FitPlot 2.8

Printing tool to manage plotter sheets.
The goal of this application is simple:
1. Place various pdfs (or other common graphic formats files such as jpg, tif, gif, eps, psd, image in the pasteBoard) on a virtual plotter sheet;
2. Arrange all objects in a WYSIWYG environment moving, rotating and scaling them;
3. Print the so arranged plotter sheet and eventually save it for later printings.

Who may need this program?

CAD users that may have to plot several small drawings or more copies of a small drawing, can save their print job as pdf then drop each pdf on the fitPlot sheet window representing the plotter page. Here you can duplicate, rotate, rescale your pdfs.

Print services may find in fitPlot a quick and tiny preprint application. It may be useful to prepare visually more copies of an image in the choosen plotter format sheet, optionally giving images trim marks, resizing, rotating etc..

Users who want an easy way to print large size sheet in portions (moving the image numerically via the info panel).

Web surfers who want a quick way to print found images. Keep an A4 (or Letter) format open aside while surfing on the web and drop on it the images I want to print. Easy and fast.

In addition you can set the page margins characteristic of any printer / plotter and have a visual preview of what is eventually out of the print area.


Limitations:

A watermark will be printed on the center of the sheet unless you request the password to avoid this.

What's New in This Release:

Magnetic guides: just clicking in the rulers area (vertical or horizontal), you get a magnetic guide. Objects sides easily snap to guides.

To move a guide simply drag its position tracker (triangle) along the ruler.

At the same way, to get rid of a guide, drag its indicator out of the ruler.

Snap distance and guide color are customizable in the preferences panel.

Drag&Drop enhanced: beyond the drag&drop toward FitPlot, it is now available the drag from FitPlot to the desktop or other apps.

You just have to press the alt key (or the alt+cmd keys together) before starting to click and drag the object.

In the first way (alt), releasing the object on the desktop, you'll get a copy of the original referenced image, the other case (alt+cmd), will create an alias of the referenced image.

Dropping objects from FitPlot to other graphic applications should cause the opening of the app or the insertion of the image in the specific program work area.

Drop on the pages drawer: the same way as above, we can drop an object (from the Finder or from FitPlot itself) on any page in the opened pages drawer (see pages drawer in Pagination section).

Dragging an image from the FitPlot area toward the pages drawer, with the same keys combination as seen before, will cause respectively a copy or a displacement of the dropped object in the destination page. The position, relatively to the new page, will be preserved.

Packing: packing algorithm offers some new options.

First of all, to the existing packing modes (single page printer or plotter) it is added the pack in area (the area is user defined describing a rect with the mouse when prompted).

Second point, now you can choose to perform packing on all elements in the document (as it has been before now) or just on a selected set. This way, combined with the pack in area, lets you fill a particular area with some selected images avoiding unwanted move of already placed objects.

Page setup…: a button on the main window (next to the custom sizes and SET controls) makes easier to pick one from the printer driver's page sizes lists. It has the same effect of the File -> Page Setup… menu.

Move object dialog improved: it is now possible to move the current selection of objects (cmd+M) making a copy of it. A further option in the move dialog allows to move the selection to a given page (to choose between the available pages), eventually making a copy.
Other Improving to the interface and some bug fixed:

Cursors in manual editing (when the mouse approaches the pivot handles) are now perfectly reliable.

Grid snap when resizing in now working fine (limited to the sole X snap).

Snaps comprehends also the just implemented magnetic guides.

Keyboard event manager has been revised. Added the turn page with the keys Page Up, Page Down, Home e End (when pages drawer is opened).

Fixed possible bug with color preferences (selections, grid etc.).

Fixed some discovered minor bug.