably use that font becasue it is there standard and you are now changing it, which will also affect the alignment of the text throughout the dwg

Substituting [X-HELV1C.SHX] for [bOLD.SHX].

Looks like some information is finally forthcoming.

An architectural drawing being plotted from a layout. Generally, plots from layouts are made at a 1:1 scale. Why? Because when the user creates a layout they have already determined the size of the paper they expect to be plotting to. Layouts utilize "viewports". Viewports let us see the objects we have created over in model space. The advice given is always draw everything in model space at full size whether it is a common pin or the QE2. When the user switches to his/her layout and creates the required viewports it is the viewports that have a scale applied to them.

ReMark...thats what im wondering, how do i print it without using custom or plot to fit...or am I just lacking all the information i need from my customer, should i ask them the size to print it....it doesnt seem like thats what the guy in my position was doing....this isnt my "job"...I didnt get hired for autocad, im a graphic designer, admin assistant, ...and the guy who was doing this job couldnt handle it....not because of poor training but because he was disorganized...and getting behind, maybe partially because of a lack of knowledge re autocad.......they just gave me his position last week....and autocad is possibly 10% of what i do....but id like to know what im at! ha

When I deal with a reprographics firm one of the first things I tell them is what size paper I want my drawing printed on. I've had site plans printed on large 24"x36" sheets for use in training exercises with the local fire department. On the other hand I've had the same drawing printed on 11"x17" paper as part of a handout we give to new employees. They need to see the overall picture and not the detail which is just the opposite of what the fire department wants to see. Two different needs and two different sheets sizes. By the way, the large site plans get plotted at a scale of 1"=40' while the small ones are actually plotted "to fit". No one will be scaling anything off the small drawings so scale is of no concern. The fire department likes a large, scaleable drawing because they like to note distances to fire hydrants, between hydrants and foam stations depending on where they stage their equipment relative to a process building in the event of an emergency.