Yeah I definitely agree, use either a 1/2" or 1/4" scale, it will make your
plot stand out much more and look much more professional. You also won't have to crowd everything onto a tiny
page. I don't have a Kinko's near me, so I get all my plots printed at Staples for a pretty reasonable price.
The amount of information you put on a
plot largely depends on the scale of the show and the experience of the hanging electricians. On enourmus broadway plots, often the only notation on the
plot is
instrument type and
unit number - then the electrician will have to refer to the paperwork to find out color,
template,
channel/
dimmer, and anything else. The main reason for this is that trying to fit all that information onto one document would just be overwhelming, and it's much easier to just use the
plot and paperwork together. For a portfolio
plot, I would recommend trying to put as much info onto the
plot as you can without making it look cluttered.
Attached is the
plot for a show I designed last year in a black box space. Note the legend,
title block, and notes section, as well as all the notations on the
plot for anything that was out of the ordinary (set mount
unit, US
boom,
etc.). Also note that I did not put specific
template information on the
plot, but I did indicate the presence of a
gobo with a little black circle. How much info you include is largely up to you and the neds of the show. Mine is not a perfect
plot by any means, but it got the job done.