EEV Blog KiCad

[MagFlux]

I just got around to trying KiCad and noticed that the print out on my DeskJet is very slow to produce and very faint. All the other software that I have , and tried(DipTrace etc) all work fine.
If this can be resolved it would be a toss up between KiCad and DipTrace. If not, then it will be DipTrace that I choose. Anyone have any input as to either the problem or any other Pros/Cons of each?

[amspire]

KiCad doesn't give a huge range of formatting options.

In the Preferences->Options, you can increase the default line width to 15 mils.

Also I nearly always have the Box to print in Black and White ticked in the Print dialog box, as the colours are usually only relevant to the schematic editor.

Richard.

[MagFlux]

Thanks Richard,
Took your advice and also changed component body, value, pins etc to darker colors.
Looks KiCad is back in the race.

[McMonster]

As an alternative you may also try exporting to SVG (plotting in KiCAD's language) and using an external application like Inkscape for greater control over the printing. That's what I'm always using for exporting to image, pain in the ass, but gives best results for me.