When you need to enlarge an image to show details from a schematic, produce an exhibit for a presentation to a client or take a closer look at part of a map or floor plan, look to your office equipment for assistance. Today's copiers -- monochrome or color -- provide output performance that offers clarity and flexibility, including the ability to enlarge or reduce source material without the need for lengthy procedures and complicated steps.

Measure your image at its widest and tallest points, and jot down the dimensions. Select a target size for your copier output based on its starting width or height, and the dimensions of the largest paper size your copier can handle.

Divide your target dimension -- width or height -- by the corresponding current size of the image. The result of this calculation, multiplied by 100, equals your enlargement percentage. For example, if your image currently measures 4 inches wide and you want an 8-inch-wide enlargement, you divide 8 by 2 to yield 4, which equals a 400 percent enlargement.

Check your copier's user guide or front-panel controls for its range of enlargement and reduction. Many machines accommodate a zoom range from 25 percent to 400 percent, but some stop at 200 percent. If your enlargement exceeds the zoom range of your copier, you'll need to make more than one enlargement to step up your output size to its target dimensions. For example, if your target size requires a 400 percent enlargement but your copier's zoom range ends at 200 percent, you'll need to copy your original at 200 percent and your copy at 200 percent.

Position your original on the copier's glass deck. Enter your desired enlargement on the machine's control panel, select your target sheet size and make your copy. If part of your enlargement falls off the sheet, reposition your original and make another copy.

Tip

To make an enlargement that exceeds the size of the largest sheet of paper your copier can process, make several overlapping copies and tile them together with adhesive tape or glue.

If your copier only allows you to select fixed zoom percentages, you may not be able to reach your desired enlargement size.

Type, line art and illustrations made up of areas of flat color make better subjects for enlargement than photographs.

Warning

Regardless of whether you're using an older analog or a newer digital copier, enlargement can introduce distortion, especially if you must take multiple steps to reach your target size.