[solved]How do I choose a good size scale factor

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DaleEltoft
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[solved]How do I choose a good size scale factor

Post by DaleEltoft » Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:24 am

I'm working on getting drawings to print nice. When I scale my print out say 1=16 the text on the dimensions becomes microscopic. So I go to the Dimension Settings and bump up the Size scale factor which gets the text readable again but in cases where the fit between arrows was tight things get messy so I have to tweak the drawing.

All this could have been avoided if I had anticipated the problem and started with the right scale for the dimensions.

Is there a rule of thumb? If I know in advance the scale I will need to fit my drawing on paper can I predict the dimension size scale factor for printing?
Last edited by DaleEltoft on Thu Jul 08, 2021 5:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

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andrew
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Re: How do I choose a good size scale factor

Post by andrew » Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:31 am

DaleEltoft wrote:
Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:24 am
Is there a rule of thumb? If I know in advance the scale I will need to fit my drawing on paper can I predict the dimension size scale factor for printing?
Yes. You should always know the scale at which you want to print your drawing in advance and plan your drawing accordingly.

All text sizes, dimension labels and sizes, hatch pattern scales, the drawing border and the general layout of your drawing depend on your drawing scale.

If your drawing is at a scale of 1:100 (i.e. a hundred times smaller on paper than in real life), you would essentially increase all text heights and hatch pattern scales, etc. by a factor of 100.

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DaleEltoft
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Re: How do I choose a good size scale factor

Post by DaleEltoft » Wed Jul 07, 2021 5:26 am

So if I'm understanding what's implied, the text height and others at the top of the Dimension settings apply to the 1:1. Then to get text height for 1:37 printing, rather than alter the height values, the scale is set to 37 and all those heights are multiplied by 37 possibly making them oversize in the 1:1 view but when scaled down for printing restoring them to the the height setting.

A lot of loose ends that need to be tied down before getting under way. :wink: I need to make a checklist of things to be done/decided/set before starting to draw. All the scales, layers, line types, colors, paper size, ...
Better yet once I've figured out my "style" I'll create templates for different drawing & page sizes primed with all those things.

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Husky
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Re: How do I choose a good size scale factor

Post by Husky » Wed Jul 07, 2021 7:07 am

DaleEltoft wrote:
Wed Jul 07, 2021 5:26 am
So if I'm understanding what's implied, the text height and others at the top of the Dimension settings apply to the 1:1. Then to get text height for 1:37 printing, rather than alter the height values, the scale is set to 37 and all those heights are multiplied by 37 possibly making them oversize in the 1:1 view but when scaled down for printing restoring them to the the height setting.
Correct!
In short:
1. Dimension: If you need to print with a 1:50 scale and you like to get a printed text hight of 1/8" on paper then change the Dim height below Drawing Preferences/Dimension to:

Husky-2021.07.06-08.png
Husky-2021.07.06-08.png (29.38 KiB) Viewed 4426 times

Note: This works only for dims and yes - you can put in the expression 1/8*50 (QCAD will calculate it)

2. Text (Notation, Info's etc) (two easy solution)
2.1 If you like to have a text height of 1/8″ for regular text and 1/4″ for titles etc. then write everything in this sizes and scale it afterwards. You can do that with "Scale Text Heights" below Menu / Edit. Drawback could be that you have to rearrange the text position again .....

2.2 If the print scale is already known - write the text directly with a size like 1/8'*50 and/or 1/4"*50. Benefit: No need to rearrange the text position before printing!

Good thing is .... there is no right or wrong doing. Do what ever fits your workflow best. And when you have done it 10 times or so it is easy as pie :lol:
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DaleEltoft
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Re: How do I choose a good size scale factor

Post by DaleEltoft » Thu Jul 08, 2021 5:18 am

I've made 2 identical drawings with dimensions. For one I entered the values as shown in the screen capture adding a multiplier to the Text Height value. For the other I put the 50 in the Size Scale Factor box seen at the bottom of the screen capture and left the Text Height unchanged. Both methods produced the identical results. :)

It seems to me that the intended design of the software is to use the Size Scale Factor box. Putting a multiplier in the Text Height value works but is non-standard and could lead to confusion in a situation where multiple people are involved.

It would be helpful if the Dimension Setting dialog provided an explanation of the function and purpose of the Size Scale Factor box. :idea: A tooltip explaining it is "a scale up multiplier for all the dimension parts to compensate for scaling drawings down" would be nice.

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Husky
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Re: How do I choose a good size scale factor

Post by Husky » Thu Jul 08, 2021 6:23 am

DaleEltoft wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 5:18 am
It seems to me that the intended design of the software is to use the Size Scale Factor box. Putting a multiplier in the Text Height value works but is non-standard and could lead to confusion in a situation where multiple people are involved.
You are right! The "using" a multiple/divider into the Text Height box was a method which was used BEFORE the additional "Size Scale Factor" was implemented ..... and it looks like I stick still to old habits. Sorry for any confusion! :oops:
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DaleEltoft
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Re: [solved]How do I choose a good size scale factor

Post by DaleEltoft » Thu Jul 08, 2021 6:15 pm

Putting the multiplier in the text height was a valuable teaching demo. It clearly explained the size scale. e_geek

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