How to Print to Scale in AutoCAD Mac?

Understanding How to Print to Scale in AutoCAD for Mac

Printing to scale in AutoCAD for Mac involves ensuring that your drawing elements match the proportions you intend for your printed output. This guide outlines the steps to set up your drawing for printing at the correct scale.

Step 1: Preparing Your Drawing

Begin by ensuring your drawing is complete and all elements that need to be printed are included. Use a consistent unit of measurement throughout your drawing, and if you’re using model space dimensions in meters, convert them to millimeters.

1. Select all elements in your drawing by pressing Command + A.
2. Type scale into the command prompt and hit Enter.
3. When prompted, choose a base point for scaling, then enter the scale factor as necessary (e.g., if scaling to half size, you would enter 0.5).

Step 2: Setting Up the Viewport

To print a drawing to scale, you’ll need to use viewports correctly:

1. Navigate to the Layout tab where your drawing resides.
2. Create a viewport if one does not already exist. To do this, access the Layout tab, select the Viewport tool, and define the area for your drawing.
3. Adjust the size of your viewport according to the paper size you’re planning to print on.

Step 3: Configuring the Print Settings

Now it’s time to set up the plot settings to ensure your output matches your expectations:

1. Click on the Output tab and choose Plot.
2. In the Plot dialog box, select DWG to PDF from the Printer/Plotter drop-down menu.
3. Choose your desired paper size from the Paper Size drop-down menu, ensuring it matches your drawing setup.
4. Under the Plot Scale, specify the scale at which you want to print; for example, setting it to 1:50 would mean that your printed drawing will be 50 times smaller than the actual model size.
5. If needed, adjust other settings such as paper orientation and plot area. It’s advisable to select Window to define the specific area you want to print.

Step 4: Previewing Your Print

Always preview your work before finalizing:

1. Click on Print Preview within the Print dialog.
2. Ensure that the printed area fits the selected paper size and that the dimensions appear correctly in proportion to your intended scale.
3. Make any necessary adjustments before proceeding. This could involve going back to adjust the viewport size or modifying the scale settings.

Step 5: Finalizing the Print

After confirming everything is set correctly:

1. Click OK to print your drawing or save it as a PDF file.
2. If printing directly, select your printer and confirm the print job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What units should I use for my drawing in AutoCAD?
Using millimeters is recommended, especially if your project will be printed on standard ISO paper sizes. This will facilitate easier scale adjustment.

Q2: How can I verify if my scale settings are correct?
You can check your scale settings by using the Scale Monitor tool in the View tab. Move your cursor over the viewport, and the Scale Monitor will display the current scale setting.

Q3: What do I do if the drawing content is cut off during printing?
Make sure that your viewport dimensions do not exceed the paper size and that there are no margins set that could be causing content to get cut off. Additionally, ensure that your drawing is correctly centered within the viewport.