Builder Print Documentation Plan

Overview

Plan to create a professional printed documentation package for Hershberger’s Amish Builders as a thank-you gift when the project is completed. Since they won’t have digital access to the online documentation, this will be a high-quality physical copy.

Project Specifications

Target: Complete, professional-quality printed document
Page count: 100-150 pages
Quality: Professional bound document with custom print CSS
Timeline: No rush (1+ months)
Budget: ~$30-50 for professional printing and binding

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Add Custom Print Stylesheet to Quartz

Create quartz/styles/print.scss:

Key features to implement:

Hide web-only elements (navigation, comments, search, graph view, backlinks)
Optimize page breaks (avoid breaking photos from descriptions)
Set print-friendly colors (high contrast, black text on white background)
Scale images appropriately for print (fit within margins, maintain aspect ratio)
Add page numbers in footer
Optimize typography for readability (serif fonts, appropriate line height)
Handle video embeds gracefully (show title/description, hide iframe)
Remove interactive elements that don’t work in print
Ensure proper margin spacing (1 inch on all sides)

Sample CSS structure:

@media print {
  // Hide web-only UI
  header, footer, nav, .sidebar, #comments, #graph, .search {
    display: none !important;
  }
 
  // Page setup
  @page {
    margin: 1in;
    size: letter;
  }
 
  // Typography
  body {
    font-family: serif;
    font-size: 11pt;
    line-height: 1.5;
    color: #000;
    background: #fff;
  }
 
  // Page breaks
  h1, h2, h3 {
    page-break-after: avoid;
  }
 
  img {
    page-break-inside: avoid;
    max-width: 100%;
  }
 
  // Images
  img {
    max-width: 6.5in;
    height: auto;
  }
 
  // Video embeds
  iframe, video {
    display: none;
  }
 
  // Page numbers
  @page {
    @bottom-right {
      content: counter(page);
    }
  }
}

Update quartz/styles/base.scss:

Import print.scss within @media print query
Or add import at top: @import './print.scss'; (the media query is in print.scss itself)

Test and iterate:

Build Quartz: npx quartz build
Deploy to test environment
Test print preview on key pages using browser Print Preview
Adjust CSS as needed for optimal layout
Test on various page types: text-heavy, photo-heavy, mixed content

Phase 2: Create Print-Optimized Content Structure

Create new file: content/90-Reference/Builder-Documentation-Print.md

This will be an aggregation document that organizes all content in logical reading order.

Content organization:

Title Page / Dedication
- “Garage Construction Project Documentation”
- “Built by Hershberger’s Amish Builders”
- “October 2025”
- Thank you message/dedication
Project Overview
- Pull from content/index.md
- Project goals, specifications summary
- AI-generated rendering image
Timeline
- 10-Planning/Timeline.md
- Chronological project history with key milestones
Complete Build Documentation (50-Build/ folder - 9 files)
- Initial Build
- Utilities & Conduits
- Framing
- Roof
- Siding
- Mechanical Room
- Driveway
- Construction Videos (descriptions only, note about online videos)
Design Specifications (20-Design/)
- Interior:
  - Electrical Planning
  - HVAC Strategy
  - Insulation and Thermal Performance
  - Radiant Slab Heating
  - Lift specifications
- Exterior:
  - Garage Doors
  - Exterior Electrical & Lighting
  - Design notes
Photo Gallery
- All 33 photos with descriptions
- Organized chronologically
- Include both construction progress photos and drone aerial shots
Construction Video Descriptions
- Time-lapse series descriptions (without embeds)
- Real-time documentation notes
- Aerial/drone footage descriptions
- Note: “Full video documentation available online at garage.gahagan.cloud”

Use Obsidian embed syntax:

# Project Timeline
![[10-Planning/Timeline]]
 
# Build Documentation
![[50-Build/Initial Build]]
![[50-Build/Utilities & Conduits]]
...

Alternative approach: Create individual print-optimized pages and combine PDFs

May give more control over page layout
Easier to exclude unwanted sections
Can optimize each section independently

Phase 3: Generate PDF

Option A: Using browser print to PDF (Recommended)

Build and deploy Quartz with print CSS
Navigate to the print-optimized page on garage.gahagan.cloud
Browser print settings:
- Destination: Save as PDF
- Paper size: Letter (8.5” x 11”)
- Margins: Default (1 inch) or Minimal
- Scale: Default (100%)
- Options:
  - ✓ Background graphics (essential for photos)
  - ✓ Headers and footers (for page numbers)
Save as garage-builder-documentation.pdf

Print settings checklist:

Color: Color (not black & white)
Pages: All
Layout: Portrait (or landscape for specific wide photos)
Two-sided: No (for professional bound printing)

Option B: Using Obsidian “Better Export PDF” plugin

Install “Better Export PDF” plugin in Obsidian
Configure plugin settings:
- Include images: Yes
- Page numbers: Yes
- Table of contents: Yes
- Image DPI: 300
- Page size: Letter
Open Builder-Documentation-Print.md
Run plugin export command
Save as garage-builder-documentation.pdf

Benefits: Works directly from source, preserves markdown formatting Drawbacks: May not preserve Quartz styling, Dataview queries won’t render

Phase 4: Post-Processing & Quality Check

Review PDF thoroughly:

Check image quality and placement
- Are images crisp and clear?
- Do images stay with their descriptions?
- Are landscape photos appropriately sized?
Verify page breaks are logical
- No orphaned headings
- Photos don’t split across pages
- Sections flow naturally
Ensure all content is legible
- Text is black on white (high contrast)
- Font size is readable (11-12pt minimum)
- Code blocks are formatted properly
Check page count (target 100-150 pages)
Verify all 33 photos are included
Test print a few sample pages at home to check quality

Optimize file size if needed:

If PDF is very large (>100 MB):

Check image resolution - 300 DPI is ideal for print
Resize large drone photos to max 3000px width (maintains quality)
Use PDF compression tools:
- Adobe Acrobat: File > Optimize PDF
- Online tools: smallpdf.com, ilovepdf.com
- Command line: gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 -dPDFSETTINGS=/printer -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -dBATCH -sOutputFile=output.pdf input.pdf

Target specifications:

File size: 30-50 MB (reasonable for 100-150 pages with photos)
Resolution: 300 DPI for photos
Color space: RGB (standard for digital printing)

Phase 5: Professional Printing

Local print shop options:

Staples
FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s)
Office Depot
Local independent print shops

Specifications to request:

Paper: Standard 24lb white paper (or 28lb for premium feel)
Color: Full color throughout
Binding: Coil/spiral binding (allows document to lay flat for reference)
- Alternative: Perfect binding (like a paperback book - more formal)
Cover: Heavy cardstock (65-80lb)
- Front: Clear plastic overlay to show title page
- Back: Solid color cardstock
Quantity: 1 copy (or 2 - one for builder, one for your records)

Create custom cover page design:

Elements to include:

Project title: “Garage Construction Project Documentation”
Builder credit: “Built by Hershberger’s Amish Builders”
Date: “October 2025”
Location: “309 E. 7th St., Clare, MI”
Optional: Featured photo (completed foundation or aerial view)
Optional: Your name/signature as owner
Optional: Thank you message

Cover page design options:

Create in Google Docs with centered text and photo
Design in Canva (free templates available)
Simple text-only title page (clean and professional)

Estimated costs:

Black & white printing: $0.10 - 0.15 p er p a g e =$ 10-22
Color printing: $0.25 - 0.50 p er p a g e =$ 25-75 (recommended)
Binding: $3-8
Cover stock: $1-3
Total: $30-50 for professional color document

Alternative: Premium photo book

Shutterfly, Mixbook, or Blurb
More expensive ($60-100) but museum-quality presentation
Best for photo-focused version
Consider for future “project portfolio” version

Content Inventory

Photos to Include (33 total)

Drone aerial photos (Oct 25, 29):

DJI_0886.JPG through DJI_0891.JPG (6 photos)
High-resolution site overview
Foundation preparation views

Foundation construction (Oct 20-31):

Oct 20: Foundation dig and site prep
Oct 22: Insulation and PEX installation
Oct 30: Concrete pour (5 photos - truck arrival through completion)
Oct 31: Finishing work (3 photos - saw cuts, form removal, pressure testing)

All photos with markdown descriptions:

Each photo has corresponding .md file with detailed captions
Include captions in print version for context

Pages to Include

Planning & Timeline:

10-Planning/Timeline.md

Build Documentation (50-Build/):

Initial Build.md - Main construction documentation
Utilities & Conduits.md - Electrical and mechanical systems
Construction Videos.md - Video descriptions (note videos are online only)
Mechanical Room.md
Framing.md (when created)
Roof.md (when created)
Siding.md (when created)
Driveway.md (when created)

Design Specifications (20-Design/):

Interior:

Electrical Planning.md
HVAC Strategy.md
Insulation and Thermal Performance.md
Radiant Slab Heating.md
Mini-Split Outdoor Unit Installation Requirements.md
Lift.md

Exterior:

Garage Doors.md
Exterior Electrical & Lighting.md
Design Notes.md

Photo Gallery:

pictures/index.md (chronological gallery)
All individual photo .md files with descriptions

Pages to Exclude

Private information (already filtered by Quartz):

30-Vendors & Contacts/ (vendor/contractor details, pricing)
10-Planning/Budget & Financing.md (financial details)
Email Imports/ (private correspondence)

Not relevant for builder:

40-Meetings/ (meeting notes)
10-Planning/Decisions Log.md (internal decision tracking)
10-Planning/Considerations Backlog.md (planning notes)
70-Development/ (system development notes)
Templates/ (document templates)
ChatGPT Summaries/ (AI summaries)

Technical/meta content:

CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md (AI assistant documentation)
.obsidian/ (Obsidian configuration)
quartz.config.ts, quartz.layout.ts (website configuration)

Technical Notes

Handling Special Content

Dataview queries:

These won’t render in PDF export
Options:
1. Take screenshots of rendered queries from website
2. Manually create static versions
3. Remove from print version (may not be essential for builder)

Internal wiki-links:

Browser print: Renders as clickable links (fine for PDF)
Obsidian export: May need conversion to standard markdown
Page references should work in both approaches

Video embeds:

YouTube iframes won’t work in print
Custom print CSS will hide iframes
Show video title and description instead
Add note: “Time-lapse videos available online at garage.gahagan.cloud”

Image sizing:

Drone photos: 4.7-5.2 MB each, very high resolution
Consider landscape orientation for wide aerial shots
Ensure photos fit within printable area (6.5” x 9” safe zone on letter paper)

Page breaks:

Use CSS page-break-before, page-break-after, page-break-inside properties
Keep headings with their content
Keep photos with their captions
Start major sections on new pages

Future Enhancements

Version 2 considerations:

Annual update showing completed project
Before/after comparison spreads
Add final interior photos
Include completed garage exterior shots
Timeline extension through completion
Contractor testimonial page

Digital companion:

QR code on cover linking to online version
- Note: May not be useful for Amish builder, but nice for anyone else viewing the book
USB drive with photos (for non-Amish recipients)

Multiple copies:

Keep one for your records
Gift one to builder
Consider one for any family members who want documentation

Next Steps (When Ready to Implement)

Start Phase 1: Create print.scss stylesheet
Test thoroughly: Print preview multiple page types
Create aggregation document: Organize all content
Generate PDF: Export with optimized settings
Quality review: Check thoroughly before printing
Print sample pages: Test at home printer first
Professional printing: Send to print shop
Present to builder: Give as thank-you gift when project completes

Construction Videos - Video descriptions to include
index - Photo gallery organization
Timeline - Project timeline to include
Initial Build - Main build documentation

Plan created: October 31, 2025 Target completion: When project is finished (1+ months) Estimated work: 4-6 hours over multiple sessions + print shop time

Garage Construction Project

Explorer

Builder Print Documentation Plan

Builder Print Documentation Plan

Overview

Project Specifications

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Add Custom Print Stylesheet to Quartz

Phase 2: Create Print-Optimized Content Structure

Phase 3: Generate PDF

Phase 4: Post-Processing & Quality Check

Phase 5: Professional Printing

Content Inventory

Photos to Include (33 total)

Pages to Include

Pages to Exclude

Technical Notes

Handling Special Content

Future Enhancements

Next Steps (When Ready to Implement)

Graph View

Table of Contents

Garage Construction Project

Explorer

Builder Print Documentation Plan

Builder Print Documentation Plan

Overview

Project Specifications

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Add Custom Print Stylesheet to Quartz

Phase 2: Create Print-Optimized Content Structure

Phase 3: Generate PDF

Phase 4: Post-Processing & Quality Check

Phase 5: Professional Printing

Content Inventory

Photos to Include (33 total)

Pages to Include

Pages to Exclude

Technical Notes

Handling Special Content

Future Enhancements

Next Steps (When Ready to Implement)

Related Documents

Graph View

Table of Contents