As you may have noticed, DIY Plans at Mechanical Elements are “Ready For Download“, right now. That means you can buy them now, then have them on your computer in just a few minutes. Start your DIY project today! AND, there is no shipping cost! That is the magic of getting plans by download.
Yet, for those of us who are not the techno-wizards, sometimes the process is not always so smooth. That is the purpose of this article.
Hopefully some perspective and a few tricks can save the day and make your plans download go smoothly.
The Purchase Process
The start of the process is selecting the product – plans – that you wish to buy. The Plans Store is here. Scroll to see, or click into a category to narrow the search. Once you find the plans you want, use the BUY NOW button to put in into the Shopping Cart. From there, follow through to the “Checkout” page and complete the form for payment. Make sure to read and check the Use Agreement.
Right after Payment, your order will appear with a link to download the plans. Something like this:
We also send the link in a confirmation email that serves as your receipt as well as containing a link to download the plans.
Then, the third option for getting the plans is directly logging in to the website using the menus at the top of the page. Hover your mouse over the top menu link “HOME”, then click on the “- LOGIN” link. After login you can click and see your available downloads.
PLEASE NOTE: For site security reasons, the download links expire in 7 days from purchase. Not to worry, however. We understand that there are times when more time is needed, or when files are lost, or whatever. Yes, the links automatically expire, but we can reset them for you. Just send a note from the Contact Us page (include your order number), and we will get the links reset for another 7 days.
Downloading The Plans
This is usually a simple process – just click the link, and the plans will save to your computer. Sometimes the computer will ask where to save them, but most of the time, they will just download. But to where?
There are a lot of ways to setup a computer, so it is hard to say just where your computer will put the download files. However, if your computer (or phone) did not ask where to save the file, then it has a place to automatically put your downloads. Find that folder, perhaps a Downloads folder, and you will find the plans.
To find downloads on your computer, do a Google search for “Where is my download folder?” or “How to find download files on iMac?” Make sure to specify the devise, the operating system and the version. Example: Windows 10, Mac, iPhone, Android or Linux.
If you have trouble with the download, OR can’t find the download link, OR if there are other problems while downloading . . . . Please see the troubleshooting guide “Where’s My Plans Download?”
For easy access to view files, and for easy printing and such, we recommend using a computer rather than a phone. Also, downloads are often easier and more likely to be error free with a computer. (I am not dissing phones, that is just what our customers tell us. We see far more download problems with phones – in particular, iPhones, for whatever reason.)
After Download, How Do I See The Plans?
The Plans are in the download file. We recommend you move this file to a project folder to keep it safe and easy to find. The next step is to Open the File.
- Some files are .PDF format, so you can open them directly. If your computer does not recognize a PDF file, a free PDF reader is at www.Adobe.com
- Some files are .ZIP format. That means the download contains 2 or more files you will need. Open the ZIP file, then save the contents (some call it “Extract”) to your new project folder. If your computer does not recognize the ZIP file, a free ZIP utility is at www.WinZip.com
A ZIP file is a nice way of packaging several files into one. So, the PDF files (usually for drawings and instructions) will open as noted above.
For some plans, the ZIP file will also contain are other file types, like DXF. (If there is a Read-Me-First.txt file, you should read that.) You can’t open or read most of these extra files unless you have a CAD program. They will have the computer language describing perhaps some special parts that you need for the build. Please read in the instructions about what those files are for, and what you should do with them. It is all in the instructions.
Printing
You are welcome to print the plans. The PDF Reader will help you do that.
All plans and instructions can print on 8.5″ x 11″ paper. Use the “Scale to Fit” option when you print them. That works for most people. However, if you want drawing pages printed large, you can choose 11″ x 17″ paper (sometimes called “Tabloid”), or even C-Size, which is 17″ x 22″ (but that is huge). If you want them big, feel free to have a Printing Shop put them on any size paper you want.
We recommend printing on 11″ x 17″ paper if you have it, but 8.5″ x 11″ paper also works well for most people. If you need to see some area for a super detail view, then use your computer and a PDF Reader (like Adobe Acrobat, or Corel PDF Fusion) to zoom in close.
For high quality large prints, take the PDF files to a local Printing Shop like Staples or Kinkos FedEX. They can help. If they complain because of the Copyright, please let them know you have our permission to print a copy.
Plans In The Download
That is the story. We offer plans by download so you can get them fast. You now have all the info needed to get moving on your awesome new project. Getting plans via download is so much faster than by mail, and it saves you shipping cost too. Cheaper AND Faster. Enjoy Your Project!
Finally, please remember we have a bunch of articles about building and fabricating things – to help with your project. Check out the Library of Articles with Tips and Perspective and More. For fastest access, use the “Show Me” search bar at the top and bottom of each website page to type a question – or even just a few keywords. The Search will show you up to date all the articles and products we have on your topic.
If you are not able to find the information you are seeking, please drop us a line. We are always updating and expanding our library of articles, but we have not yet covered everything. Send us a note and we will do our best to answer your questions.
Thank you again for being part of the Mechanical Elements family. Best of luck to you on your next project!