LibreCAD: export a CAD drawing to PDF and check print scale

Set the print scale in CAD before sharing a drawing as a PDF. This guide assumes a correctly dimensioned 2D model drawn at full size. Menu names may vary by LibreCAD version and language.

Preparation

Save a working copy. Check the drawing unit and a known geometric distance; do not change model geometry just to fit a page. Decide the target paper, orientation, margins and required scale. Example: a 1000 mm model length should become 100 mm on paper at 1:10.

PDF output step by step

  1. Open File → Print Preview. Under Options → Current Drawing Preferences → Paper, check paper format, orientation and margins for the current drawing.
  2. Set the required print scale in the preview toolbar and confirm the entry. Enable fixed if available. Fit to Page calculates a fitting scale automatically; do not use it as the final step when a fixed ratio is required.
  3. Centre the output and inspect every page edge. If the drawing does not fit at the required scale, choose larger paper or a deliberately planned multipage output. Inspect dimension text, line widths, hatches and visible layers in the preview.
  4. Choose PDF output under File → Export and save under a new name. Then open that exact PDF in an independent PDF viewer. Check page count, physical page size, orientation, missing text or lines and clipped areas.

Check the scale on paper

Print a test page from the PDF viewer at actual size or 100 percent, without additional fitting to paper. The printer paper must match the PDF page format. Measure known horizontal and vertical reference distances on the printout: paper length = model length divided by the scale denominator, using the same unit. In the example, 1000 mm at 1:10 must become 100 mm. The viewer’s zoom percentage and an on-screen ruler are not reliable substitutes.

If the size is wrong

If both distances are wrong by the same ratio, check CAD print scale, PDF page size and additional scaling in the print dialogue or printer driver. Do not hastily change geometry. If the directions are affected differently, the output is not dimensionally accurate; investigate print settings or the printer. Record scale, sheet format and revision in the title block. A reprint on another paper size requires another check.

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