Scale drawings show an image either reduced or enlarged in size. The change between the original and the scaled drawing is generally represented by two numbers separated by a colon, like 10:1 (read as “ten to one”). The difference between the ratio numbers represents the factor by which the scaled image is enlarged or reduced. So for a 10:1 scale ratio, a 1 inch (2.5 cm) drawing will be 10 inches (25 cm) in real life. Method 1 of 2: Adjusting Image Size by Hand 1 Measure the object you’ll be scaling. For images that are irregularly shaped, measuring with a ruler or tape measure can be difficult. In these cases, outline the perimeter with a piece of string, then measure the length of the string to find the perimeter. For rough scaling of simple 2-D objects, you can probably get by with only measuring the width and height of the object. [1] It’ll be helpful when you start drawing the scaled image if the perimeter is broken up into segments, like the top, bottom, a