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CADD PDF Tutorials
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Navigating Around Plan Sheets
There are many methods available to move about a plan
set or document.
The page you are currently on is displayed at the bottom of the Acrobat
window.
To move about a document you may use your keyboard’s page up, page down,
up or down arrow keys, as well as the scroll bars.
Similar to a web browser, there are Forward/Backward buttons, first page/last
page buttons, as well as a “previous view” button.
By clicking on the show/hide navigation pane button, the screen will be
split, showing the navigation pane as well as the display area. The navigation
pane displays 2 tabs ~ Thumbnails and Bookmarks.
Thumbnails are small representations of sheets. The navigation
pane may be widened to display a greater number of thumbnails. You will
be brought to a particular sheet by clicking on it’s thumbnail. The page
you are currently on is displayed at the bottom of the Acrobat window.
When the sheet you want to view is being displayed, you may toggle off
the navigation pane to increase the display’s viewing area.
Bookmarks are similar to a 'clickable' table of contents in a book. By
clicking a particular bookmark you will be brought to the first page represented
by the bookmark. You may then use the page up/down keys. The page you
are currently on is displayed at the bottom of the Acrobat window. When
the sheet you want to view is being displayed, you may toggle off the
navigation pane to increase the display’s viewing area.
View
a video displaying these methods.
Help on VIEWING (zooming in/out, panning) of a plan
sheet.
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Viewing Plan Sheets 
There are a number of tools, often used in conjunction
with each other, to facilitate the viewing of plan sheets.
The Magnification Glass(es)
The Hand Tool (to pan)
The Page Windowing Buttons
Keyboard / Scroll Bars
Magnification Glass(es): They zoom in or out of an image, trying
to center the resulting display where the magnification glass was when the
mouse was when clicked. By holding the “Ctrl” key down the opposite effect
will occur. (ex: zoom out from zoom in) Also, you may find some commonly
used viewing options by ‘right clicking’ on the image with the magnification
glass.
The Hand Tool: Similar, but handier than using the scroll bars, it
is used to grab and pan an image. Simply click and hold to ‘grab’ the image
and move it to the new viewing position, release the mouse button to redraw.
The Page Windowing Buttons: The most commonly used being ‘Fit to
Page’, then zooming with the mag glass. Other options are "Fit Width" and
"Actual Size".
A Preferred Viewing Method: I like to use a
trick with Thumbnails that is kind of like using a real magnifying glass.
First I “tear off” the thumbnail tab using ‘click/hold/drag&drop’ method
and put the thumbnail window off to the side. I turn off the Navigation
Pane to maximize the viewing area of the sheet. I select a sheet to view
from the thumbnail window. Notice the small red square in the lower right
hand corner of the current pages’ thumbnail.
Now here’s the trick: Click/hold/drag the red square to change the magnification
of the display area. Release the mouse button when the magnification is
satisfactory and move the mouse cursor over the border of the red ‘view
frame’ until it changes into a ‘hand’. Click/hold/drag the frame around
the thumbnail, much as you would use a real magnifying glass. This process
can be repeated with any sheet brought up in the thumbnail window.
View a video
displaying these methods.
View a video on a preferred method to view a plan sheet.
Help on navigating about a set of plan or document. |
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Plotting Plan Sheets
To Plot a Single Plan Sheet Requirements:
If "a full size plansheet" is required, a plotter capable of making use
of 24”x 36” paper *
Up to date plotter drivers (check your manufactures website)
Up to date Adobe Acrobat Reader, 4.05 or better (available here)
Step 1: Choose File à Print from the Acrobat Reader pull down menu.
Step 2: Choose a plotter, making sure the paper size is 24”x36” (paper orientation
might need to be landscaped, dependant upon your plotter’s individual idiosyncrasies).
Step 3: Check the Current page option in the Print Range section.
Step 4: Click OK to sent the plot to the plotter
From the "Print" Dialogue Box
* Checking Fit to page will allow the whole plan sheet to fit onto print
on any size paper, including 8 ½” x 11” but WILL RESULT IN A NON-STANDARD
SCALE.
Although it is not necessary to have the page one wants to plot in the ‘display’
window, it is usually the norm. Alternatively one may enter the page number
(if known) to be plotted in the "Pages from Pages To" in the Print Range
section (make sure you check this option and not the Current page option
if you decide to use it)
Troubleshooting:
1: Enormous printer spool files AND/OR Printer out of memory
I cannot stress enough the importance of having the most up to date version
of Acrobat READER (4.05 or better). This usually resolves most of these
problems, and is the first and easiest course of action I would try. If
the problem persist, acquire the most current driver for your plotter, usually
available from the manufacturer’s web site. Not only should this resolve
the memory problem, but also there are often additional features (ex: improved
speed, scaling modes, memory management, etc) that will become available
to the plotter itself when plotting from ANY application. Checking Print
as image may reduce your print spool size slightly.
2: Missing borders / plot not fitting on page Full size plots require a
piece of paper at least 24”x36” (Architectural “D”). ANSI “D” (22”x 34”)
is too small. Try rotating the orientation (Landscape or Portrait) and/or
choosing a larger piece of paper.
View
a video displaying these methods.
Help on plotting Multiple Plan Sheets.
Help on printing a Chosen Section of a Plan Sheet. |
Print/Plot a SELECTED PORTION From a Plan Sheet
Any individually selected area from a plan sheet may be
plotted as follows:
From the menu bar, left click and hold the ‘Selection tool(s) button, and
select the “Graphics select tool” (alternatively press ‘g’ on some keyboards).
Left click/drag a box surrounding the area you wish to print. Then choose
File…Print. Make sure Selected Graphic is chosen in the Print Range section.
Click OK to sent the plot to the printer/plotter.
View
a video displaying these methods.
Help on plotting a Single Plan Sheet.
Help on plotting Multiple Plan Sheets. |
To Plot Multiple Plan Sheets
Printing multiple sheets can be done by "selecting" those
sheets that you want to plot using the Thumbnails. While holding the 'CTRL'
or 'SHIFT' key down, select the Thumbnails of those sheets you wish to print.
Then click on the Acrobat Print button. When the Acrobat Print Dialogue
appears, check your printer's options (paper size and rotation), check to
make sure the 'Fit to Page' options are the ones you desire (turned off
for true scale), that "Print Selected Pages" option is checked.
Note: Plan sheets are very large graphical files. Sending too many sheets
at one time may result in a system crash. If you experience this problem,
try sending a lower number of sheets. If available, you may want to use
the MultiPlot Button.
Multi Plot allows for the plotting of a range of plan sheets without over
stressing your plotter’s or system’s memory, a major cause of system crashes
and failed print jobs.
View
a HELP VIDEO the Multi Plot Button page.
Go to the Multi Plot Button page.
Help on plotting a Single Plan Sheet.
Help on printing a Chosen Section of a Plan Sheet. |
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To Plot Multiple Plan Sheets (MultiPlot Button)
- PLEASE NOTE: The MultiPlot Button is only available on
NJDOT CD's and select online plansets.
Entire plan sets of full sized plan sheets can be plotted
in one step by using the MultiPlot Button. The MultiPlot Button will allow
the plotting of as many consecutive plan sheets as specified without ever
over stressing your plotter’s or system’s memory, a major cause of system
crashes and failed print jobs when plotting multiple large graphics.
Quick Instructions
1: Check your default printer’s settings
2: Click the MultiPlot Button and enter the page numbers to plot
3: Pick up your plot set when done.
Requirements:
1. A plotter or printer with appropriate paper size capable of making
“full sized” plots at 100% scale.
2. Up to date plotter drivers (check your manufactures website)
3. Up to date Adobe Acrobat Reader, 4.05 or better
4. A plotter properly set up as your DEFAULT printer
Instructions
Step 1: Multi Plot utilizes the default settings of your system’s default
printer/plotter. Be sure to set the default parameters (paper size, orientation,
etc) of your plotter to the same settings that produce a successful single
plot. Although you should consult your system’s administrator or help
files on how to select a default printer and change it’s default settings,
this is the general procedure:
1. From the Windows Task Bar, click Start---Settings---Printers
2. Select a printer/plotter; and make it your DEFAULT by choosing File-->Set
as Default
3. Check the default SETTINGS of the plotter by choosing File-->Document
Defaults
4. Check the paper size and the paper’s orientation. These will be the
settings used by MultiPlot
5. The paper should be 24”x36” (an Architectural D) or larger for most
‘full size’ plots.
6. NOTE: some systems may require users to have administrative privileges
to change default plotter settings. System Administrators: See note in
“Trouble Shooting” section below.
Step 2: Go to the Multi Plot button page and, using the ‘HAND TOOL’, click
the Multi Plot button. Enter the page number* to start plotting at and
click OK. Enter the page number to stop plotting at and click OK.
* Page numbers are displayed at the bottom of the Acrobat window. A page’s
number is located next to the page’s name. (ex: [Construction7 (13 of
157)] would be page 13 … [Construction Detail10 (142 of 157)] would be
page 142. Page numbers are also displayed when you click and move the
main display windows’ scroll bar.
Step 3: Choose whether to halt the process after the first sheet is plotted
to quality check the first plot before continuing with the rest of the
sheets. This is strongly recommended because once the printing process
begins it is very difficult to interrupt or cancel, and no one wants a
large number of bad plots. All of the succeeding plots will have the same
quality attributes of the first plot.
Step 4: If you chose to check the first plot in step 3, and it passes
your inspection, click “No” (do not quit the rest of the plot job) in
the pop up box. If your settings are incorrect click “Yes” to cancel the
rest of the print job, and make the necessary corrections to your printer’s
default settings. Note: Due to plotter lag time this box usually pops
up before the plot appears. Be patient with your equipment!
Troubleshooting:
1: The print was rotated and/or was on the wrong size paper
Multi Plot utilizes the default settings of your system’s default printer/plotter.
Paper size and paper orientation can only be changed by changing the system’s
default printer’s Document Defaults. See Step 1 above, or contact your
System Administrator to do this.
2: The print was at the wrong scale
While Multi Plot plots exclusively at scale = 100%, other scaling factors
can be achieved by manipulating the settings at the printer’s Document
Defaults level (see Step 1 above). Many printer/plotter manufacturers
(like HP for example) provide printer/plotter drivers that allow for scaling
at the hardware level. Check your manufacturers website for a driver update
if you do not yet have this capability.
3: A Special Note for System Administrators
I have found it very useful to “Add a Printer” on the server utilizing
existing ports, drivers, and hardware. I name it something like “HP8000
11x17Lndscape” (which we would use for ‘half scales’) and then share the
printer, and set the default settings as noted above. “Add(ing) a Printer”
for 24”x36” paper plots the same way will cover most of your users full
and half scale plotting needs.
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