tatmapper-app

Placement Card and print-check PDFs

Purpose

The TatMapper Placement Card is the perspective-correction backup to the recommended U.S. quarter workflow. It is generated locally as a vector PDF for A4 or U.S. Letter without requiring a Print Setup. The internal geometry/schema version remains TM-CAL-1, but that identifier is not required artist-facing terminology.

TatMapper deliberately separates two jobs:

1. the Placement Card establishes scale and perspective in the photo; and
2. an optional Print Check verifies the complete physical output path.

Neither PDF contains JavaScript, a remote resource, tracking payload, or client information.

The logo, TM decoration, and internal feature pattern are not measurement edges. The authoritative geometry is the labelled square and bars.

Profile-independent Placement Card

The default one-page Placement Card PDF includes exact 100.00 mm, exact 4.00 inch (101.60 mm), and exact 50.00 mm references plus one reusable 50.00 mm four-corner card. An explicit option adds a second page of extra cards. It can be opened from Home, Settings, or Scale without naming a printer or creating a Print Setup.

Print Check page 1 - physical output verification

Page 1 contains:

• a 100.00 mm horizontal bar with 10 mm subdivisions;
• a 100.00 mm vertical bar with 10 mm subdivisions;
• a 50.00 mm reference square;
• the Print Path Profile name, stable short code, status, stages, media, application/driver, dates, and latest recorded X/Y measurements;
• fields for physical measurements and operator notes; and
• explicit Actual Size, Fit to Page, invalidation, and final-stencil warnings.

For a regular-printer-plus-copier path, the uncorrected output is labelled:

DIAGNOSTIC PAPER MASTER - NOT THE FINAL VERIFIED STENCIL

The corrected output is labelled:

FINAL STENCIL VERIFICATION - MEASURE THIS OUTPUT

Measuring the paper master can diagnose stage 1, but final stencil measurements are authoritative.

Print Check page 2 - setup-labelled reusable targets

Page 2 contains two cut-out cards. Each card has:

• a nominal 50.00 mm inner square;
• a separate outer cut line;
• four clear square corners;
• an asymmetric, feature-rich internal pattern;
• a top/orientation mark and TM-CAL-1;
• independent 20.00 mm X/Y bars;
• human-readable profile identity and status; and
• instructions to keep the card with its exact print path.

Detachable envelope and printer/storage labels repeat the profile name, short code, path summary, media, and generation date. Human-readable text is authoritative; this release does not add a QR dependency.

Generation modes

• Uncorrected diagnostic: nominal geometry; used for the first physical measurements.
• Corrected verification: X and Y geometry is compensated using the latest accepted diagnostic record.
• Paper-master only: clearly states that final stencil scale is not verified.

The generated coordinates use 72 / 25.4 PDF points per millimetre. Tests assert the 100 mm bars and 50 mm square to substantially tighter than the required 0.1 mm software tolerance. That is not proof of physical printer accuracy.

Shop quick guide

1. Use a U.S. quarter for the recommended quick photo-scale workflow, or print/share a profile-independent Placement Card when four-corner perspective correction is needed.
2. Optionally create and name a Print Setup for output correction.
3. Record every printer/copier stage, media, app/driver, orientation, scale, quality, heat, speed, and density setting that affects output.
4. Generate the uncorrected Print Check.
5. Print through the complete path at 100% / Actual Size with Fit to Page off.
6. Measure the final stencil’s horizontal and vertical 100 mm bars.
7. Record those values in TatMapper.
8. Generate the corrected Print Check.
9. Repeat the complete path and measure the corrected final output.
10. Mark the setup verified only after that second physical check.
11. Store setup-labelled targets in a labelled sleeve beside the matching path.

Every exported stencil still includes final X/Y 100 mm rulers. Measure them before use.

Mandatory identity warning

A Print Setup check is valid only for the printer, paper or stencil media, orientation, print application, driver, and settings printed on it. Reprint and remeasure after any scale-affecting change. Do not use a setup-labelled target with another Print Setup, even when the hardware model is identical.

This restriction does not turn the profile-independent Placement Card into a printer correction. Its printed reference must still be measured before use.