Printing Landscape and Site Plans in Color (24×36 / 36×48)
A landscape set holds two kinds of sheets. The construction sheets (layout, grading, irrigation, details) are line work and read fine in black and white. The planting plan, the illustrative site plan and any board or HOA exhibit carry meaning in color: plant groups, lawn against meadow, paving materials, and an aerial photo under the property line. This guide covers how to print both kinds well and what it costs.
Short answer: print the sheets someone has to decide from (illustrative plans, color-coded planting plans, aerial-underlay sheets) in color, and the sheets someone has to build from in black and white. Print at the size the PDF was drawn at, and mix both in one order as separate items.
Order prints: upload your PDF, pick size and color, and check out. Or start from the homepage.
Which landscape sheets are worth printing in color
Print in color:
- Illustrative or rendered site plans for client meetings, design review boards and HOA architectural committees.
- Planting plans that use color to separate plant groups or hydrozones. In black and white those turn into look-alike gray fills.
- Existing-conditions sheets with an aerial photo underlay. Gray aerials lose the tree canopy and the edges of the hardscape.
- Phasing plans where each phase has its own color.
Black and white is usually enough for:
- Layout and dimension plans, grading and drainage, irrigation piping, and construction details.
- Any sheet a contractor will mark up in the field.
If your colors only tell items apart, check one page in grayscale on screen before you order. Two greens can turn into the same gray. More: black and white or color plan prints?
24×36 or 36×48?
- 24×36 is the common size for residential landscape and site plans. It’s easy to roll, mail and spread on a tailgate. See 24×36 printing.
- 36×48 is for large parcels, subdivision landscape plans and board exhibits that need the whole site at a readable scale on one sheet. See 36×48 color plan printing.
- A plan drawn at 1″ = 20′ on a 24×36 sheet prints at 1″ = 20′ only on 24×36. Printing it on 36×48 enlarges it, and the written scale is no longer true. Check your file with the free PDF page size checker. For surveys and engineered site plans a zoning office will measure, see site plan and survey printing.
Getting the PDF right before you upload
- Set the page size to the sheet size in your layout and export at 100%, not “fit to page.” Step by step: how to print a PDF to scale.
- Include a graphic scale bar. Landscape plans use engineering scales like 1″ = 10′ and 1″ = 20′ as well as architectural ones. A scale bar still measures correctly on a reduced copy. Background: blueprint scale guide.
- Flatten transparency and heavy hatches when you export from Vectorworks Landmark, AutoCAD or SketchUp/LayOut. Semi-transparent planting fills and shadows sometimes print as blocks or vanish. Guides: Vectorworks PDF to scale and SketchUp LayOut PDF export.
- Downsample aerial imagery to about 150-300 ppi at final print size. Higher resolutions make the file huge without looking sharper on paper.
- Leave a small margin so no critical text sits right at the edge of the sheet.
Full checklist: file requirements and preparing a PDF plan set.
What to expect from color on 20 lb bond
We print on 20 lb bond, the standard plan paper. On bond:
- Line work, symbols and flat color fills come out clean and true to scale, which covers planting plans, color-coded site plans and phasing plans.
- Large dark areas and photo-real renderings print with a matte, slightly softer look than on screen. The color is right, but it won’t have a glossy poster finish.
- Screen and paper never match exactly. If a particular green matters for a client meeting, print one sheet before you order the full run.
For a framed or mounted presentation board, use a photo lab. For the plans people work from and present at the table, bond is the right paper.
Board, permit and HOA copies
Planning boards, zoning boards and HOA committees often ask for several copies, and some ask for color. Check the application checklist before you order. Our civil and site plan printing guide covers what planning boards ask for, and printing plans for HOA approval covers HOA reviews. For a homeowner-drawn plot plan for a fence, pool or patio permit, see how to print a survey or plot plan for a permit.
What a landscape set costs to print
Printing only, before shipping, at $1.95 per sheet in black and white and $3.75 in color, the same price at all sizes (18×24 to 36×48), on 20 lb bond paper. A fully rendered sheet costs the same as one with a few colored symbols:
| Example | Sheets | Printing | With code WELCOME20 (20% off your first order) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential design-build set: 2 color + 6 B&W (separate items) | 8 | $19.20 | $15.36 |
| Planning board exhibits: 3 copies of a 4-sheet color site plan at 36×48 | 12 | $45.00 | $36.00 |
| Commercial landscape set: 21 B&W + 3 color (separate items) | 24 | $52.20 | $41.76 |
WELCOME20 takes 20% off printing on a first order. Students get 25% off printing with STUDENT25. One code per order. Price your own set with the plan printing cost calculator. If you print landscape sets often, see plan printing for landscape architects.
FAQ
Does a fully rendered color plan cost more than a lightly colored one?
No. Color is $3.75 per sheet at every size from 18×24 to 36×48, no matter how much of the sheet is covered.
Can I print some sheets in color and the rest in black and white?
Yes. Add them as separate line items in the same order: $3.75 for each color sheet and $1.95 for each black and white sheet.
Will my 1″ = 20′ site plan still be to scale?
Yes, as long as the PDF page size matches the sheet size you order and you exported at 100%. Include a graphic scale bar as a backup.
Is there a minimum order?
No. One 36×48 color sheet is $3.75 plus shipping.
Do you design landscape plans?
No. We print plans from your PDF. The design comes from you, your landscape architect or your designer.
What file do I upload?
Upload a PDF. We print it to scale, exactly as uploaded. Need to print from another file type? Email us at support@printmyplans.com.
Printing it
When the final PDF is ready, upload it on the order page, choose the size, black and white or color for each group of sheets, and the number of sets, and check out. Order by 3 PM ET, ships same day, arrives as soon as the next day. If we make a mistake, we reprint and ship it free of charge. Plans arrive rolled; see how to fold or roll blueprints if you need flat sets. Shipping details: shipping.
