PDF from multi page drawings 1

[crendes]

I would like to be able to create a .pdf file using only one sheet from a multi sheet drawing file.

Anyone ever done this or can it be done?

Thanks -

 

[cowman]

This may not be the best solution, but what I do is delete the sheets that you don't want to PDF and then just do a Save as PDF. You just have to remember not to save the drawing like this or do an undo before you save.

 

[Scorch]

You can print and select the Bluebeam as the printer and select the sheet you want to print.

Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats.
--Howard Aiken, IBM engineer

 

[smcadman]

Do you mean you want to create a single-page PDF from several drawing sheets? Such as 10 SW drawing sheets on 1 large PDF? or do you just want to create 1 PDF page from 1 sheet of a drawing?

Flores

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

pdf995 from

http://www.pdf995.com/

also allows selection of a single page.


Making the best use of this Forum. faq559-716
How to get answers to your SW questions. faq559-1091
Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of. faq559-520

 

[crendes]

SMCADMAN -
I have created a template that has our large format drawings as well as a small A-size sheet for single perspective views. It was setup this way to allow us to send perspective views (A-size .pdf) to potential clients in the future. What I don't want is to send the large scale drawing which is used for our shop production and contains alot of unnecessary info. So at this point I am looking to find the easiest way to save the small .pdf by itself without our shop drawing going with it.

CorBlimeyLimey-
Thanks for the website I will check it out.

Thanks to everyone else who replied. As a first time user I am impressed.

 

[smcadman]

Look for the macro: SaveasPDFwhattoplot at:

http://www.cadimensions.com/macros.htm

You can print all sheets to seperate file, or choose a single sheet from a drop-down list.

Flores

 

[donegalforever]

Try

http://www.cutepdf.com

You can download a printer that makes pdf's and select the page you want to print from the print dialogue

 

[crendes]

smcadman - I think what you mentioned will work. I have downloaded the file but the question I have now is, how do I load this into SolidWorks to use it (never done this before). Thanks in advance!

 

[ShaggyPE]

Look into scorch's solution. It should work without the need to download anything.

That is all a pdf is, your document stored as printed on a sheet as a picture. This is more of the traditional method of creating pdf's. Prior to solidworks addition of the bluebeam "save as pdf", users simply had to purchase adobe acrobat professional (or a similar package) and "print" to pdf.

 

[crendes]

Shaggy18VW - I think Scorch's idea is great for printing but I am trying to save each sheet as separate .pdf files that can be accessed by my sales department inidividually and not have two drawings within a single pdf. Keep the ideas coming, I will keep trying them. Thanks Again -

 

[smcadman]

Crendes, that macro is one of a few macros that I use on a daily basis. . The quickest way to use a macro is to turn on your macro toolbar and pick Run, or go to Tools > Macro > Run, and go to the location where the macro is and pick it. Do this method first to make sure it is what you want. If it is, do the following:

Personally, I prefer saving all macros, company SW templates, etc. in a folder other than the SW install location (in case you have to re-install/uninstall SW for whatever reason, you don't lose your custom stuff).

Make a Macro folder and put the macro in there. Then go to Tools > Options (system options tab) > File Locations, then in the drop-down list pick "Macros", and then point to the macro folder.

Now you can right-click a button and and scroll down to "customize", go to the "Commands" tab, and scroll down to Macros in the categories. Find the New Macro button icon, and drag it onto the macro toolbar (see screen-shot).

http://img221.echo.cx/img221/1561/macrobutton1ns.jpg

The Customize Macro Button dialog box will pop up, and just fill in some information, and tell it where to find the macro.

Now you can right-click a button and and scroll down to "customize", go to the "Commands" tab, and scroll down to Macros in the categories. Find the New Macro button icon, and drag it onto the macro toolbar.
The Customize Macro Button dialog box will pop up, and just fill in some information, and tell it where to find the macro.


Flores

 

[crendes]

smcadman - Thanks again - I messed around and figured out how to do the above eearlier today. If I may there is one last thing that I would like to ask. This may be in another forum but am not sure where to look. I noticed that I can only save the .pdf file in the current folder, is there any way that I can send the .pdf files to a separate folder, that contains all of our .pdf files in a separate location.
Thanks again for all of the help.

 

[ShaggyPE]

crendes,
You missed the point of scorch's idea and my explanation. Printing to pdf IS not printing on paper. It is the way a document is saved as a pdf. The bluebeam interface that solidworks includes just covers hides this action in its pretty interface.

Unfortunately the method as described does not work with the bluebeam pdf printer (I just tried it myself). It does however work with adobe acrobat (I do this daily).

If you download one of the other pdf converters the others mentioned or pay for acrobat pro, you will be able to do all that you require. Even save the pdf in a folder other than the current folder.

 

[smcadman]

FYI, the macro "SaveasPDFwhattoplot" I linked to earlier uses the Bluebeam PDF printer, not Adobe PDF, I just did a screenshot of the adobe symbol to use it as an icon for the button because it is very recognizable as a PDF symbol.

Begin rant >
Incidentally, I wish Solidworks printing worked as great as this macro does. We use standard A-size and B-size paper (8 1/2 x 11 and 11 x 17) on our drawings, rarely do we use C or D size. Whenever I print to our printer with these mixed sizes, either ALL OF THE PRINTED sheets are A-size or B-size. The SW apparently isn't smart enough to differentiate the 2 sizes automatically. Maybe SW could learn from AutoCAD how to correct this because in ACAD I could print A and B size sheets automatically without any problems
< End rant

Flores