Drawing Plot Margins

[john551]

Hey,

I'm using AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009

 

I'm having an issue with plotting a layout for a drawing. The drawing is in a viewport and should be plotting as shown in the attached image in plot preview mode but instead about 1/2" gets cut off from the right side. I have tried plotting to layout 1:1 scale as I normally would and also view extends but with both methods the right side gets cut off a bit. How can what is shown in print preview not be what is plotted? I'm plotting to A3 paper but our office HP laser printer uses 11x17 paper and each time I have to hit a button or two on the printer to recognize that A3 = 11x7, but I don't think that should matter? Let me know if you need any more information. Thanks.

[john551]

I should mentioned if I plot from layout to Adobe the pdf is how it should be with no margins cut off.

[BIGAL]

Ok 11 x 17 is not A3 its 279 x 431.8 A3 is 297 x 420 A4 is 297 x 210 this is a big difference when playing with plotters/printers.

 

Sure the PDF is not doing a fit? Iin which case it will always work but at some unknown scale.

 

Also check the actual size of the paper your using consult the printer handbook and find out what is the actual printer margins then reset your layout plot size to suit allow 1mm extra to ensure the extreme edge lines get plotted.

 

our A1 (841 x 594 sheet size ) are 821 x 566 work every time including A3 1/2 scale

[john551]

The paper size must be the issue. I find it hard though to set my viewport scale to a USA paper size, any tips? My drawing is in metric units and when I choose a paper size like A3 I set my viewport scale easily by zooming into what part of the drawing I want to display (and it might show like 0.00117) and then changing the viewport scale to a typically used one nearest that like 1:1000. But if I choose 11x17 paper size the viewport scale doesn't work so easily because it is in inches.

 

So I need to know how to plot to 11x17 or metric equivalent and set my viewport scale for that. Any advice?

[john551]

Actually I see I can change the 11x17 paper size to display in 1 unit = 1 mm in plot manager so that solves the problem I believe.

[BIGAL]

I think your missing a bit your outside title block is what controls the final plot if you have no title block then the size of the viewport is critical its no good having a viewport bigger than can be actually plot at the chosen scale so check this.

 

You can plot a mm to inch layout just need to know the scale factor 1" = 25.4 mm