about printing track plans and construction templates
To print the current template only, click the print > print current template menu item (or press F11).
To print an entire track plan, click the print > print entire pad menu item (or press CTRL-F11)
A print preview screen appears, showing how the track plan will be fitted on the pages.
The Templot print pages window also apppears:
When printing the entire pad, you can choose whether to include the current template (which is normally printed in different colours), by selecting the print > entire pad options menu options.
You can print at a reduced size by selecting the print > enlarge / reduce size menu options. A useful feature is the fit single page option, which reduces the printout sufficiently to just fit on a single sheet of paper.
Please click the what? button (arrowed above) on the print pages window for more detailed notes about printing track plans and templates.
Here is a scan showing a typical printed template page:
(More notes coming here soon.)
Handy Hints:
The final construction templates are normally printed on good quality plain paper (e.g. 100 gsm), but my inkjet is equally happy to print on ordinary tracing paper (or drafting film). So if I make a duplicate print on this, I can lay it over the rails during construction to check the alignment of the rails. (This is not an alternative to using the proper gauges, of course.) Bear in mind that a separate printer calibration for the tracing paper might be needed to get an exact match between the two prints ( print > printer calibration > calibrate printer... menu item or SHIFT-F5). If your printer doesn't like tracing paper it's possible to use the more expensive coated OHP transparency sheets instead.
Now here is another idea. If Templot is set to print the centre-lines of the rails instead of the rail edges, ( generator > rail centre-lines only menu item) you get the rivet positions for Brook-Smith style rivetted plywood construction, like this:
Print on tracing paper, then spray the print with Spraymount adhesive (blue can) and lay the plywood timbers in position. Then turn the whole print over and prick through to mark the rivet centres. This saves the tedious business of marking them out, and gets the rivets exactly under the middle of the rail, which makes it a lot easier to fit cosmetic chairs later. The timbers can then be peeled off for punching or drilling, or using a mini-drill they could be drilled directly through the paper.
You print a normal template for construction, of course, and having fixed the rivetted timbers in place on it, the tracing paper version can be used to check for any rivetting or timber alignment errors before adding the rails.
This is part of a B-7 turnout curved onto 1500 mm radius for P-87 (scale H0).
For this print I changed the rail and timber outlines to thin black lines (1 inkdot wide, which the scanner has interpreted as grey). Templot lets you set the line thicknesses to suit your printer. For best-quality printing of the final construction templates thin lines obviously give greater precision; for quick trial prints in draft mode thicker lines are generally easier to see and work with. Select the print > printed drawing options menu items.
If you print at a reduced size, Templot adjusts your line thickness settings accordingly.
The prototype rail joints are marked, showing where to add dummy fishplates. (This is not necessarily the best place for any 2-rail insulation gaps, which are not part of the prototype and therefore beyond the scope of Templot - you might for example be using live steam, clockwork-drive or batteries, or modelling trams.)
Martin.
more notes here soon