Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
To set up a custom scale, you choose the units you're using in your drawing
(inches or millimeters), and enter a plotted distance in the text box, just below
the Scale drop-down list. Then, in the Units text box below that, enter the num-
ber of units in your drawing that will be represented by the distance you entered
in the text box above. The inches (or millimeters) distance is an actual distance
on the plotted drawing, and the units distance is the distance the plotted units
represent. For ¼ scale (¼ = 1 -0 ), you can enter several combinations:
= Text Box
Units Text Box
autoCaD also has
the ability to plot to
a number of raster
image formats such
as .jpg . If one of
these plotters is
selected, the plot
Scale area of the plot
dialog will use pixels
as the unit type.
¼ inch
1′
1 inch
4′
1 inch
48 inches
Layouts are almost always plotted at a scale of 1:1. Half-size sets are common
in many design offices; these sets can be made by changing the Plot Scale in the
Plot dialog box. I'll come back to these and other scale issues as you prepare a
drawing for printing.
Plot offset and Plot options
Below Plot Area is the Plot Offset (Origin Set to Printable Area) group, which con-
tains two text boxes and a check box. Select the Center The Plot check box to center
the plot on the printed sheet. If this check box isn't selected, by default AutoCAD
places the lower-left corner (or the origin) of the area you have specified to plot at
the lower-left corner (or origin) of the printable area of the current paper size. By
changing the settings in the X and Y text boxes, you can move the drawing horizon-
tally or vertically to fit on the page as you want. When the Center The Plot check
box is selected, the X and Y text boxes are disabled for input but display the offset
distance from the lower-left corner of the sheet that was necessary to center the
drawing.
Just as each drawing has an origin (0,0), each plotter creates an origin for the
plot. Usually it's in the lower-left or upper-left corner, but not always. When the plot
is being made, the printer first locates the origin and starts the print there, mov-
ing laterally from the origin in the opposite direction of the paper feed. If the origin
is in the lower-left corner, the print might come out looking like the top image in
Figure 15.8. If the origin is the upper-left corner, the print will look like the middle
of Figure 15.8.
By using the X and Y settings in the Plot Offset area, you can make one margin
wider for a binding. To center your drawing on the page, select the Center The
Plot check box (see the bottom of Figure 15.8). If layouts are set up and being
used for printing, they determine this setting and the Center The Plot check box
is unavailable.
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