Print Window at specified corners

[MikeKovacik4928]

Hi

I would like to be able to print to specified/chosen corners of a selected window

like you can do in autocad.

In my 7 years of using Inventor, I have always at some time needed to do that,

but have never been able to.

Inventor only prints the window showing on the screen.

see attachment  01 for inventor print dialogue box

see attachment 02 for autocad print dialogue box

Is there a way of doing it, or does Inventor not have that capability

Michael Kovacik
AutoCAD 2d & 3d & Inventor Manufacturing Draughtsman
Autodesk Product Design Suite Ultimate 2017
Johannesburg, South Africa

[cbenner]

Inventor does not currently print that way, but you could post your idea here, and then post back in this forum asking for votes on your suggestion.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-ideas/idb-p/v1232/tab/most-recent

[mcgyvr]

---

@MikeKovacik4928 wrote:

Hi

I would like to be able to print to specified/chosen corners of a selected window

like you can do in autocad.

---

It makes 100% sense for Autocad to have that functionality as you can put multiple drawing sheets all over in model space,etc.. if you wanted..

But there isn't really a big need to do that in Inventor..

If you describe exactly why/how,etc.. you think you need this there might be another way to accomplish what you want..

[hosford]

Michael

In the print drawing dialog window, select "Current window"

[mcgyvr]

@hosford See image 1 posted by the the thread starter..

[hosford]

mcgyvr

I thank you for your catch on my oversight.

Given that the thread starter defined the answer in their thread, I wonder why the question was asked?

Just in case, instead of defining a window using two points, use the display window to show what you want printed.

[mcgyvr]

---

@hosford wrote:

mcgyvr

I thank you for your catch on my oversight.

Given that the thread starter defined the answer in their thread, I wonder why the question was asked?

Just in case, instead of defining a window using two points, use the display window to show what you want printed.

---

The only difference (which you are aware of I'm sure) is that Autocad allows you to be more precise by actually snapping to end points/intersections,etc.. to accurately define the print area..

They may have a special case where that level of accuracy is needed.. Hard to imagine why though..

[karthur1]

---

@hosford wrote:

mcgyvr

I thank you for your catch on my oversight.

Given that the thread starter defined the answer in their thread, I wonder why the question was asked?

Just in case, instead of defining a window using two points, use the display window to show what you want printed.

---

Even when you print in Inventor using the "Current Window", you will not get what you want. It will not print exactly what is on the screen.  

Here is my post on the IdeaStation about this.  It would be great if there was a way to select the "Window" or even a "Display" option in Inventor like Acad.

Kirk

[MikeKovacik4928]

okay everybody

let me explain myself

1. Like you have all said, in Inventor you can't print a specific window which you pick yourself accurately

    by selecting the 2 opposite corners, like you can in AutoCAD.

2. The way Inventor works with its idw , is indeed quite different from the way AutoCAD works

    with its paperspace, viewports and modelspace, and indeed it is much more rare

    to need that particular print window function in Inventor than in autocad

3. I do have a very  specific use for it!

    I work side by side in inventor (3d models and detailing for manufacture) and AutoCAD (2d layouts of large areas of formwork

    & supportwork).

    I have had occasions where I have not been able to print to A1 for various reasons (at home I only have A3 printing facilities

    and at work the last 2 days our A0/A1 printer has been out of action leaving only our A3 printer)

    In these instances,I have divided up the A1 border into 4 equal A3 sections, and printed each, using print window &  selecting

    corner to corner of each A3 quarter. I then cut the 4 inner sides with a scissors and sellotape the 4 A3 quarters together

   to give me my A1 print.

   Now this is easily  done in AutoCAD, but can't be done in Inventor.

   So the drawings I have done in Autocad I have been able to print as 4 A3's stuck together to give an A1.

   The drawings I have done in Inventor I have not been able to do that, and have just had to print them as smaller A3

4. Thus in conclusion, this is not really a good enough reason to actually have that function in Inventor, but it would

    have been nice for me if it was there, and I just wanted to find out if it was possible. Now I know that it is not.

Michael Kovacik
AutoCAD 2d & 3d(20yrs) & Inventor(7yrs) Manufacturing(30yrs) Draughtsman
Autodesk Product Design Suite Ultimate 2017
Johannesburg, South Africa

[mcgyvr]

@MikeKovacik4928

If I understand your case correctly you simply need to check the "Tiling Enabled" button in the print dialog..

That automatically chops the sheet up and puts registration marks for proper post printing manual alignment..

Per the help..

Tiling enabled

Specifies that large drawings are tiled for printing on multiple pages. Prints registration marks on page corners for alignment of printed pages. Page identifiers contain the drawing and sheetname, and a table cell number to help keep pages in order.

[MikeKovacik4928]

I have tried.

There is no way of setting this up, that I can see.

It automatically divides up the drawing and prints to multiple pages.

Unfortunately it doesn't divide it up correctly and you can't adjust it.

What would work is to save the idw to dwg and set up and print from there.

I think that is what I will do in future.

It is much simpler, can be set up easily by hand, and prints correctly.

I think this is another case where automation might not be the answer!!

Michael Kovacik
AutoCAD 2d & 3d(20yrs) & Inventor(7yrs) Manufacturing(30yrs) Draughtsman
Autodesk Product Design Suite Ultimate 2017
Johannesburg, South Africa

[Anonymous]

You're not the only one who'd value the ability to print a specified window.

Why would it be needed?

Well, not all of us work in product design. Some of us work in jig, fixture and press tooling.....where it is not uncommon to place several different parts and detail them all on one A0 size sheet for issuing to the shop floor. This may not be advisable, but scores of companies in this sector still do this.

Also, when developing 'cut blanks' for stage-tool pressed forms, or just issuing crude drawings to help get a sense of proportion of what you're designing or manufacturing,.....or even to lay a manufactured part directly over a drawing to roughly check that it follows a profile..... being able to print a section of a drawing sheet at "1:1" scale is very useful indeed.

Maybe I just don't know how to do it, but I have always had to export the drawing to Autocad, open the drawing, window print the portion I want at 1:1, then discard the file to avoid clutter or out of date drawings.

Sometimes, on the manufacturing drawing sheet (with multiple pieces on it), a toolmaker may come in to the design office and ask for a spare print of just one of the details that might be up in a corner. It may be a turned part and the rest of the sheet shows milled parts. He wants to use the drawing on the lathe whilst his colleague is milling a different part on the drawing.

This often means me faffing around trying to zoom the 'current window' to a size where the part view will best fit onto the A3 or A4 paper.  It isn't a lot of work to export files and so on, or mess around with the view portion of the window, but it would be easier if you could just print a portion of the drawing at a selected scale.

[MikeKovacik4928]

okay

so someone else thinks it would be useful too.

2 votes for this on our wish list!

Where do we submit our wish list requests?

Michael Kovacik
AutoCAD 2d & 3d & Inventor Manufacturing Draughtsman
Autodesk Product Design Suite Ultimate 2017
Johannesburg, South Africa

[SBix26]

Inventor Ideas forum.

Sam B

Inventor Professional 2017.3.1
Vault Workgroup 2017.0.1
Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit, SP1
Inventor Certified Professional

[JBerns]

I too would like to see a print window option. I have voted on the idea.

Our usage would be to print a small version of the parts list to give to shop personnel to begin gathering purchased parts, cutting metal, etc.

I discovered a workaround to achieve a "print window".

Starting with the Autodesk Inventor sample model, Power Supply Harness Nailboard.dwg:

This is the Parts List you may want to print. I zoomed as close to it as I could:

But performing a Print Current Window results in extra data.

So I discovered that if you tile the drawing window (use Cascade or Arrange tools) and then zoom to what you want to see:

You get this result when printing the Current Window:

It takes a bit of tweaking to get the view just right, but you can print what could be considered a "windowed area".

An actual print window option that lets you pick corners which would clip or crop would make printing this easier.

BTW - when done printing, just double-click the title of the window to maximize as an alternative to the Maximize button.

I hope this is helpful for others.

Regards,

Jerry

[rhasell]

Not that I would use it, but good catch

Clever work around.

[MikeKovacik4928]

As hard as I have tried with the cascading/tiling

it still seems impossible to get exactly the window I want printed.

My original posting from almost one year ago still stands, where an autocad print window type

method (printing to exact selected points or coordinates) would do the trick perfectly

I would like to be able to print an exact window, for the very reasons  I  explained one year ago.

Obviously the idea that existed, to which I added my vote, did not gather enough support to have

it included in the software.

I have learnt to live without it.

If I really need to do it, which would still only be printing an A1 in 4 exact quarters on an A3 printer

I would convert the idw to AutoCAD dwg and do it from there.

Don't get me wrong, Inventor still rocks!!

Michael Kovacik
2d & 3d Autocad and Inventor designer/draughtsman
Autodesk Product Design Suite Ultimate 2018
Autocad 2018, Inventor Pro 2018
(personal licensed copy)
Authorised Autocad & Inventor Professional
Authorised Autodesk Trainer
.
Johannesburg, South Africa
.
(Impossible only means you haven't
found the solution yet)

[BP-OZ]

I too wish it had this capability. As someone who provides drawings to boilermakers, machinist , fitters and every other man and his dog, often for their own build files, it would be good to be able to select the section of the drawing only that is needed. No Engineers or fancy designers in this little (but busy) workshop, just a drafty. 

Honestly, the zoom by window in drawings is just ridiculous. Who zooms like that?