Printing FT plans

MikeBg

Member
Hi all, I just started building & flying FT planes last summer, some speed build, some scratch. I have been printing plans using the tilled version but that doesn't always work out if the pages are not lined up just right. I love doing scratch builds but would like to get the plans printed in poster size to eliminate mistakes. However, the cost is just too much at local print shops. Has anyone found a good on-line site that will print plans for a good price?? Is there such a thing as a model site that also does printing???

Thanks for any help
MikeBg
 
I've used Staples in the past. They will print a 24x36" page for $3.89 per page. You can go to their web site, and upload the .pdf (un-tiled) plans and have them printed at your nearest Staples. I've never used the expedited service (1 day), but have always had them turned around in a day or two.

Note: When selecting the size, be sure you don't select the "Fit content to paper" option -- that will scale up the plans so they won't fit on a sheet of 20x30" foam board.

Note 2: The price is for monochrome prints, so no color-coded lines, but that's easy to remedy with different colored highlighters when you get the plans home.

(http://www.staples.com/sbd/content/...-prints.html?id=product1&q=engineering prints)
 
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MikeBg

Member
Thanks, that sounds like a good way to do it. I don't have a problem with black & white prints either, I do tilled prints on a monochrome laser.
 

thebigbaker

Junior Member
I was just about to print of some tiled prints tomorrow, but after reading this thread, I'm going to try the Staples advice above. Thanks!
 
I was just about to print of some tiled prints tomorrow, but after reading this thread, I'm going to try the Staples advice above. Thanks!

Printing out the plan does require a bit of assembling, I usually lay them out on my bed to get the general idea of what they should look like, obviously the wings should be equal, the length of the fuselage has to be approximately correct, the tail feathers should be close to shape and size , the small parts (canopy, turtle decks and other intricate parts usually need good plans) but always keep in mind some of your best planes will be the result of a happy mistake.
 
Well, if I consider the cost of my time, paper, toner, and tape... plus to be sure everything aligns right... $3.89 a page isn't so bad.

Don't get me wrong, I have stacks of tiled plans I've used to build anything from an FT Flyer to the Simple Storch. But if you want to avoid a tedious (for me) step and don't mind laying out a few more dollars, it's a small price to pay.

Unfortunately, most of my mistakes don't turn out to be very happy... ;)
 

CrashRecovery

I'm a care bear...Really?
Mentor
The other neat thing about printing them out in full size is if you want to you can color and design on the plans and glue the plans to the board and use them instead of painting or drawing on the foamboard
 

PlaneAddicted

Cub Crazy
I have a wide format (24"wide) printer in my office that I use to print out plans. Maybe ask some friends and family if they have access to a printer that can print D and/or E size sheets.
 

Force5

Junior Member
plotter

I just obtained a 42" HP design jet plotter! I was able to print out the Kraken on two sheets.
For most normal plans I can print them on a 36" roll. Its nice not having to use tiled plans. :cool:
I was thinking about offering it up as a service but looks like just the postage would be more the going to staples.
 

teoulennon

Junior Member
I uploaded the ft versa plans to the staple website and chose the 24"x36" option at $3.89 each and the plans didn't fit on the 2nd page so I had to choose the larger 36"x48" size for it at $7.79 :(

This would be my first plane so an extra $15 or so for the kit from FT doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

Even after I become skilled at scratchbuilding, $15 more for a kit sounds like it would outweigh the time and preparation needed to scratchbuild from the plans myself.
Am I missing something? Do we just print and scratchbuild from the plans to save this money? Doesn't seem like a bad tradeoff to me unless I'm building dozens of planes.
 

Timmy P

Member
I almost did that staples thing but I like my templates to be made of thick cardstock so I can trace them with ease.. That 3 dollar prink from Staples is thin paper and almost impossible to trace out quickly.. I asked them if they could print it on posterboard for me and they said that bumps it up to a "poster print" and thats 15 bucks... When I cut out pdf plans.. I dont do the mirrored side.. I just flip over the template so Im not taping and cutting 2 wings ect.. Takes me a little under 30 minutes from print to trace..
 

DharanFlyer

Active member
Hey -

I have been doing the Staples tiled printing on card stock but wanted to do a full size plan. When I upload them on the largest (36x48) they don't seem to see the page breaks so they don't fit. Keeps cutting off the far left and right sides. Trying to do the Baby Blender and the Bloody Wonder. Are you going into the store to print? Might try that this afternoon.

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: Found my fix. Had to split the file into individual pages to get it to work.
 
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adamalbert

Junior Member
Thanks Harmless

I've used Staples in the past. They will print a 24x36" page for $3.89 per page. You can go to their web site, and upload the .pdf (un-tiled) plans and have them printed at your nearest Staples. I've never used the expedited service (1 day), but have always had them turned around in a day or two.

Note: When selecting the size, be sure you don't select the "Fit content to paper" option -- that will scale up the plans so they won't fit on a sheet of 20x30" foam board.

Note 2: The price is for monochrome prints, so no color-coded lines, but that's easy to remedy with different colored highlighters when you get the plans home.

(http://www.staples.com/sbd/content/...-prints.html?id=product1&q=engineering prints)

I tried having Staples print out a one sheet plan, and it works great.
When you do the math: 8 pages X .20 per inkjet page, plus tape, plus time, vs $3.59 and one clean set of plans = a great tip.
Thanks Mostly Harmless
Adam
 
for those of us that live too far away from a staples :p

like me, my nearest is about a 1/2 hr drive min depending on traffic, which would mean to go print plans, it would take me at lease 1 1/2 hrs.

I choose to download the un-tiled version.
then when getting ready to print, simply choose poster, cut marks, and 100% scale.

i have done it this way for as long as i can remember, and has always worked great for me. :)

less than an hour later i have a full plan all taped together and ready to turn into patterns. so i can make multiple planes from the same plan time and time again. No re-printing needed :)
 
That's one of the things I love about this hobby -- there are always multiple ways of accomplishing the same thing. It's truly amazing what the Flite Test community has brought to the hobby... easy, practical, flexible, and relatively inexpensive ways for people to get a plane into the air.

I've since graduated from Staples-printed plans and picked up a surplus vinyl-cutting machine that I've modified into a plotter. I can easily transfer the plans to paper (as in this video):


Once you have the plans printed out, cut out the pieces -- at first, an inch or so outside the lines -- and then glue to poster board using 3M (or similar) spray adhesive. Once the glue is dried, cut out around the lines to get easy-to-trace templates.

Even better (though I don't have a video of that, yet), I've rigged up a way to feed a sheet of foam board into the machine and have the plans drawn directly on it. After a few minutes of plotting, all I have to do is "cut along the dotted lines."
 

uberfist

Junior Member
Have you tried cutting the foam board with the cutting option on that thing? I have been looking into this option, and would love to know if it will work.
 
Have you tried cutting the foam board with the cutting option on that thing? I have been looking into this option, and would love to know if it will work.

Yup.... I had to machine a different blade holder because the machine isn't designed for cutting material that thick. The blades I'm using will cut the upper surface, but seem to tear as much as cut. I think with a little fiddling, I might be able to improve on that, but will never be able to cut all the way through -- there just isn't enough vertical travel in the pen/blade holder. Even if I do get the upper surface to cut without tearing, I'd still have to cut the rest of the way using my trusty X-acto knives. Thus, I'll stick with drawing the plans on the foam, and then cutting them by hand -- which is somewhat enjoyable, anyway. The pattern/tracing bit is the hardest part, anyway (for me, at least).
 

dryhiker

Member
I just built a Mini Mustang using the tiled plans. I only connected the parts which had to be connected, rather than making a whole plan sheet. Then I cut out the pieces and taped them to the foamboard to cut them out. That worked ok, and possibly cut down on the tiling tedium. The alignment marks printed on the sheets was the key to keeping everything straight for me.

I much prefer the kits with their laser cutting. The reason for this being a scratch build is to make the basic plane waterproof. I made it out of 5mm styrene foam board. It is a little more difficult because the paper backing is really helpful, but it went together ok and won't be affected by the morning dew at my flying field.