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Printing drawings to scale: What you need to know.
Printing to scale sounds easy - until you have to do it yourself. What size should you choose? What scale actually works? We’ll help you figure it out.
Printing to scale made easy
Printing drawings to scale might seem daunting, but it’s simple once you know what to look for. This guide walks you through it, step by step.
1. Find the correct paper size
Start by checking the title block on your drawing. You’re looking for a note that tells you what size it was intended to be printed at — for example, A1 or A0. Sometimes you’ll also see something like 1:100 at A1 or 1:50 @ A0. These are helpful clues.
If there’s no title block, check underneath sections of the drawing. Sometimes you’ll find the paper size or scale noted elsewhere.
2. Print at 100% for accuracy
Once you know the intended paper size, print your drawing at 100% scale on that same paper size. This ensures everything stays true to scale, so you can measure directly from the print without any guesswork.
3. Enlarging or reducing drawings
If you’re only printing for visual reference (and don’t need to scale from the print), you can select “fit to page” or “scale to fit” in your printer settings. Choose the paper size that works best for you. Just keep in mind these won’t be to scale.
4. Changing the drawing scale
Let’s say you have an A1 drawing at 1:50. If you print it on A3 and choose fit to page, it will automatically become 1:100. That’s because A-series paper sizes halve in area as they go down - A1 to A2, A2 to A3, and so on.
5. A quick guide to A-series paper sizes
The A-series sizes (ISO 216) keep the same proportions, so folding any sheet in half gives you the next size down. Handy, right? Here’s a quick reference:
- A4 (210 × 297 mm / 8.3 × 11.7 in): everyday printer paper
- A3 (297 × 420 mm / 11.7 × 16.5 in): ideal for preliminary layouts
- A2 (420 × 594 mm / 16.5 × 23.4 in): perfect for small detail drawings
- A1 (594 × 841 mm / 23.4 × 33.1 in): great for architectural plans
- A0 (841 × 1189 mm / 33.1 × 46.8 in): the largest A-series size - ideal for setting out plans
Still not sure? Just remember: A0 is massive, A4 is your printer paper, and A10 is a stamp.
6. Want to scale like a pro?
Because each A-series size halves or doubles the area of the one next to it, scaling is predictable. A1 to A3? Your scale halves. A3 to A1? It doubles. Simple.
The table below shows the percentage you need to scale a drawing up or down between A0 and A4 sizes:
| From / To | A0 | A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A0 | 100% | 71% | 50% | 35% | 25% |
| A1 | 141% | 100% | 71% | 50% | 35% |
| A2 | 200% | 141% | 100% | 71% | 50% |
| A3 | 283% | 200% | 141% | 100% | 71% |
| A4 | 400% | 283% | 200% | 141% | 100% |
7. A smarter way to print plans
Understanding how scale works is useful, but you don’t have to do it all manually. When you upload your files to Clickpost, our system automatically detects the correct paper size and ensures your plans are printed at 100% scale.
No manual setup. No worrying about getting it wrong. Just fast, accurate prints, exactly as they were meant to be. Plan printing made simple.
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Why use Clickpost?
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