Print

The Print dialog allows you to print the data that is displayed on the canvas in eCADSTAR PCB Editor. This includes design data, reference designators, pin numbers and other data. A complete design can be fitted to a specified paper size, or a displayed area of the canvas can be printed. Macro text that has been previously entered on the board can also be printed.  Whereas the Plot dialog allows you to export only the objects, figures and layers that you specify for a PCB design, the Print dialog produces a flat image for the complete design. It is launched by selecting File > Print on the ribbon in eCADSTAR PCB Editor.

Basic Setting Tab

Output

Select a print device or application to print the canvas data to.

Page Setup

This section allows you to set the size, orientation and margins of the printed output, and save these settings as a Page Settings template. It also allows you to delete Page Settings templates, or change their settings.

Item		Description
Page Settings		The Page Settings field allows you to either select the Default page settings, or select a Page Settings template that you defined by clicking Add. Clicking Overwrite temporarily saves the changes made in the Page Setup section to the displayed Page Settings template. These changes are saved if you click Print or Apply in the Print dialog, but are lost if you click Cancel.
Page Settings functions		This split button is made available if a Page Settings template, other than Default, is selected in the Page Settings box. It allows you to delete or rename a Page Settings template that you defined by clicking Add.
	Delete	Deletes the Property Set that is displayed in the Property Set list.
	Rename	Allows you to rename the Page Settings template that is displayed in the Page Settings box, using the Rename dialog.
Size		Set the paper size by selecting a format in the displayed list, specifying a size, or selecting Auto.
	ISO and ANSI paper sizes	ISO (International Organization for Standardization ) and ANSI (American National Standards Institute) paper sizes are displayed.
	Specify size	If selected, the Width [mm] and Height [mm] fields are activated. These allow you to define the paper size.
	Auto	For the displayed data, the optimal orientation is used to allow printing on a single page.
	Width [mm]	Set the width of the paper in millimeters. This field is activated when you select Specify size in the Size list.
	Height [mm]	Set the height of the paper in millimeters. This field is activated when you select Specify size in the Size list.
Orientation		Specify a horizontal or vertical orientation for the paper, or select Auto to use the optimal orientation for the displayed data.
	Landscape	A page with landscape orientation is wider than it is tall.
	Portrait	A page with portrait orientation is taller than it is wide.
	Auto	For the displayed data, the optimal orientation is used to allow printing on a single page.
Margin		Specify the top, bottom, left and right margins of the paper in millimeters.
	Top [mm]	The top margin of the paper.
	Bottom [mm]	The bottom margin of the paper.
	Left [mm]	The left margin of the paper.
	Right [mm]	The right margin of the paper.
Add		Add a new Page Settings template using the Add dialog. Define the name of the Page Settings template and click OK in the Add dialog. The properties of the new Page Settings template are copied from the Page Settings template that was previously displayed in the Page Settings box. The new Page Settings template is selected by default in the Page Settings box.
Overwrite		Saves any changes made in the Page Setup section to the displayed Page Settings template.

Print Option

Item		Description
Output range: output current area		If selected, the currently-displayed area of the canvas is printed. If cleared, the whole canvas is printed, regardless of whether you have zoomed into a particular area.
Mirror		Allows you to print a version of the canvas that is mirrored in either the X or Y direction.
	Off	Prints the canvas without mirroring it.
	X-axis	Prints a version of the canvas that is mirrored in the X direction.
	Y-axis	Prints a version of the canvas that is mirrored in the Y direction.
Rotate		Allows you to print the canvas data after rotating it by a specified angle.
	No rotation	Prints the canvas data without rotating it.
	90 degrees	Prints the canvas data after rotating it by 90 degrees in a counterclockwise direction.
	180 degrees	Prints the canvas data after rotating it by 180 degrees in a counterclockwise direction.
	270 degrees	Prints the canvas data after rotating it by 270 degrees in a counterclockwise direction.
Scale		Specify the scale factor of the printed data. This can be reduced or increased in size, or automatically adjusted to match the paper size.
	Auto	If selected, the scale is automatically adjusted to match the paper size.
	Factor	Specifies the amount by which the size of the printed output is reduced or increased. For example: A value of 0.5 reduces its size by half. A value of 2 doubles its size.
Adjust position		Allows you to adjust the position of the printed data in the X and Y directions.
	Auto	If selected, the position of the printed data is automatically adjusted to match the paper size, and the X-axis and Y-axis fields are made unavailable.
	X-axis	Set the distance by which the printed data is adjusted in the X direction. Positive or negative values can be specified.
	Y-axis	Set the distance by which the printed data is adjusted in the Y direction. Positive or negative values can be specified.

Color

Item		Description
Color mode		Specify whether to print the canvas data in black and white, or to use the color settings of the print device.
	Monochrome	If selected, the canvas data is printed in black and white.
	Auto	If selected, the canvas data is printed using the color settings of the print device. Selecting Auto activates the Highlight, Error Mark and Attributes fields.
	Highlight	If selected, the canvas data is printed using darker colors.
	Error Mark	Using the Select color dialog, specify the print color for error marks that are displayed in white on the canvas. Non-white error marks are printed using the color in which they are displayed.
	Attributes	Using the Select color dialog, specify the print color for reference designators, pin numbers and data attributes that are displayed in white on the canvas. Non-white attributes are printed using the color in which they are displayed.

Attributes

Item	Description
Reference Designator	If selected, reference designator attributes in the canvas data are printed.
Component Group	If selected, component groups in the canvas data are printed.
Error Mark	If selected, error mark attributes in the canvas data are printed.
Data Attributes	If selected, data attributes in the canvas data are printed.

Import settings

Load settings that were previously specified in the Basic Setting tab and exported from the Print dialog. This is done by selecting the relevant .rsc file and clicking Open in the Open dialog.

Export settings

Save the settings that you have specified in the Print dialog, Basic Setting tab. In the Save As dialog, define a file name and click Save.

Reference Designator Tab

Allows you to change the appearance of reference designators in the printed output.

Text Attribute

Item		Description
Character width		Specify the width of text used for reference designators.
Character height		Specify the height of text used for reference designators.
Character spacing		Specify the spacing of the text characters in reference designators.
Line spacing		Specify the spacing between multiple reference designator lines.
Pen width		Specify the pen width of text characters in reference designators.
Origin		Specify the position of the reference designator in relation to the associated component.
	Bottom-Left	The bottom-left of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Bottom-Center	The bottom-center of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Bottom-Right	The bottom-right of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Middle-Left	The middle-left of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Middle-Center	The middle-center of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Middle-Right	The middle-right of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Top-Left	The top-left of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Top-Center	The top-center of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.
	Top-Right	The top-right of the reference designator is positioned at the origin of the component.

Print mode

Item		Description
Mode		Specify the width of the text used for reference designators in the printed output, and whether it is filled.
	No width	Only prints the centre lines of the text used for reference designators.
	Width	Prints the actual width of text used for reference designators, without filling the inside of the text.
	Fill	Prints the actual width of text used for reference designators, and fills the inside of the text.

Component Group Tab

Allows you to change the appearance of component groups in the printed output.

Text Attribute

Item		Description
Character width		Specify the width of text used for component groups.
Character height		Specify the height of text used for component groups.
Character spacing		Specify the spacing of the text characters in component groups.
Pen width		Specify the pen width of text characters in component groups.
Origin		Specify the position of the text with reference to the origin of the component group.
	Bottom-Left	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the bottom-left.
	Bottom-Center	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the bottom-center.
	Bottom-Right	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the bottom-right.
	Middle-Left	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the middle-left.
	Middle-Center	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the middle-center.
	Middle-Right	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the middle-right.
	Top-Left	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the top-left.
	Top-Center	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the top-center.
	Top-Right	With reference to the origin of the component group, the reference designator is positioned at the top-right.

Print Mode

Item		Description
Mode		Specify the width of the text used for component groups in the printed output, and whether it is filled.
	No width	Only prints the centre lines of the text used for component groups.
	Width	Prints the actual width of text used for component groups, without filling the inside of the text.
	Fill	Prints the actual width of text used for component groups, and fills the inside of the text.

Error Mark Tab

The Error Mark tab allows you to change the appearance of DRC error marks in the printed output.

Text Attribute

Item		Description
Character width		Specify the width of text used for error marks.
Character height		Specify the height of text used for error marks.
Character spacing		Specify the spacing of the text characters in error marks.
Pen width		Specify the pen width of text characters in error marks.
Origin		Specify the position of the error mark in relation to the component.
	Bottom-Left	The error mark is positioned at the bottom-left of the component.
	Bottom-Center	The error mark is positioned at the bottom-center of the component.
	Bottom-Right	The error mark is positioned at the bottom-right of the component.
	Middle-Left	The error mark is positioned at the middle-left of the component.
	Middle-Center	The error mark is positioned at the middle-center of the component.
	Middle-Right	The error mark is positioned at the middle-right of the component.
	Top-Left	The error mark is positioned at the top-left of the component.
	Top-Center	The error mark is positioned at the top-center of the component.
	Top-Right	The error mark is positioned at the top-right of the component.

Print Mode

Item		Description
Mode		Specify the width of the text used for error marks in the printed output, and whether it is filled.
	No width	Only prints the centre lines of the text used for error marks.
	Width	Prints the actual width of text used for error marks, without filling the inside of the text.
	Fill	Prints the actual width of text used for error marks, and fills the inside of the text.

Data Attributes Tab

Allows you to change the appearance of data attributes in the printed output.

Text Attribute

Item		Description
Character width		Specify the width of text used for data attributes.
Character height		Specify the height of text used for data attributes.
Character spacing		Specify the spacing of the text characters in data attributes.
Pen width		Specify the pen width of text characters in data attributes.
Origin		Specify the position of the data attributes in relation to the component.
	Bottom-Left	The data attributes are positioned at the bottom-left of the component.
	Bottom-Center	The data attributes are positioned at the bottom-center of the component.
	Bottom-Right	The data attributes are positioned at the bottom-right of the component.
	Middle-Left	The data attributes are positioned at the middle-left of the component.
	Middle-Center	The data attributes are positioned at the middle-center of the component.
	Middle-Right	The data attributes are positioned at the middle-right of the component.
	Top-Left	The data attributes are positioned at the top-left of the component.
	Top-Center	The data attributes are positioned at the top-center of the component.
	Top-Right	The data attributes are positioned at the top-right of the component.

Print Mode

Item		Description
Mode		Specify the width of the text used for data attributes in the printed output, and whether it is filled.
	No width	Only prints the centre lines of the text used for data attributes.
	Width	Prints the actual width of text used for data attributes, without filling the inside of the text.
	Fill	Prints the actual width of text used for data attributes, and fills the inside of the text.

 

Item	Description
Preview	Displays the Preview dialog. This dialog allows you to view the design data using the settings that you specify in the Print dialog. Any changes that you make in the Preview dialog are not saved.
Print	Prints the displayed design data using the settings that you specify in the Print dialog. Any changes that you make in the Print dialog are saved.
Cancel	Closes the Print dialog without saving changes made to the settings.
Apply	Saves any changes made to the settings in the Print dialog. The dialog remains open.