I've made two attempts to start a new thread with this but it never posts (also doesn't send me an error message). Trying again as a reply in this thread. ============================================= ----------- This is all I've worked out so far; there has been one test print actually to paper, done in Europe and reported to be successful, but we didn't actually print the "presentation" charts we had intended, because it proved to be quite expensive--one chart alone ran over 50 meters! (We used the .PDFs projected from the laptop. We have some learning to do with VCF so to be able to shrink the waste-space out of these charts.) Any SKS who brings this to actual paper, please give feedback. (Once we make this work dependably, maybe somebody will post the finished instructions on a Website.) ----------- 1. Using TMG v9.05 on Windows 7. 2. I installed and am using CutePDF, which works as a printer driver. 3. In v7.04, v8.08, and v9.05, I found the following step is needed: Before going into VCF, I opened, in Windows, the Printers Control Panel, and did the following (otherwise, the printer settings in VCF wouldn't "take"): a. Set CutePDF as default printer. b. CutePDF Writer Printer Properties > General tab > Preferences: 1) Layout=Portrait 2) Advanced (button) > CutePDF Writer Advanced Options: 3) In Paper/Output, set Paper Size=PostScript Custom Page, Edit custom page size (button) > PostScript Custom Page Size Definition i. Width=5080 mm (maximum) (200 inches) ii. Height=1200 mm (plotter we're accessing takes 1.2 m paper roll--47.244 inches) or to the width of the plotter available to you (check with service provider). iii. Paper Feed Direction=Short Edge First iv. Paper Type=Roll Feed v. Offsets=0 4) "Okay" your way out of these dialogs. 4. Now in TMG, Report > Descendant Box Chart to create the VCF chart. a. Under VCF's File > Page Setup, set Page Size to PostScript Custom Page Size. It might appear to be set this way, but you must press OK here for it to "take". (You'll see cut lines disappear from chart.) 5. VCF will create the chart. Pages will appear to be 1.2 m high and 5080 mm wide. However, though page breaks will appear in VCF (and in Adobe Reader), I believe the plotter will print continuously. (I believe, though, the resulting strip of paper will be a multiple of 200 inches; the plotter operator might need to stop the printing at the end of the content. I don't know about this part.) a. I don't think it matters, but in later tries I set: File > Print Cut Marks=off. 6. File>Print. (Warning: This might take quite some time; don't worry that it didn't work.) 7. After "proofreading" the .PDF, you can put this file on a memory stick and take it to your "office services" place. Don't forget: When you're finished, go back into Windows printer settings and set your printer back to the desired default. Rick Van Dusen On 9/28/2015 8:04 AM, Rick Van Dusen wrote: > I've done some work with printing to a .pdf file with the settings for a > plotter. My cousin had one test print made. We haven't done enough work > with this to get the bugs out, but we do know it can be made to work. > You then take your .pdf file to a printing place with a plotter. > > I've been meaning to post this with some details; I'll try to do that > within the next day or so. > > Rick Van Dusen

Forum thread here: http://www.whollygenes.com/forums201/index.php?/topic/14684-printing-large-charts-to-pdf/#entry59391 and download the Update-PrintingChart.pdf link. Note also that there are many many examples of VCF charts of various sizes and designs on the VCF forum. It may take some paging through the forum to find them, but you'll get some good ideas for making charts more compact. Virginia On Thu, Oct 8, 2015 at 1:50 PM, Rick Van Dusen via <tmg@rootsweb.com> wrote: > I've made two attempts to start a new thread with this but it never > posts (also doesn't send me an error message). Trying again as a reply > in this thread. > ============================================= > ----------- > This is all I've worked out so far; there has been one test print > actually to paper, done in Europe and reported to be successful, but we > didn't actually print the "presentation" charts we had intended, because > it proved to be quite expensive--one chart alone ran over 50 meters! (We > used the .PDFs projected from the laptop. We have some learning to do > with VCF so to be able to shrink the waste-space out of these charts.) > > Any SKS who brings this to actual paper, please give feedback. (Once we > make this work dependably, maybe somebody will post the finished > instructions on a Website.) > > ----------- > 1. Using TMG v9.05 on Windows 7. > > 2. I installed and am using CutePDF, which works as a printer driver. > > 3. In v7.04, v8.08, and v9.05, I found the following step is needed: > > Before going into VCF, I opened, in Windows, the Printers Control Panel, > and did the following (otherwise, the printer settings in VCF wouldn't > "take"): > > a. Set CutePDF as default printer. > > b. CutePDF Writer Printer Properties > General tab > Preferences: > 1) Layout=Portrait > 2) Advanced (button) > CutePDF Writer Advanced Options: > 3) In Paper/Output, set Paper Size=PostScript Custom Page, Edit custom > page size (button) > PostScript Custom Page Size Definition > i. Width=5080 mm (maximum) (200 inches) > ii. Height=1200 mm (plotter we're accessing takes 1.2 m paper > roll--47.244 inches) or to the width of the plotter available to you > (check with service provider). > iii. Paper Feed Direction=Short Edge First > iv. Paper Type=Roll Feed > v. Offsets=0 > 4) "Okay" your way out of these dialogs. > > 4. Now in TMG, Report > Descendant Box Chart to create the VCF chart. > > a. Under VCF's File > Page Setup, set Page Size to PostScript Custom > Page Size. It might appear to be set this way, but you must press OK > here for it to "take". (You'll see cut lines disappear from chart.) > > 5. VCF will create the chart. Pages will appear to be 1.2 m high and > 5080 mm wide. However, though page breaks will appear in VCF (and in > Adobe Reader), I believe the plotter will print continuously. (I > believe, though, the resulting strip of paper will be a multiple of 200 > inches; the plotter operator might need to stop the printing at the end > of the content. I don't know about this part.) > > a. I don't think it matters, but in later tries I set: > File > Print Cut Marks=off. > > 6. File>Print. (Warning: This might take quite some time; don't worry > that it didn't work.) > > 7. After "proofreading" the .PDF, you can put this file on a memory > stick and take it to your "office services" place. > > Don't forget: When you're finished, go back into Windows printer > settings and set your printer back to the desired default. > > Rick Van Dusen > > > > > On 9/28/2015 8:04 AM, Rick Van Dusen wrote: >> I've done some work with printing to a .pdf file with the settings for a >> plotter. My cousin had one test print made. We haven't done enough work >> with this to get the bugs out, but we do know it can be made to work. >> You then take your .pdf file to a printing place with a plotter. >> >> I've been meaning to post this with some details; I'll try to do that >> within the next day or so. >> >> Rick Van Dusen > The TMG archive is found here: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/TMG/ > Instructions on how to subscribe to TMG: http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/other/Software/TMG.html > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TMG-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message