PRINT WINDOW

[Blars 7]

How can i "PRINT" a select poriton of a drawing by defining a window?  Is there a way through the print dialogue box?  If not, this should really be an option.

[Jim Wilson 2,050]

Quickest method is to go to File > Export > Export Image, and then you have the option of Marquee which will let you define the borders. Then print the exported image after orienting it the way you like via your printer's built in page configuration. 

[michaelk 178]

Try the Move Page tool.  By default it's Option-Z (on a Mac.  Probably Alt-Z on Windows).

 

It's located in the basic tool palette "behind" the Pan tool.  The one that looks like a hand.  Click and hold the "Hand" tool and the Move Page tool will fly out from behind it.  Use that tool to drag the piece of paper to the part you want to print.

 

OR…

 

File > Export > Export Image File…

 

In the Export Area select Marquee

 

Click the Draw Marquee button.  Draw the Marquee.

 

You will be back in the Export Image File dialog box.  Pick the dimension, format, etc.

 

 

hth

 

mk

[Blars 7]

Export Image works, however, it exports all colors.  (in my case the black background also exports and makes the image unprintable unless i can invert it somehow.)  Move Page just moves the page around and doesnt allow me to resize anything.  I'd have to change the page setup for this to work.  ... then change everything back once im done.  It just doesnt make sense to me.   Looks like Vectorworks just needs to add a "Print Window" feature from the print dialogue box.

[Jim Wilson 2,050]

Normally you would just create a viewport, crop it to whatever shape you'd like, then print from the sheet layer directly so that you can orient the cropped viewport the way you want on the page with the viewport ensuring accurate scaling relative to the page. If we just implemented a marquee area for design layer printing, you'd have no way to ensure scale or page position. Sheet layer viewports would also resolve the black background issue without making you toggle it off.

[Blars 7]

Yes, but my sheet size is standardized at 30x42.  Why cant a marquee be printed to a scale?    Autodesk does it very easily. 

>Print, >Window, >select a scale, page size, and orientation... and send. 

Seems simple to me, but then I'm coming form 12+ years in the Autodesk world and im still trying to relate/cope with the change and loss of what used to be second nature.   I'm also not the "lucky" one who would have the "opportunity" to program this "simple" thing.  HA!  So in the end, i guess the short answer is... "No. Vectorworks cant do that.  Yet."

[Jim Wilson 2,050]

There would need to be consideration given to multiple scales for design layers, if layers were aligned or not, and then if users didn't always print to the same paper size (very common) they'd have to configure it differently for each marquee print. It is unfortunately not as simple as it may look at first.

[Blars 7]

Ok.  Thanks for the help.  I'm sure I'll get used to this new process fairly soon.

[Blars 7]

Side question... Can i create a "Dummy Sheet" with the right page setup and "duplicate" the viewport i want to print on this sheet without altering the original sheet?  ... Im guessing there is no way to have two instances of the same viewport in a set?   Thanks.

[Blars 7]

Looks like CMD+C, CMD+V worked.  Sorry.  Answered my own question.  Thanks!

[Pat Stanford 406]

There is an option in the Print Dialog Box (at least on Mac) to "Print Current View Only".

 

If you use Printer Setup inside Page Setup to choose the printer and paper size you want then zoom in so only what you want is on screen (possibly need to change the "size" of your drawing window to get the aspect ratio you need, then you can.

 

Would it be nicer to have an option to Print Marquee instead, yes.

 

Just depends on how much you need this.

 

Other option is to make a temporary sheet layer and viewport and print from there.

[Kevin McAllister 880]

23 hours ago, Blars said:

How can i "PRINT" a select poriton of a drawing by defining a window?  Is there a way through the print dialogue box?  If not, this should really be an option.

 

Out of curiosity, are you trying to print from a sheet layer or a design layer? From the discussion, it sounds like its a sheet layer. Being able to print using a marquee from a sheet layer only would be a good wish and simpler to implement because it doesn't have the scale issues @JimWmentions. There's often times where I would like to print out one detail off a larger sheet for reference. As others have mentioned, making a temporary sheet and copy/pasting viewports is the current workaround.

 

Kevin

Edited February 16, 2017 by Kevin McAllister

[Blars 7]

I was trying to print from a design layer.  I suppose, I'd have to create a custom page setup anyways to print a marquee window...  So what ive been doing to "work around" this was to alter the existing design layer page setup and then moving the page boundary to what i wanted to print.  However, this does not give the option to crop out "unwanted" elements from the page without moving them off the "page".  (sometimes not possible)  The only other way to do what i wanted to was mentioned above... create a 'dummy sheet' with a viewport of what you wanted to print.  The print marquee would still be a nice feature to have.  I think it would eliminate alot of monkeying around when you want to quickly send something to the printer.  The image capture doesnt quite get the graphics and line weights right.  (IMO)

[Selimdeniz 0]

It's been a while since this has been discussed. However couple points to state could be relaxing for others.

 

AUTOCAD to VWX 

 

You need to leave behind the way you work pretty much. As much as you will find "IMPRACTICAL" things in VWX compared to Autocad, there are also very handy quick settings and workflows in VWX which will make you love this software. So just be patient and try to tweak the way you work a bit.