Controling scale with PDF
Virtually all drawings I send to customers or even to my boss are done as PDF's. I am hesitant to put a scale on the drawing, because I realize they tend to print them using "Scale to Page" in the PDF printer's dialog box.So, I normally put "Not to Scale" on drawings... even if I did print it to a scale.Anyone have any suggestions about this... can we force a drawing to print to scale from a PDF? (i.e. disable the "fit to page" option?)Joe Dunfee
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I don't think you can, nor can you dictate that say an A1 drawing can't be printed on A3 sheets (which happens often with mine). It's not your fault if people change the size, but it's helpful to know the scale it was drawn at. Otherwise you would never show the scale on a cad drawing. Needs a note saying Do Not Scale.
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Then I think I will just stay with "Not to Scale" on the drawings. The biggest problem is not that people can change the size of the print out, but that they do so without realizing it.In the past, I have sometimes put a ruler in the drawing, so the user can measure the actual scale, or even cut off the ruler and use it like a minature tape measure.Joe Dunfee
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Dimensions shown always override scaled distances, parts of any drawing might be out of scale even printed at the intended size and anyone using a drawing should know that. But where there are no dimensions and no indicated scale, they have no idea how big it's supposed to be whatever size it's printed.I would rather risk the mistakes than leave people floundering for a starting point.Rulers are helpful, but I does anyone refer to them in the rush to get information? I seldom do.I know most of my drawings would not be accepted with NTS in the scale box. If they did I would use 1:75, an ideal scale for many of my jobs though unacceptable for Australian drawing standards.
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In addition to the scale notation in the title block, an architect client of mine has begun using a graphic line scale (ruler?) on the drawing with a notation below "Verify Scale on Print. Reproductions Vary." Covers all the bases and alerts the reader to the potential of a drawing printed at an unintended scale.Jeff T.
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