Ready to start building my layout (thanks to all my new friends from the Electronics and DCC Forum who taught me about DCC wiring), and I would like to print out the layout in a 1"=1" format since it's a decent-size (main section 12'x16' with a 5'x12' steel mill area) layout and doesn't necessarily follow a "sectional track" design. The original drawings are done in the licensed version of SCARM, but their only instructions on their website for printing full-size is to find a big printer for your sheets (otherwise print them all on 11x17" paper and use a lot of tape.
For larger versions of the layout (to help design contours, tunnels, bridges, roadways, rivers, and towns), I converted the drawing to *.jpg and *.bpm and sent them to Staples to have them printed on D size paper (24x36). This would be closer to what I am looking for. I reached out to Affordable Model Railroads for help since they advertise full-size printing, but the crew is very backed up at can't get to my project until September at the earliest. Anyone have any sources for getting large-format drawings printed, or does anyone in the group have large-format plotter they use for a side hustle that can help me out? Obviously willing to pay, just need a couple of leads to get started. Thanks in advance,
Jeff Shumaker
Some time ago, I used Kinko's (now owned by FedEx) to turn a print into a 36" x 78" backdrop for the end of my layout. Kinko's has giant print machines to perform services such as you are seeking. I am not familiar with Staples printing process, so I can't say which is better. If you want to check out Kinko's, you need to find a FedEx Office Print & Ship Center.
Rich
Alton Junction
Hey! You're everywhere! Thanks, now all i have to do is find a Fedex. Did they want the file in any particular format?
Make sure to call them first. We've had a couple of small local FedEx places just shut down recently. We had some wine delivered to one of them. (We can't get wine delivered to homes in Delaware.) FedEx wouldn't tell us where the wine was, and only gave us 2 days to pick it up. We had to spend a day on the phone trying to find it.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Too old for N Scale Hey! You're everywhere! Thanks, now all i have to do is find a Fedex. Did they want the file in any particular format?
All the FedEx Kinko's locations I went to in suburban Memphis had the ability to make large-format, long prints from a computer file (on thumb drive in my cases -- PRR T1 drawings and ex-RMC GG1 drawings blown up to large scale.)
The way I did this in the 'old days' was to have the prints done at a blueprint shop. The New York/New Jersey area, Shreveport, LA, and the area around Marina del Rey in Southern California had suitable businesses within driving distance, although this was more than 30 years ago. Certainly printing large-scale working drawings and redlines from CAD/CAM or architectural drafting applications has to be a 'thing'.
What I used to do in the analog days, and did again with the GG1 drawings, was to put a scale on the drawing with a note "make this line exactly xx inches". This eliminated any calibration or 'scanner shrink' errors as the final print was also the thing that was checked for accuracy.
Be prepared to 'tile' the drawings with enough margin that they can be easily cut and joined to be pinned to the layout for marking and tracklaying...
Hi Jeff,
I discovered that my local print shop can do large format printing 36" wide by however long you need it. All they need is a pdf file.
My challenge now is to figure out how to convert a 3rd PlanIt drawing to a pdf. The explanations that I have found so far seem to be very complicated. Can anyone help with that?
Your layout sounds great!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave, check your thread. I provided a link that hopefully will be helpful.
Wow! Completely off-topic, but it would be awesome to have a shop drawing side view of a T1 from cowl to tender coupling. Another one of my favorite engines.
Also, thanks again to all who have responded to my question. You've given me some great ideas and a lot of hope to keep me moving forward. So close...........
j