Hello!
I need to print my PCB, regular paper, all enabled layers, exactly how I see it on screen.
Is there a setup to do that? I would like the copper pour to be disabled so that all the layers can
be seen by color. Well,there are only 2 signal layers.
I’ve seen something on the forum, but it was related to Kicad 4, and the Preferences menu is now
different.
Thanks for any hint.
Pascal
Use the print dialog and there the preview option?
Don’t really know how to help further, as you don’t state what your problem exactly is.
Hello!
A few images might help…
This first image show what I have on the screen. That’s not accurate because I opened
an Eagle project in order to explain what I want.
If I print like this, I will use all my black ink for nothing, so I would like to print the traces only.
In Eagle, I can choose a black or whit background, and it results in a drawing like this:
In Kicad, I get this:
The first one is one layer per page, the second one is single page. But whatever I do, the topmost
level hides everything.
However, my design looks like this in Kicad, so I suspect there is one way to print everything
as I want.
By the way, here we go again, the grid lines have been replaced by dots.
Any hint?
Pascal
Why not select single page and gie the layers the required transparency?
Why not make a copy of the poject, delete the zones and print?
I plan to use File|Export|SVG… to make my PCBs print. But it is only plan, may be realised in month or two, so at that moment can’t responsible say “do this and that to get what you need”.
SVG-s can be imported to OpenOffice Writer so you can make a written documentation with PCB in text.
Just experiment.
Hello Pedro!
Why not select single page and gie the layers the required transparency?
Following your reply, here is what I tried:
As there is apparently no transparency handling in the preview, I suppose you mean the transparency in the layers manager, at the right side of the PCBnew window. The transparency, even at its minimal value, doesn’t hide the copper pour layers. Here is what I get in the PCBNew window
Making a copy of the project might be a solution, indeed. But I was expecting something simpler, like print with white background what I see on the screen with copper pour disabled.
Pascal
I know it isn’t the solution you are looking for, but a kludge might be to delete the fill zones, print, then use undo to get the zones back. Definitely not ideal, but the best idea I have at the moment.
Hello!
Thanks for your reply.
Yes indeed, it’s not very straightforward to do.
Is there a way to setup a white background, even temporarily?
In this case, I would just take a screen copy of the above picture with a white background.
I found this on the forum:
but I didn’t find the way to set it up. If I can do that, I don’t need anything more.
Thanks for any hint.
Pascal
PS: I just found something which brings me closer: edit the background color in the layer manager,
on the right of the screen. However, in this case, the grid is awfully too dark, so changing background only
is still not ideal. Is there a way to have multiple color schemes (in the best case easily switchable) ?
Beside this, it doesn’t change the print preview at all.
Isn’t the grid color also editable in the same place as the background?
no need to change it, just switch it off for the ‘print’.
Using one of the examples from KiCAD (PicProgrammer) I get the following board with the zones filled up (Shortcut key ‘B’).
Going to the print dialog
Choosing what I want to print
My print preview looks like this, where all the traces are cover by the copper zones.
Going back to KiCad and unfilling the zones (Shorcut key Ctrl+B), now my board looks like this
And the print preview shows me this.
Is this the result that you want or I am missing something ?
Hello!
Thanks for your reply, that does it.
The trick was crtl-B which actually unfills the zones while the tool pair on the left menu
just show or hide the filled zones, but they still exist.
Thanks a lot, that’s really the minimal trouble solution, I get a similar image showing
exactly what I want, not less, not more.
Pascal
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