Setting printer and paper sizes in Pythagoras

In Pythagoras, you can easily set up a printer and paper size, whether you're using a physical printer or a virtual PDF printer. This guide shows you how to do that and explains the differences between virtual printers.

• Select a printer: physical or virtual
  • Available paper sizes
    • PHYSICAL PRINTER
    • PDF PRINTER
• File > Print...
• File > Print to PDF...

Select a printer: physical or virtual

Open the list of available printers in Pythagoras. You’ll see all printers installed on your computer via Windows.

The default printer from your Windows system is automatically selected. Depending on your needs, you can choose another printer:

• Physical printer: For example, an A0 plotter, which lets you select paper sizes like A0, A1, or A2.
• Virtual printer: Use a PDF printer to save your document as a PDF file instead of printing it physically.

File > Sheets > Manage Sheets...

Available paper sizes

The available paper sizes are determined by the selected printer. If you choose a paper size that can’t be printed by a specific printer, that printer will no longer be visible in the list.

PHYSICAL PRINTER

For physical printers, the options depend on the type of printer and its settings. For example, an A0 plotter supports sizes like A0, A1, A2, and so on.

If you print a drawing using a different printer than the one it was originally made for, Pythagoras will display a warning message. If you continue, the drawing will be adjusted to the new printer settings.

PDF PRINTER

With virtual printers, the available paper sizes also depend on the selected virtual printer.
Don’t have an A0 plotter and want to export large technical drawings as PDF? By installing an external virtual printer, you can easily add extra paper sizes that automatically become available in the Pythagoras PDF printer. This saves time and avoids manually adding formats in Windows.

Relation between different virtual printers and their paper sizes:

• Microsoft Print to PDF. Default virtual printer in Windows. Available paper sizes are managed in the Windows printer settings. You need to manually add each desired size via Windows configuration. A simple solution without extra software, but limited in features and paper formats. (Microsoft Support)

• Pythagoras PDF printer. Built-in virtual printer in Pythagoras. The Pythagoras PDF printer doesn’t have its own paper sizes but inherits paper sizes from other installed printers. So, to use custom sizes, you need to create them via other printers (physical or virtual).
  
  
• If you need specific paper sizes or want to quickly add multiple formats, you can install virtual printers like CutePDF, PDFCreator, or Adobe PDF. These printers often offer extended paper size options and can add extra formats that the Pythagoras PDF printer will automatically pick up.

Once you’ve set up the paper sizes, you can proceed easily via Sheet Manager. Below are the steps to print or save your project perfectly.

• Make sure the paper sizes you need are set in your physical or virtual printer.
• Go to Sheet Manager in Pythagoras.
• Choose the desired printer (physical or virtual).
• Select the paper size that matches your project requirements.

File > Print...

You can now easily print your drawings or save them as PDF via Ctrl + P. The Print window opens with the previously selected settings. If you want to convert the document to PDF, choose a PDF printer in the Printer field.

File > Print to PDF...

Click File > Print to PDF and select the sheet you want to save as PDF file. The document will then be converted and saved as a PDF file.