Streamlining Your PCB Design Workflow with Eagle Print Customization

While Eagle CAD doesn’t offer default print setting customization, its PRINT command provides extensive options to tailor your output through shortcuts or custom menu configurations. This capability is particularly useful for PCB designers aiming for efficient documentation and output generation.

For users seeking to optimize their printing process, especially when direct margin control via command line is unavailable, Eagle CAD’s command-based system offers a powerful alternative. By leveraging the PRINT command, you can predefine parameters such as scale factor, paper size, output file name, and even export location. This level of control is crucial for maintaining consistency across different project outputs, whether you are printing from a board file or a schematic.

To explore the full spectrum of customization possibilities, the Eagle CAD help documentation is an invaluable resource. Navigating to “Editor Commands -> PRINT” within the help menu will reveal all available options and modifiers for the PRINT command. This comprehensive list empowers you to construct commands tailored precisely to your specific needs.

Efficiency can be significantly enhanced by embedding these customized PRINT commands into shortcuts or custom menu items. Using the ASSIGN command, you can link a complex print configuration to a simple keystroke or menu selection. This eliminates repetitive manual adjustments and ensures consistent print settings every time you generate output.

Consider this example of a command designed for board file printing:

SCRIPT presets; DISPLAY PDF; PRINT 1 -1 PAPER LETTER FILE %P/../Documents/%N.%E.pdf

This command sequence begins by executing a script to ensure desired layer visibility – a useful step to counteract potential internal layer setting inconsistencies. It then displays a predefined layer alias for printing and finally executes the PRINT command itself. The print command parameters specify a maximum scale factor of 1, restricts output to a single page, sets the paper size to Letter, and automatically defines the file path to a dedicated “Documents” folder, one level above the design files, using the design name and extension for the filename.

For schematic printing, similar commands can be employed, adjusted to suit schematic-specific requirements. Here are examples for Letter and Tabloid paper sizes:

PRINT 2 -1 PAPER letter SHEETS all FILE %P/../Documents/%N.%E.pdf
PRINT 2 -1 PAPER tabloid SHEETS all FILE %P/../Documents/%N.%E.pdf

These schematic print commands are configured to print all visible sheets without altering layer visibility, ensuring that all intended schematic elements are included in the output. The consistent file naming and location convention, directing files to the documentation folder, is maintained for schematics as well.

The advantage of using command-based printing extends beyond mere setting customization. It streamlines the entire documentation process by automating file naming and saving conventions, consistently placing exported documents in a designated documentation folder, separate from design files. This organized approach eliminates the need to browse for save locations each time and contributes to a cleaner, more structured project directory.

By harnessing the power of Eagle CAD’s PRINT command and incorporating it into custom workflows, designers can achieve a significantly more efficient and consistent output generation process, even without direct margin control. Exploring the HELP documentation and experimenting with command variations will unlock the full potential of Eagle Print customization for your PCB design projects.

For further resources on Eagle CAD libraries, consider exploring Eagle Library Resources.