Re: Controlling scale of Graphics on paper
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg126256] Re: Controlling scale of Graphics on paper
- From: Szabolcs Horvát <szhorvat at gmail.com>
- Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:50:37 -0400 (EDT)
- Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com
- References: <jmtd9i$sim$1@smc.vnet.net>
On 2012.04.21. 6:32, Joseph Gwinn wrote: > I would like to use Mathematica to make printed templates of various > kinds. > > In one use, a complicated shape is generated mathematically and > displayed using Graphics or Show, the plot is printed on paper, the > paper is glued to a piece of wood, which is cut and drilled to the lines > and center-points. This requires the ability to control the on-paper > scale factor, so that a length of 1.0 in a line ends up being one inch > (or one centimeter) on paper. > > I assume that this is possible, but have not found anything relevant in > the online documentation. What I have done is used Mathematica to make > dolls of machine parts; in this case it was sufficient that all be in > the same scale, which was achieved using ImageSize->72*6 directives, but > ImageSize doesn't speak directly to the issue of scale on paper. > > It may be that ImageSize->{w,h} can be used, but there is some math > required. > > So, my question is how best to achieve a specified scale on paper. > You got several suggestions. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is exporting to DXF. DXF is a CAD-specific format, so there's support for printing to exact scales. First export to DXF, then open it with a CAD program or a DXF viewer and print to a precise scale. I think this will fit your application best. If you are going to go the PDF route, this might be valuable (similar to other suggestions): http://mathematica.stackexchange.com/a/750/12 You'll need to get rid of any PlotRangePadding and ImageMargins too, if you choose this route. -- Szabolcs Horvát Visit Mathematica.SE: http://mathematica.stackexchange.com/