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I have created a chart which is roughly 32" x 36" in VCF. Those are the dimensions I want. If I write it directly to a jpg from TMG will it have the same dimensions when printed? I have a friend with a giant printer who has offered to print it for me, but I don't want her to have to do it more than once.

 

Thanks to all.

 

 

Robert

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I would not do this this way!

 

There is a limit on the size of a JPG file - also VCF outputs JPG at 96dpi meaning that small text will get furry and other items might get staircase edges.

 

Output it from VCF via a PDFwriter (like PDF995) using the "Custom PostScript Page Size" option set appropriately, then send the PDF file to your friend. You can often set the PDF resolution to be 600dpi to get a much better outcome. Remember that some large format printers can't print to the edge of a sheet so make sure that you have no content closer than about 0.75" from the final page size to be sure!

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I would not do this this way!

 

There is a limit on the size of a JPG file - also VCF outputs JPG at 96dpi meaning that small text will get furry and other items might get staircase edges.

 

Output it from VCF via a PDFwriter (like PDF995) using the "Custom PostScript Page Size" option set appropriately, then send the PDF file to your friend. You can often set the PDF resolution to be 600dpi to get a much better outcome. Remember that some large format printers can't print to the edge of a sheet so make sure that you have no content closer than about 0.75" from the final page size to be sure!

 

Thanks so much, Robin. I am trying to find out whether my friend can handle a .pdf file -- there's probably no reason that she can't, but I don't think she's familiar with the format.

 

Will the .pdf which results from your suggestion hold the size that VCF has reported?

 

Thanks again and all good wishes.

 

 

Robert

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Dear Robin,

 

I wrote the file via PDF995, setting the postscript size as you had suggested. I haven't sent it to my friend to be printed yet because when I open it in the ordinary Adobe pdf reader it seems to have nine separate pages. Is this the reader's doing or have I blundered in some way? I'll be most grateful for your further advice.

 

 

Robert

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Robert,

 

No, you should see only one page when you look at the PDF. Setting the paper size is a bit tricky. This should work:

 

1. In VCF, use File > Print to open the Print dialog.

 

2. Select PDF995 as the printer, and click Properties.

 

3. Click on the Advanced button on the Properties screen to open the Advanced Options screen.

 

4. On that screen, under Paper/Output > Paper Size, select Post Script Custom Page size.

 

5. In the dialog that opens, specify the width and height you want for the finished paper.

 

6. Click OK back out to the Print dialog, and once more to create the file.

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Dear Terry,

 

Alas, I thought that's what I was doing, in keeping with Robin's instructions. I tried again, following your very clear directions, a moment ago and I still get nine pages.

 

Now I'm wondering whether it has anything to do with my system default printer and TMG printer both set to my Epson Photo RX620. When I look at "Page setup" in VCF it seems to offer only the standard sizes plus "user defined," but the latter doesn't lead anywhere to set up sizes. I've left it at letter size.

 

If it's consequential I'm running all this under Win7/64.

 

 

Robert

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Robert,

 

I'm perplexed. I'm running Win7 64-bit as well, and see just a list of standard sized in the Paper Setup screen. But by following my steps above with a 36' x 39" chart I get just a single page.

 

Did you verify the chart size with Tools > Diagram > Diagram Measurements menu, and set the paper to that size or a tid larger?

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It is my experience that VCF uses the Page setup page size selection to carve up the chart canvas and then send that to the printer. This can be checked by viewing the result in the File > Print Preview. If you don't see all the chart at Print Preview on a single sheet then that is the way it will print.

 

Your experience is because the correct page size needs to be specified at the opening of the File > Page Setup in VCF. Unfortunately (in Microsoft's wisdom) they have removed the [Printer] selection button in the default Windows 7 version of the Printer Properties dialog. This is a reported serious shortcoming of the way VCF is programmed. To get it work for you, you need to make the PPF995 writer the Windows Default Printer before opening VCF.

 

Now you will find that File > Page Setup will show you the available page sizes for that printer (including the PostScript Custom Page Size) which you can set appropriately. This page size setting should flow on to the File > Print command and the output should be printed at the specified size.

 

[Terry - I don't understand why you are getting what you seem to be.]

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It is my experience that VCF uses the Page setup page size selection to carve up the chart canvas and then send that to the printer. This can be checked by viewing the result in the File > Print Preview. If you don't see all the chart at Print Preview on a single sheet then that is the way it will print.

 

Your experience is because the correct page size needs to be specified at the opening of the File > Page Setup in VCF. Unfortunately (in Microsoft's wisdom) they have removed the [Printer] selection button in the default Windows 7 version of the Printer Properties dialog. This is a reported serious shortcoming of the way VCF is programmed. To get it work for you, you need to make the PPF995 writer the Windows Default Printer before opening VCF.

 

Now you will find that File > Page Setup will show you the available page sizes for that printer (including the PostScript Custom Page Size) which you can set appropriately. This page size setting should flow on to the File > Print command and the output should be printed at the specified size.

 

[Terry - I don't understand why you are getting what you seem to be.]

 

Dear Robin & Terry,

 

Still baffled. I set PDF995 to be the system default printer, rebooted (the Windows sovereign remedy), made a fresh copy of the chart and sent it to VCF. File/Page setup picks up the Postscript Custom Page size entry but provides no means of setting the dimensions. The dimensions can be set by the method Terry suggested, i.e., print/properties/advanced. I chose dimensions substantially larger than the reported chart dimensions and got a print job of two pages rather than the previous nine. I suppose that's progress, although it did cut my grandson's head off, not a pleasing artistic effect and one likely to annoy his father as well.

 

A second attempt with dimensions set to nearly double the actual reported diagram size reverted to eight pages.

 

Sometimes I see people asking for help on the forum, and despite the most detailed explanations from the more technically adept are unable to solve their problem. Aha, I say to myself -- that person has made a blunder so obvious that no one can even imagine it. It's distressing to find that I myself may be in that position. I'm going to try to set the PDF995 defaults from the printer object itself and restart the whole process.

 

Thanks to both of you for your help.

 

 

Robert

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Solved, more or less accidentally. I uninstalled PDF995, rebooted, reinstalled PDF995 & set it to be the default printer. I set the Postscript dimensions I wanted in the printer object, then opened TMG, sent the report to VCF, set the same dimensions in the /print/properties/advanced dialog and found myself looking at the whole chart on one page. My grandson has his head back much to the relief of all of us.

 

Again my thanks and warmest good wishes to Robin and Terry.

 

 

Robert

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