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posted: 28 May 2012 22:18 from: Paul Boyd
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Whilst pottering about with my printer the other day, it occurred to me that I've never seen mention here of using custom paper sizes - I bet most of us are sticking together bits of A4 (I've given up with telex roll for building templates on - too flimsy!) This may be old hat to some, but it might be worth looking at your printer driver settings to see if you can set a custom paper size. For instance, my new Canon MP499 (an A4 printer) can go up to 420x676mm, but not both dimensions at the same time! In practise, this means I can set a paper size of 210mm x 594mm. A piece of A2 paper is 420x594mm, and when cut in half lengthways gives... ...210x594mm. This is equivalent to two bits of A4 end to end, but you actually gain more than that because you gain the space taken by two margins. It does look a little odd when stacked in the printer - make sure it's supported. In P4, even quite large formations can now fit on a single sheet of paper, and a B8 turnout in S7 just fits onto one sheet of paper. I say paper, but I actually use 250gsm card - look for "250gsm Silky Smooth Thick White Card" on eBay (no connection to the seller, "activepaper"). This stuff is much cheaper than A2 Bristol Board (if you can actually find it in stock anywhere in that size) but has a shiny surface. This means that the ink smudges quite easily even when printed in draft mode and left for 24hrs, but to solve that I varnished it with a polyurethane varnish which both protects the ink and the paper when liquids start being sloshed all over it in the frenzy of track building! Anyway, this might give someone food for thought |
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posted: 29 May 2012 11:26 from: Glen Suckling
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Paul Boyd wrote: Whilst pottering about with my printer the other day, it occurred to me that I've never seen mention here of using custom paper sizes - I bet most of us are sticking together bits of A4 (I've given up with telex roll for building templates on - too flimsy!) Hi Paul, Over the years I have participated in several threads on this forum which have discussed custom paper sizes using both sheet and/or roll paper. My wide printer will accept any paper up to 19 inches wide and , theoretically, of any length. I say theoretically because most of the software connected with the printing process seems to have its own limitations independent of the actual printer. This includes Windows and some of the CAD, graphics and PDF programs. In practice I find that 18 inches wide by eight feet long is the largest practical size to print although I have run a print that was 12 feet long. Keeping the paper aligned was a nightmare. Most of my track prints are 18 inches wide by 36, 48 or 60 inches long. I have these preset as custom sizes for my printer. I agree with you about the heavyweight paper. Both of my printers have a rear feed option. This handles the heavier paper much better than a front feed which turns the paper through 180o inside the printer. Regards, Glen EDIT - Of course I model in 7mm scale so the larger paper sizes are more important than for the smaller scales. Glen |
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Last edited on 29 May 2012 11:30 by Glen Suckling |
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posted: 29 May 2012 14:05 from: Ian Allen
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I get round this problem by exporting sections of the trackplan as PDF's and I then take them to a commercial printer here in Milton Keynes. A0 roll feed paper at 42" width, with the longest run currently just over 120". Again, 7mm scale. | ||
posted: 29 May 2012 20:35 from: Paul Boyd
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Hi Ian Yes - but you can't print 42" wide on your A4 printer at home! I was pitching this at people who may not be aware that their A4 printer may be able to handle something substantially bigger than A4 - and it seems many printers these days can't do banner printing. Glen - I specifically avoid HP printers because of their convoluted paper path! My old Canon i850 has an infinite paper length when running under XP, but Templot is the only software I'm aware of that can do anything with that. The biggest problem is finding suitable roll paper to put through it. Cheers |
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posted: 30 May 2012 10:32 from: Ian Allen
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Paul, No problem :-) I appreciate the issues with A4 banner printing at home, something I had a problem with at work too years ago, until I purchased an Epson Stylus 950 Photo. Try here for A4 roll, http://www.entwistlegroup.co.uk/consumables/ppc.php?gclid=CNaa_u3Zp7ACFYQMfAodHzyHjw Ian |
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posted: 30 May 2012 17:55 from: Phil O
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I have used lengths of lining paper (as in wall paper) in my Epson photo 1290. I can get away with about 6 ft after that it gets a bit unmanageably. Cheers Phil |
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