Font size on drawing 1

[DoubleStud]

What do you all use for your font? The company I used to work for uses 1/8" on AutoCAD. FYI font size on typing programs are all in 1/72th. So 1/8 is equivalent to size 9. I feel like it is too big. I started using 3/32 (6). I feel like it can even be smaller and maybe do 1/16 (4.5). Sometimes it is hard to fit everything with bigger texts. What are your experience? What the smallest you would go if you do a lot of 24x36 prints for the field?

 

[WinelandV]

Lo,

Annotating in model space was definitely not how Andy K. had it set up for us at our previous mutual employer.

IIRC, if you snap the paper space dims correctly to the linework shown in the viewport, those would adjust automatically to any moving of the linework. Deleting the line would, of course, break the dim, but that would also happen if you were dimensioning in model space.

Please note that is a "v" (as in Violin) not a "y".

 

[Lomarandil]

Andy and Gavin didn't want you doing your own drafting anyway. We certainly never broke that rule, right? ;-)

Good to know though, I didn't recall that the paper space object snaps would update. I guess that removes my objection to annotating in paperspace.

 

[GeorgeTheCivilEngineer]

I'll add some metric for our global users.

In the past on A1 sheets I'd used 2.5mm for notes and 5mm for titles. All in capitals.

As I have now switched to use A3 sheets (as this is practically how they will appear on site) I've needed to reduce the sizes a bit.

So now I use 2.2mm for normal text, 3.3mm for titles. I also use aerial narrow and use lower case - I find this is easier to read when the text is a bit smaller.

 

[milkshakelake]

Instead of Arial, I use RomanC and RomanD. The even spacing helps readability a bit. Though that's a preference thing.

We make drawings in Arch D 24x36 but print on 13x19. We used to print on 11x17, but the 3/32 text is just a little too small and cramped. Check out the Epson WF series; it's chock full of driver problems as a printer, but can print 13x19, which is why we put up with it. To me, it's a big difference. Though most stuff is paperless now, so it's less of a concern.

 

[jerseyshore]

I print on 24x36 for most drawings with some 8.5x11 and 11x17 for residential stuff.

I will try to update everything to use annotative text. Do people use the "leader" button to add a text with the arrow or do you guys have them as separate objects?

I'd love to have a good system that gives me consistent text and arrow sizes depending on what viewport scales I'm choosing.

 

[drawoh]

GeorgeTheCivilEngineer,

Back when I did E[ ]size and D[ ]size, equivalent to ISO A0 and A1[ ]size, I used 4mm or 5/32"[ ]font. This is readable on full sized prints hanging on a wall six feet away, and it is generally readable when printed at 11[×]17".

--
JHG

 

[manstrom]

In (hand) drafting class, we were taught minimum text is 1/8". When I got to the real world, we let 3/32" work. It fit better between lines at 1/8" apart (12" on 1/8" scale).

Nothing smaller ever. Most plans are half size now so a 1/16" font won't show up.

 

[jerseyshore]

Just found this old sheet given to me when I first started working.

 

[DoubleStud]

That's funny Jerseyshore. I see the notes with pencil on top right. When something is not printing right, us engineers (not knowing CAD that much) always do the following:
PSLTSCALE: 1 or 0 (have no idea which one is right), then we type REGEN
LTSCALE: 1 or 0, REGEN
MSLTSCALE maybe? REGEN

If it still looks funky, then we ask for help LOL.

 

[Enginerdad]

My local DOT uses 0.120 inches for standard text size, which would be about 1/8

 

[jerseyshore]

Yeah that sheet was dated 1997 which was when I was in elementary school so I didn't even know AutoCad existed and obviously whoever gave me this page had some troubles with it too.

Right next to this sheet on my wall is a list of about 50 of the most commonly used AutoCad shortcuts that I put together so that the other engineers would stop asking me how to move something or draw a rectangle.