[Test-Equipment] HP 8405A Manual - Schematics -addendum

[Eric Lemmon]

That method works okay in a copy machine that moves the original across a
fixed scan head.  It does not always work very well in the more common
copier that moves the scanner bar or mirror beneath the stationary original.
In the latter case, there are optical errors that exist at the edges that
make it difficult or impossible to line up multiple scans, and this is most
apparent in very detailed schematic diagrams.

It is far better to take long foldout pages of a manual to a commercial
graphics house, where the entire sheet is scanned in one pass into a PDF
file.  My local graphics house charges me only 17 cents per square foot for
scanning, and can handle pages that are up to five feet wide and more than
100 feet long.  I'm not exaggerating- some electrical diagrams for an
airplane are intended to be put on a wall, so that an engineer can follow
each wire from beginning to end.  Once a manual has been scanned so that
each page is one PDF document, the Adobe "snapshot tool" can be used to
select portions or details to print on standard-size paper.  Of course, the
great value of full-page scanning is that the long pages can be printed in
their original sizes by the same graphics shop (and some Kinko's) that have
a roll-feed document printer.

73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY


-----Original Message-----
In a message dated 6/21/2009 8:45:14 AM Central Daylight Time, tod at k0to.us 
writes: 
> I have Adobe Acrobat 7.0 which allows me to do the 'tile large pages'
> function as you describe. The free Adobe Reader does not seem to provide
> that function. There may be other programs, unknown to me, that will
> manipulate the .pdf pages in a similar way. 
> 
> The reason I mentioned the quick printing services [Kinko's, Insty Print] 
> is
> that I believe they use Acrobat and should be able to deal with the large
> schematics as special page printing. Like you I usually spread the 11 x 17
> across 3 pages. I use 1/2" overlap and either rubber cement or other paper
> adhesive to create a fold-out page. 
> 
> 
> Tod, K0TO
> 
> 
> 
> >Hi Tod
> >  
> >Many thanks for the schematics section, all now combined into 
> >one manual and looking good. 
> >  
> >Adobe Acrobat, not reader as far as I know, has an option to 
> >"tile print"  
> >larger pages with a defined overlap between 1 and 2 inches.
> >I've used this before and it works well, an 11 x 17 page can 
> >be neatly split across three 8.5 x 11 pages in portrait mode 
> >and is completely  legible.
> >  
> >regards
> >  
> >Nigel
> >GM9PZR