Vectric Customer

I made some drawings of parts in vcarve pro 8.5 and wanted to get them printed to scale. vcarve pro's printing functionality is a joke. But I found a work around that will give me a pdf document that can be printed and it will be 1:1 scale. The procedure is as follows.

1. in VCarve Pro create a new job of 8.5 x 11 inches which is the size of a standard letter-size paper.
2. Draw a rectangle of 8.5 x 11.
3. Now put your vectors within that rectangle.
4. Select all vectors (including the outside rectangle)
5. Export vectors to svg format by going to File->Export->Selected vectors to SVG
6. View the svg file using Microsoft Edge.
7. Goto File->Print Preview. Remove headers, footers and set all margins to 0. And set 100% for the size.
8. Print to pdf (remove shrink to fit).

Now you will have a document in pdf format that is to scale.

It's not really a joke. It was never designed to print to scale and Vectric made that perfectly clear when the functionality was added.

The PDF function was added to allow people to print to scale in V9.

RayHari wrote:I made some drawings of parts in vcarve pro 8.5 and wanted to get them printed to scale. vcarve pro's printing functionality is a joke.

If you think Windows' printing functionality (used by VCarve) is a joke try AutoCAD's---you'll go comatose with laughter.

But I found a work around that will give me a pdf document that can be printed and it will be 1:1 scale. The procedure is as follows.

How about this, I think, simpler one (I use version 8.5 of VCarve):

1. Print as normal using "Adobe PDF" as your output device
2. Under its Properties (see attached image "custom paper size.GIF") find "Adobe PDF Page Size"
3a. Click Add to create a page size that is your material size (I have 96 x 48, 48 x 24, etc. as standard sizes)
3b. If you have an existing custom size that matches your material choose that
4. Print PDF file as per normal

You now have a PDF file sized to your material wtih you artwork at 1:1 scale. (See attached image "PDF properties.GIF")

I'm sure this will also work for older version of Vcarve Pro... I have been using this method since 2011 with my Aspire 3.504 version...

I frequently require a 1:1 printout of vectors which allow me to lay the actual part atop the drawing for fitment and accuracy checks.

1. With the desired Aspire file opened I select the vectors I wish to appear in the printed 1:1 drawing.

2. I select EXPORT and SAVE using the file type .ai (Adobe Illustrator)

3. The exported saved file is then OPEN'ed in Adobe FreeHand (formerly Macromedia Freehand and Aldus Freehand). This is an discontinued application for creating two-dimensional vector graphics oriented primarily to professional illustration, desktop publishing and content creation for the Web. It was replaced by Adobe Illustrator.

***Inkscape might be an available alternative... it's free and open-source vector graphics editor that sounds as if it performs identically... however I have never used Inkscape.

4. Using Freehand (or similar application such as Adobe Illustrator... Inkscape... etc) I am able to change line weights and line colors of the EXPORT'ed vectors. Once satisfied with the results I then EXPORT in a PDF file format. This PDF file can now be printed at 100% which will be 1:1.

It's a cludgy work around but gets you there...

Another way to print to scale (assuming you have Corel Draw and Aspire 9.x ) is:
FILE ->Export... -> PDF.
Then import your PDF file to Corel Draw and Print.

-brian

Print Tiling has been around a long time. It is the solution for printing large files to SCALE.
Example: You have a 3' x 5' drawing but can only print out to 8.5" x 11".
You choose the Tiling option and your printer will print out enough sheets of paper (8.5'x11") to make up the 3' x 5' drawing.
Now, you will tape the sheets together carefully in the correct order.

Its kind of a pain to do but works.

(Maybe this is not what you guys are talking about but thought it prudent to throw it out there.)