You asked,
> I understand that copying machines distort large images. How do
>you take the distortions into account? Are they significant enough to
worry
>about, or am I just acting like chicken little??
>
Some time back I did some experiments with reducing and blowing up drawings
on three different brands of copiers in my office - after being told they
distort things.
I found no evidence that the distortion is really likely to be noticeable to
the eye on a machine in normal order ! Generally the only problem was that
the ratio in the long axis might differ from the short by as much as 1
percent, hardly earth shattering.
One thing to beware is that the copy ratio may not match what the front
panel says. I found that in making 1:48 drawings from 1:72, using a 150%
ratio on each copier gave 3 different sizes. Always calculate some key
dimension and check that the copy comes up right. Mind you, I ended up with
the copiers set at 149%, 150% and 152% which isn't far out.
Shane