Printing a template

[b33tl3]

Okay I have been trying to get a template to print right for about a week now with no luck. Using Sketchup8

I have attached a simple file to the post that I want to print to scale 1:1. It will fit on a legal size sheet of paper but I can never get it to print right.

I googled how to do this and followed the instructions but still no luck. Here is what I have done

1) set camera to Parallel Projection and a Standard View of Front

2) Shrink the Sketckup window to just show the part to print getting rid of most of the background.

3) Uncheck fit to page tired with and without "Use model extents"

4) Scale set 1:1

I can not get it accurate.

What is the trick?

I have access to the pro version and I have looked for some instructions on how to do this in Layout but have been unsuccessful thus far.

Serving tray1.skp

[PurpLev]

If you've moved to parallel projection and front view, and set document-setting to unckeck 'scale to fit' and set 1" in drawing = 1" in model the SU setup is OK.

Another thing that might be happening is your printer is configured to fit printed material to the paper size. check to see if when you are printing you have an option to setup the printer - there may be a setting to 'fit to page' that needs to be unchecked there as well.

[AMarshall]

You are 90% there and have all the right steps, but there are couple things that are stopping you.

1. The object you want to print is 13" wide by 4 1/2" tall. Theoretically, this fits a Legal size page but really it doesn't. The free version of SketchUp doesn't let you set page margins, but they are at least 1/2" all around and probably a bit more. So legal paper is 14" long, minus top and bottom margins and suddenly your 13" object doesn't fit.

2. SketchUp wants to print the current camera view, and this goes against typical behavior people expect. What we want to do is print every OBJECT on the screen, but SketchUp wants to print any extra space around the object too. That is the reason for your "Step #2" - resizing the window to get rid of extra space. In fact, I typically hold a piece of paper up to my monitor and resize the window to this so that I get exactly what I expect. So I suppose you could be lucky enough or fiddle around with the view on your screen long enough so that your 13" object filled the view with not even a single pixel around it, but I sure wouldn't want to try.

3. The "use model extents" setting in the print dialog box doesn't really work like one expects either. What we WANT is for it to print exactly the extents of the model - your 13". What it DOES is "virtually" rezoom using the "fit extents" function of the zoom tool and print that view - which still contains extra space. Bottom line, ignore this option in the dialog box and focus on gettingn the correct view in your window.

My advice if you want to print this template? Use bigger paper. See if you can make a custom size sheet in your printer setting, say 8 1/2" x 16". Make a view with the objext on the left edge. Print using these settings, but just stick a legal sheet into the printer.

Either that, or just print half the template...it's symmetrical after all.

Good luck!

[b33tl3]

Thanks guys I'll try the suggestions and let you know how they work.

Aaron thanks for the details on how sketchup works under the covers. I learned a lot.