In this article we're going to discuss making drawings for your new gadget that you're trying to get a patent for.

In most cases, with a physical item, the patent office will require you to have drawings for your item unless you have a working prototype. So what do you do if you can't draw a straight line? Well, today there are computer programs that can do your patent drawings for you.

The situation you find yourself in goes something like this. You've just invented the greatest thing since sliced bread. You've made some rough sketches and even written some of the patent application yourself. You've saved yourself thousands of dollars by not hiring a lawyer. The only thing left to do is prepare drawings to go with your patent application. But you are no artist. What do you do?

Well, many inventors turn this part of the job over to a professional draftsman at the price tag of $75 to $150 per sheet of patent drawings. If you have a number of these the cost can add up in a hurry.

Fortunately, with today's technology, if you can do the patent application yourself you can also do the drawings yourself as well. You're going to need to learn some USPTO rules and the learning curve is pretty steep, but the rewards will be more than worth the effort. Besides saving money on the application itself you'll also be able to prepare brochures for prospective manufacturers or customers. Also, because nobody knows your invention better than you do, you'll have the best idea of what the drawings should look like. By doing your own drawings you don't have to explain to another person what your invention is about. The process of sending drawings back and forth for corrections is eliminated. Finally, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you did the whole patent process by yourself, which is quite an accomplishment.

There are various ways you can create your drawings.

The traditional way is with pen and ruler in black and white. While this may seem old fashioned, it is the least costly and is actually how the patent office prefers them, nice and simple. You're going to need to learn basic drawing techniques to do this.

If color is needed to accurately represent your invention then you can submit color drawings. If you plan to do this you're going to have to file three sets of color illustrations. Then you have to file a petition to explain why color is necessary. Finally, you pay a petition fee and include a statement in your application that it includes color drawings.

Another option is photographs. These are rarely used, only in cases where a proper illustration of the invention is not possible with drawings.

Finally, there is computer drawing software. The advantage of this method is that you don't have to worry about drawing a straight line. The program can do it for you. Many drawing programs have 3 D image rendering which make the drawing process not only easy but very professional looking. The downside is that some of these programs can run you hundreds of dollars.