How to print your large format house plan from a PDF file
Full Size Prints
The PDF files that I will email you usually are 36″ wide x 24″ high. This size is also known as large format “D-Size”. Site plans are usually on 17″ wide x 11″ high “Ledger” size paper.
Printing Stores
Some stores like Staples and OfficeMax offer large format printing. Call and ask them if the can “print on 36″ x 24″ size paper” or “D Size” paper.
Printing Shop in St. Augustine, Florida
If your near St. Augustine, please call the:
The Print Shop Of St. Augustine, Inc.
71 S. Dixie Highway #1
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 829-6394
Ask for their email address and send the PDF files to them. You will need to tell them how many copies you want.
Printing Yourself
- On Your Printer, you can print Not to Scale on single 8.5 x 11 pages in Adobe Reader. Click Print. Under Page Size and Handling click Size. Under Size Options, click Fit or Shrink oversized pages.
- On Your Printer, you can print To Scale across multiple 8.5 x 11 pages in Adobe Reader. Click Print. Under Page Size and Handling click Poster. Make sure Tile Scale is 100%.
- Print Shops can print PDF files to scale on 36” x 24” (D-Size) paper at local printing shops.
Once I’ve made a first draft of your custom house plan, I’ll email it to you as a large-format ‘D-Size’ PDF file. Despite the size, you can print sections of it on your home printer using 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper. You’ll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, which you can download this for free from various websites.
Adobe Acrobat Reader lets you zoom in to an area you would like to print, mark up the house plan with the freehand drawing tool, and add your own comments. This is very useful for the review stages of the design process. Please use the red pen tool to add comments to the plans and elevations that I send you. Once you’re finished, scan or take a photo of the revised plan (or save it as under a new name if you’re technically minded). Then email it back to me so that I can process your feedback.
Below are some screenshots and instructions to help you mark up and print your custom house plan.
Click Print -> Pages to Print -> More Options -> Current View Page Size and Handling -> Size Options -> Fit -> Lanscape
Redline Markups
After you have printed your plan, its time to mark it up also called “red lines”, “red-lining” or the “markup”.
Before you begin to red line plans, please read please see Architectural Designer Redline Markups