layer scale printing problems

[ga]

we work on our general arrangement drawings with a layer scale of 1:50. This allows us to print our drawings at 100% with no problems. If we want to print out a quick reference copy of the drawing at 1:500 for example, it would require us to change the setting to 10%.

When we do this we get a blank print.

After trial and error we have established that the print will disappear with settings below 20-25%, but its not a hard and fast rule.

What is the problem?

Can anyone help?

ga

[Guest]

Are you on a Mac or PC?

What printer?

What dialog box are you changing the scaling in?

(some allow you to scale in Print/Page Setup AND Print)

[ga]

on mac os10.2.6

VW 9.5.3

i am changing the percentage scaling in the page setup box. i didnt think there was another place to set it in.

the type of printer is not the problem i dont think as it happens on both our epson colour laser and on our Hp Designjet 800PS.

Even when i do a preview in acrobat it is blank.

Why does this happen?

We cant go around changing the layer scale of our files every time we want to print them because this leads to chaos.

ga

[jfmarch]

you should never change the layer scale to fit prints on small sheets of paper. you should always use the % box in the printv dialog box to 'scale' the drawings. i would think, though, that anything lower than 20% is going to be so small as to be hard to see. your building must be gigantic? perhaps you should 'break-up' the plan into small sections so you can print these at a larger %.

[Guest]

Have you gone back to your drawing to ensure the grey print boundary border is around your drawing and not around some blank part of the screen?

[Kristen]

We've run into the same problem with scaling less than 20%. You can get around it by creating a pdf at the true scale of the drawing, and scaling your print from Acrobat. You have to be a little careful that it scales properly, though, and doesn't just print to fill the sheet.

[ga]

our building is very large, but surely VW is capable of dealing with large projects as well as small.

yes, we have checked the grey box and it is centred on our drawing.

we change the % in the page setup box

sometimes to actually get a print at all we must change the layer scale of our drawing which then messes up all our hatches etc.

the problem even occurs with some more complex files at higher %

This is a fundamental problem which does not seem to have been addressed in VW10, as i have checked through a colleague.

We have tried the pdf thing but it does not acheive anything like the sort of line quality and precision we require

Any more suggestions.

ga

[jfmarch]

we happen to be working on a very large building as well (100,000SF+). I have printed the entire, single plan at at 20% & 25% on 11x17- no problems, although it is so tiny. we usually print at 50% onto Arch C sheets which gets us 1/16" and 1/8" scaled plans. Even with all our hatches on, all grid lines on, all doors, windows, etc., it prints/plots fine. I have set up the interior fitout plans using layer links to 'break up' the plans into 3 or so pieces so that when we do print, the sheets will be Arch E size and will print out at 1/4" scale.

We have never experienced a debilitating printing problem with VW, so i can't see the fundemental problem.

[TiTaNiuM sAMuRai]

OSX.2.6 VW9.5.3 Printer:any

Yeah, someone here can't get 10% to show.