How to Print to Scale, for beginners that have read the directions already

[TuesdayNightCo]

Hello forum! I'm about ready to cry blood here and would appreciate help with this very silly problem.

I have erratic scaling issues that I haven't been able to resolve via tutorials. I am (always) trying to print my landscape drawings at 1/4 scale on Arch D 36"x24" paper.

I draw at full scale (1:1) and my UNITS are set at Architectural.

While in a Layout tab, I follow this protocol:

Click on and delete the viewport.

"A" menu in right corner> Print>Print Setup>[click on the relevant plot name]>Modify>

[THEN]

Paper Size: Arch D

What to Plot: Layout

Scale: 1:1 [I've tried 1/4 and it shrinks or blows things up strangely -- no idea why] so that's 1" = 1 drawing unit

Plot Style and Plot Options are untouched. Orientation is at landscape.

>OK

[THEN]

Type VPORT>[choose Single]>[draw my viewport]>[click on my drawn viewport]>[go to bottom right ribbon]>[select the scale, which is usually a bunch of numbers that show the scale is adjusted to fit]>Scale: 1/4"=1'0".

Okay. Now. Tell me what the hippity-hoppin' hell I'm missing here. How can I be sure my scale is actually correct when I have two different viewports, apparently set for the same scale, are showing me views that are more, or less, zoomed-in than the other? I'm not accidentally scrolling while in the selected viewport, thus resetting my scale, so WHAT is happening and more importantly, WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

My attached drawing has Layout 1 and Layout 3 as my 24x36 printout (or 36x24 printout, not sure what the difference is since they ought to print the same). But they don't look the same and this is a problem I have with ACAD in general. I really need to not make costly mistakes by printing and finding out at the printer that the scale is off (which has happened). I need to KNOW this is right.

[GrantsPirate]

Nothing attached.  In the layout you will print at a 1:1 scale.  The viewports are set to the desired plotting scale.  As long as your layout title block is the correct size (if you are plotting to a 24x36 sheet then the title block will need to be approximately an inch smaller than that due to printer limitations, etc.) then plotting 1:1 will work fine.

[TuesdayNightCo]

Attempt two on attachment.

[TuesdayNightCo]

Hm. So it should work. But just. Sometimes doesn't.

Title blocks! Hah hah I should use those. Maybe it'd help me determine if something is off?

(The paper with the block already printed on them is what I use -- but it is expensive and hard to find.)

[SeeMSixty7 · Accepted solution]

@TuesdayNightCo Scalers tend to trouble a lot of people. I wrote a series of Blog posts for this very subject. It's four parts, but if you read through it should answer all your questions or at least help you understand where the trouble might be that you are having.

Part1

http://www.seemsixty7.com/blog/2017/03/27/cad-basics-101-scale-factor-part-1/

Part2

http://www.seemsixty7.com/blog/2017/03/28/cad-basics-101-scale-factor-part-2/

Part3

http://www.seemsixty7.com/blog/2017/03/29/cad-basics-101-scale-factor-part-3/

Part4

http://www.seemsixty7.com/blog/2017/03/30/cad-basics-101-scales-part-4-paperspace/

Good luck and I hope that helps.

[TuesdayNightCo]

Thank you, I'll do that! I'm desperate to understand what in the Sam Hill I'm doing.

[rushabhthakkar_910]

Good Blogs Sir.... @SeeMSixty7 

[GrantsPirate]

In layout 1 you just need to pan the view to show the same area as layout 3.

You can set named views in MS with the VIEW command and then in a layout using the layout tab you pick the Insert View command from the ribbon and pick the view you want, then you can right click to pick a scale or you can place the view and then set the scale by picking on the edge of the viewport, pick on the drop down arrow in the middle of the viewport and selecting the scale.

[TuesdayNightCo]

Good to know, thank you. The VIEW command is new to me (super-noob) and that's a very useful basic command!

So there's nothing wrong with the way I'm doing it, then! Yay.

[BeKirra]

Hi @TuesdayNightCo

I recall my previous posts when reading your questions.

Please have a look here

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/scale/m-p/5898463/highlight/true#M33...

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/my-text-is-too-small-how-do-i-increse-the-scale/m-p/588...

HTH