Question about Printing for you maths genius guys

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Xtrema

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If I am printing an item on a printer at 100% (1/76 scale) how much do I have to increase the percentage to so that it prints at 1/29 and 1/32 scale?
Sorry for being dumb..
 
John S said:
This may help..
Instructions here, How to scale our models when printing

Scale Converter here, Model Scale Converter – Scale Model Scenery

Just as an observation from personnel use, lucky enough to have a Printer/Copy Shop in the nearby vicinity, who were able to Scale Up or Down, certainly better Print results, and choice of medium to print it out on, than could be achieved on my own HP LaserjetP1102W, something to consider especially if it is working drawing, that the build will take place on.
Click to expand...
Thank you John
 
Be aware that with such enlargement ratios there is a risk that whatever it is you are enlarging could become "fuzzy". Depends on how crisp the original you are copying from was. If it is lettering, and provided you are rescaling actual fonts and copying from a print file rather than just an image, then you should be ok. Otherwise do a test print/copy onto plain paper before committing to a more expensive medium. I spent 20 years selling full colour printer/copier systems and this was a common "disappointment" to users.

The other way you can work out an enlargement, if you are printing from a file and your screen is showing the true size, is to take a critical measurement and multiply that by the original scale (x76) and the divide by the intended scale (29/32) to give a new measurement to correct against. Remember to check you print resolution settings Max
 
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Good point Max... the printer can't add detail. Though it rather depends on the format and specs of the original and it seems safer to do a big print from a file (where you'll get the best representation of the data that the printer driver can give you) than an enlargement copy.

x76/29 and x76/32 is exactly how I got the percentages...

An alternative would be to change the source to the right size & print at 100%. Again depends on the format, the graphics packages available, and familiarity with them. I like Inkscape for that sort of thing, since it's free and not too hard to use and is pretty good at line drawing and exact sizes.
 
maxi-model said:
Be aware that with such enlargement ratios there is a risk that whatever it is you are enlarging could become "fuzzy". Depends on how crisp the original you are copying from was. If it is lettering, and provided you are rescaling actual fonts and copying from a print file rather than just an image, then you should be ok. Otherwise do a test print/copy onto plain paper before committing to a more expensive medium. I spent 20 years selling full colour printer/copier systems and this was a common "disappointment" to users.

The other way you can work out an enlargement, if you are printing from a file and your screen is showing the true size, is to take a critical measurement and multiply that by the original scale (x76) and the divide by the intended scale (29/32) to give a new measurement to correct against. Remember to check you print resolution settings Max
Click to expand...
Thank you Max
 
perpetualnewbie said:
Good point Max... the printer can't add detail. Though it rather depends on the format and specs of the original and it seems safer to do a big print from a file (where you'll get the best representation of the data that the printer driver can give you) than an enlargement copy.

x76/29 and x76/32 is exactly how I got the percentages...

An alternative would be to change the source to the right size & print at 100%. Again depends on the format, the graphics packages available, and familiarity with them. I like Inkscape for that sort of thing, since it's free and not too hard to use and is pretty good at line drawing and exact sizes.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip, might try Inkscape..
 
Good luck, have fun :-)

By the way are your originals photographic-type or line-drawing style?

In both cases there are ways of eking out the image detail in enlargements but the techniques are a bit different. So if you get stuck give me a shout.
 
perpetualnewbie said:
Good luck, have fun :)

By the way are your originals photographic-type or line-drawing style?

In both cases there are ways of eking out the image detail in enlargements but the techniques are a bit different. So if you get stuck give me a shout.
Click to expand...
Thank you, they are drawings for an engine shed at OO Gauge and I’m blowing them up from 100% to 237% so as to use as a template for building for the garden sidings. Same for card shipping containers so I can scratch build them in plywood..
 
Two bits of wood glued together and prints of containers glued to the sides, top to be glued on tomorrow when dry.
Clips and chains will be added later after sealing with a few coats of matt varnish.
 
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