Draw printing of large plans

users
#1

We have created a floor plan, using LO Draw with a scale of 1/8" = 1'. Now we want to take it to Kinko's (Fed Ex) and have it printed for about $4.00 per page. Problem is they cannot print it. A few questions:

1) What is the standard file format (description and file type) for professional drafting?

2) Does LO Draw support this format?

3) If not, is there a work around?

4) Can I print multiple parts of the drawing onto 8.5" x 11.0" paper, then tape them together for a preliminary draft? (I know I can do the taping part, its the printing that is an issue :slight_smile: )?

5) And , finally, Does the PDF format fit into this issue at all?

tia,

John

#2

How big is the floor plan - if you printed it out on one sheet of paper? 13 by 19 inches? More? Less?

If you want to print it out on multiple sheets of paper, but that option is called "tiling". You have to have a printer that supports that.

If you export the floor plan to a PDF file, then the "printing service" should be able to print it on their machines. PDF is one of the standard formats they use.

To be honest, you should ask the Kinko's people what file formats they can use with the setup. Some companies have a small and very specific specific file formats and other options. BUT, PDF files should be on their list. Sometimes they can use image files, like JPG, but not always.

The next question is how large of a sheet of paper can they print? I have seen places like Staples Office Center print 11 by 17 inch paper, but to get larger, they have to send the "job" out. I would check out the different companies in your area for a service that has a "plotter". That type of printer can print sheets of 3 or 4 foot wide.

So you need to look into what these print services have to offer, and then plan on the paper size based on their limitations. I have tried using the tile printing option and then taping the sheets together. It was not the easiest to do and the time it took to do all of the alignment and taping was enough for me to want to just go ahead and pay for the full size sheet printing at a service.

ALSO, you need to look at the complexity of the drawing. I had a great looking old railroad map. I exported it out to a working PDF file, but when the printing service tried to print it out on a 3 foot wide sheet, the "rendering" process from file to printer data kept failing. There was just something in the file that was "too much" for the service's system to handle.

Now, if you had the money, I would always recommend getting a wide format inkjet printer. Sometimes you can find them on sale. Mine was the last one that the store had and I bought it at half price. My wide format printer is a HP 7000 Officejet printer and can print up to 13 by 19 inch sheets. I tend to keep it loaded with 11 by 17 inch "tabloid" paper, though. Good quality paper at the 13 by 19 inch size could be costly. My photo sheets cost $1.50 per sheet.

#3

Hi John,

John R. Sowden schrieb:

We have created a floor plan, using LO Draw with a scale of 1/8" = 1'.
Now we want to take it to Kinko's (Fed Ex) and have it printed for about
$4.00 per page. Problem is they cannot print it. A few questions:

1) What is the standard file format (description and file type) for
professional drafting?

2) Does LO Draw support this format?

3) If not, is there a work around?

4) Can I print multiple parts of the drawing onto 8.5" x 11.0" paper,
then tape them together for a preliminary draft? (I know I can do the
taping part, its the printing that is an issue :slight_smile: )?

You can use the option "Distribute on multiple sheets of paper" in the second tab of the printing dialog. The printer needs no special setting.

5) And , finally, Does the PDF format fit into this issue at all?

Kind regards
Regina

#4

We have created a floor plan, using LO Draw with a scale of 1/8" =
1'. Now we want to take it to Kinko's (Fed Ex) and have it printed
for about $4.00 per page. Problem is they cannot print it. A few
questions:

<snip>

If you want to print it out on multiple sheets of paper, but that option
is called "tiling". You have to have a printer that supports that.

No, sir, incorrect. I used to do tiling with CAD software years before the average person had access to a full size plotter/printer. The tiling was done by the software.

#5

Hi Guys

I need to correct one error stated here. Tiling of large format pictures/media is the job of the software on the computer, not the printer. The printer will print, to it's maximum paper format, anything that is sent to it correctly in it's printing language. I have a Brother A3 format (Metric 420mm x 297mm) multifunction printer, and use tiling through my software to print A2, A1 and A0 prints (software is a Windows Commercial Photo editing program called Capture One 7). I am under correction, but GIMP for Linux can also tile large images.

It's the option of the software, to work with the printer settings, delivered from the printer software drivers, and then "tile" a large format image, into the size of the paper available. So for example to print an A2 (594mm x 420mm) image, will print four A4 (297mm x 210mm) pages, which you can then cut and stitch together.

To be honest I have never tried this in LO Draw, but I am sure it can be done as long as LO Draw knows how to tile an image. I am metric in my part of the world so you will need to adapt for imperial settings

Regards

Andrew Brown

#6

We have created a floor plan, using LO Draw with a scale of 1/8" = 1'. Now we want to take it to Kinko's (Fed Ex) and have it printed for about $4.00 per page. Problem is they cannot print it. A few questions:

1) What is the standard file format (description and file type) for professional drafting?

The AutoCad file formats should be supported: .dxf and .dwg.

2) Does LO Draw support this format?

Probably not.

3) If not, is there a work around?

You might see if QCad can import your drawing format. I seem to remember that it can output .dwg.

4) Can I print multiple parts of the drawing onto 8.5" x 11.0" paper, then tape them together for a preliminary draft? (I know I can do the taping part, its the printing that is an issue :slight_smile: )?

You mentioned .pdf. If you can get your file into .pdf, you can select pieces of a pdf file to print--at least you can in
AdobeReader. I don't know if any of the freebies can.

5) And , finally, Does the PDF format fit into this issue at all?

See last answer.

tia,

John

--doug

#7

Did some research: QCad wants dxf input. You might want to go thru QCad to check on the drawing and make sure
that the conversion worked properly. (And fix it, if necessary. Next time do the drawing in QCad in the first place.)
Anyway, you can almost surely get a dxf file printed by some custom printing place that has a plotter. You probably
want D-size or E-size output, and you should get at least two copies--one to submit to the permit-issuing entity, and
one for the builder. Be careful of the drawings--they will have been done in ink, most probably, and will smear if wet.
(There is probably an E-size laser printer somewhere, but i don't know.)

A Linux program that converts pdf to dxf is pstoedit. See information on the PCLinuxOS forum, here:

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=89825.0

Here's the skinny on x-size drawings:
A-size is 8½ x 11 inches
B-size is 11 x 17 inches
C-size is 17 x 22 inches
D-size is 22 x 34 inches
E-size is 34 x 44 inches

I imagine you see the pattern, so if you forget the sizes, you can re-create them by following the pattern
up from standard letter-size of 8½ x 11.

--doug

#8

If you want it to be clean.

Find out your final output size from printer type that will be used.

Scale or ratio page size in LibreOffice Draw to match output size.

Manipulate drawing so it looks neat or correct in Draw.

I strongly suggest that you do not try to re-size objects as it will change visual relationship to other objects not re-sized.

Export as PDF.

If all goes well, everything will be bigger, but just as clean as your layout (page).

Hope this helps.

#9

doug wrote:

We have created a floor plan, using LO Draw with a scale of 1/8" = 1'. Now we want to take it to Kinko's (Fed Ex) and have it printed for about $4.00 per page. Problem is they cannot print it. A few questions:

1) What is the standard file format (description and file type) for professional drafting?

The AutoCad file formats should be supported: .dxf and .dwg.

2) Does LO Draw support this format?

Probably not.

3) If not, is there a work around?

You might see if QCad can import your drawing format. I seem to remember that it can output .dwg.

4) Can I print multiple parts of the drawing onto 8.5" x 11.0" paper, then tape them together for a preliminary draft? (I know I can do the taping part, its the printing that is an issue :slight_smile: )?

You mentioned .pdf. If you can get your file into .pdf, you can select pieces of a pdf file to print--at least you can in
AdobeReader. I don't know if any of the freebies can.

5) And , finally, Does the PDF format fit into this issue at all?

See last answer.

tia,

John

--doug

Did some research: QCad wants dxf input. You might want to go thru QCad to check on the drawing and make sure
that the conversion worked properly. (And fix it, if necessary. Next time do the drawing in QCad in the first place.)
Anyway, you can almost surely get a dxf file printed by some custom printing place that has a plotter. You probably
want D-size or E-size output, and you should get at least two copies--one to submit to the permit-issuing entity, and
one for the builder. Be careful of the drawings--they will have been done in ink, most probably, and will smear if wet.
(There is probably an E-size laser printer somewhere, but i don't know.)

A Linux program that converts pdf to dxf is pstoedit. See information on the PCLinuxOS forum, here:

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=89825.0

Here's the skinny on x-size drawings:
A-size is 8½ x 11 inches
B-size is 11 x 17 inches
C-size is 17 x 22 inches
D-size is 22 x 34 inches
E-size is 34 x 44 inches

I imagine you see the pattern, so if you forget the sizes, you can re-create them by following the pattern
up from standard letter-size of 8½ x 11.

--doug

To keep the record straight and with experience in the aerospace industry, those measurements are fine for engineering mechanical drawings (ANSI/ASME Y14.1 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI/ASME_Y14.1 )), but architectural drawing sizes are different. The OP's 24 x 36 is an architectural size.
http://www.engineersedge.com/engineering_drawing_formats/engineering_drawing_format_sizes.shtml

Note that the ANSI sizes do not stop at E. They are currently up to K. I remember using the J size which was the E height by up to 176 inches wide (long), with continuation title blocks spaced down the length (width) every 55 inches or so.
Hope this helps.
Girvin Herr

#10

Well I just opened a large format document in Writer and checked every printer that wasa letter/legal printer and I saw NO option like listed above. I use Ubuntu 64-bit with 4.0.4.

So, it does not work that wayfor my system.

I think one of my Windows drivers has the ability, but it is not in my Ubuntu system.

#11

Well, I have received a lot of support here. Thank you all. It looks like there is a 'to do' in LO Draw to output to at least one of the two AutoCad formats, as this is what most print shops will support. After all concerns are tested and satisfied, I'll drop a note with the results to get the word out.

Again thanks,
John

On 07/24/2013 06:41 AM, John R. Sowden wrote: We have created a floor plan, using LO Draw with a scale of 1/8" = 1'. Now we want to take it to Kinko's (Fed Ex) and have it printed for about $4.00 per page. Problem is they cannot print it. A few questions:

#12

Hi,

Kracked_P_P---webmaster schrieb:

Hi John,

John R. Sowden schrieb:

4) Can I print multiple parts of the drawing onto 8.5" x 11.0" paper,
then tape them together for a preliminary draft? (I know I can do the
taping part, its the printing that is an issue :slight_smile: )?

You can use the option "Distribute on multiple sheets of paper" in the
second tab of the printing dialog. The printer needs no special setting.

5) And , finally, Does the PDF format fit into this issue at all?

Well I just opened a large format document in Writer and checked every
printer that wasa letter/legal printer and I saw NO option like listed
above. I use Ubuntu 64-bit with 4.0.4.

So, it does not work that wayfor my system.

I think one of my Windows drivers has the ability, but it is not in my
Ubuntu system.

It is no option of the printer, but of the LibreOffice printing dialog.

File > Print
Tab "LibreOffice Draw"
Section "Size"
Option "Distribute on multiple sheets of paper"

You can traverse the preview to see, how the large drawing is cut into sheets.

Kind regards
Regina

#13

Folks

You can probably see the screenshot attached in your received email, but I see it is not kept, and stripped when posted back to the users@global..libreoffice.org.

This is the Brother large format printer I own and as you can see from within the software for the Brother (not the printer itself), lower right, you can see the choices I have from within any app I use, whether in Windows 7, or in my case and this screenshot, Ubuntu Raring 13.04, to select multiple pages for a large format image, document and so forth. This is using LO Writer 4.0.4, but as I said I can open Calc, Draw etc. with the same choice of options. Although covered and greyed out while my selection is open, I can also select the page order.

So although Regina used a different set/choice of words, possibly applicable to her make and model of printer, most modern medium to high spec printer software does have a choice somewhere in it's software settings, to do multipage printing.

Regards

Andrew Brown

#14

Ah! you are correct, I've just found it in LO Draw, under Ubuntu Raring too. So I am learning more personally from these emails.

Regards

Andrew Brown

#15

Why is this option not part of the rest of the modules?

I create large documents in Writer all the time.
Not every one will have the wide format printers to use for their Writer docs.

#16

Agreed, I did not find it in the other components of LO, only in Draw. And agreed on the printer. You could post this as a feature add/bug report, to be included in the next release.

Regards

Andrew Brown

#17

I am having another, yet related, problem. The drawing is larger than 8.5" x 11". When I display it on the screen, there is a grayed portrait double line box, which covers the same area that is printed, on the screen. I thought that was the "page pane". Not so, turning it on/off in the View menu has no effect. Looking up 'page pane' in Help sends me to a different help location. I cannot 'edit/change' this grayed box.

Q: How do I make the entire drawing print using the 'fit to printable page' option. I have tried printing to paper and, using 'print to file', creating a pdf. All that is printed is the area inside this grayed box.

tia,
John

#18

Something else. I clicked on Format -> 'Fit object to paper format', then 'letter' in paper format went from blue to gray. After closing the menu, I reclicked on it and the box was unchecked, and the 'letter' option was again blue. No mention of anything strange in Help.

John

#19

I tend Export to PDF our the document [Writer] so I have a full sized PDF file. Then I use the PDF viewer [default veiwer for Linux and FoxPDF for Windows] and then use the "Scaling" options on my printer dialogs.

Page Handling - tab
Page Scaling - "Shrink to Printable Area" option

I take 11x17 inch and larger page PDF files and shrink them down to Letter size that way.

I do this on my Ubuntu 12.04 LTS desktop mostly.
There are similar options for Windows printer dialogs though.

Fit to printable page is not as good as Shrink to printable area, as far as I have tried with my larger documents. I have used the "Shrink" to print out a 2 foot by 6 foot banner for an organization to approve it before it went to the print service to make the large vinyl banner for them.