HP DesignJet 800PS Plotter Instructions

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Important things to know before you start
Supported programs
Options for Connecting
Payment Options
Microsoft PowerPoint Instructions (layout and printing)
Adobe Illustrator Instructions (layout and printing)
Adobe Pagemaker Instructions (printing only)

 

Important things to know before you start:

  1. THIS PROCESS TAKES TIME!
    Please DO NOT expect to be able to print a poster at the last minute. Even if all goes well, the printing process can take up to an hour. If you experience problems, it may take days. The MPRL does not have full time staff, so we need to make appointments well in advance in order to ensure that a staff person will be available to run the job.     In the case of last minute jobs, it may be impossible to contact us in time.
    PLAN ON PRINTING AT LEAST SEVERAL DAYS IN ADVANCE!!!
  2. You MUST make an appointment to print between 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday-Friday via email. We can no longer take telephone appointments as voice mail has proven inefficient. Contact MPCER (mpcer.plotter@nau.edu) to set up a time and provide any feedback on services . Email is guaranteed to receive a response on the same working day. You can also try calling, 523-0683, but we prefer email. There is a $20 charge for making appointments. If you miss the appointment the $20 is FORFEIT. Otherwise the $20 will be applied to the cost of the poster.
  3. The cost of printing a poster is currently $15 per linear foot. This charge applies not only to the final product, but also any user mistakes and wasted paper. You can now pay online using a NAU account, a credit card or a personal check. The payment page is at: https://www4.nau.edu/mpcer/start.html. Choose "Poster Printing " and follow the directions. The system will automatically calculate your charges using the number of inches you printed. All credit card information is taken by the NAU eBusiness system and is not accessible by MPCER.
  4. There is a $40 per hour support charge for plotter jobs which require more than 15 minutes of MPRL staff time. This charge does not include plotting time, only set-up and help with formatting and editing of documents. Normally, set-up takes much less than 15 minutes of staff time. We will not charge if there are technical problems with the plotter or associated equipment. This charge will include travel time for MPRL staff if we need to come in after hours. You can avoid this charge by planning ahead. Make your plotter appointment well in advance of when you need the plot and have your document in it's final form when you bring it to the MPRL.
  5. If you have to plot a document at the last minute and no MPRL staff is available, you can have posters and maps plotted at Kinko's Flagstaff (1423 South Plaza Way, 779-5159). Kinko's hours are 6AM to 11PM Monday through Saturday and 6AM to 5PM on Sunday. They charge $10 per square foot for large format color printing, as opposed to the $15 per linear foot that the MPRL currently charges. This means that Kinko's prices are approximately three times the MPRL's assuming a full width plot. Additionally, Kinko's will do a proof print for you, so that you can check that fonts, images and formatting are correct. They charge $5 for each proof. They do not do soft proofing (ie. on screen proofing). Kinko's is more expensive than the MPRL, but they do good work and are open evenings and weekends.

Supported Programs:

These are programs that are installed on MPRL computers. You may use other programs if you print from your own computer over the network.

Options for Connecting to the Plotter:

  1. Over the network through Juniper: THIS OPTION IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. You must make an appointment and come to Biology room 444 to make plots.
  2. In person: Make an appointment to come to Biology building room 444 between 8:00 and 4:00 M-F.. See the notes above on making an appointments.

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Microsoft PowerPoint2000 Instructions

Poster layout:

  1. The whole poster is one big slide.
  2. The maximum page height for this plotter is 42 inches. Length is essentially unlimited.
  3. In File:Page Setup, set the poster dimensions. The maximum page size in PowerPoint is 56 inches. If your poster length or width exceeds 56 inches (as they usually do), use page setup to set dimensions to half the final size. For example, if the final dimensions of the poster need to be 42"x80", set the height to 21 and the width to 40.
  4. Do not put any content within ½ inch of the slide margin. It is helpful to display Rulers to do this (View:Ruler; markers are in inches)


    5.
  5. Compose your poster
NOTE: If you use PowerPoint 97 to compose the poster, then try to open it on one of our computers before printing, all items may not plot as they appear on the screen. We STRONGLY recommend composing in 2000 or XP, but if this is not possible, either send the poster to the plotter from a remote computer, or allot extra time and money for possible printing errors.

Printing the poster: (Remember: Only MPRL Staff can run Plotter Jobs)

  1. Select File:Print


    2.
  2. Printer Name should be Juniper/HP Designjet 800PS (or if you're on Juniper, just HP Designjet 800PS)


    3.
  3. Select Properties (if using Pagemaker 6.5, select Setup)


    4.
  4. Set orientation (portrait or landscape) the same as the page setup in PowerPoint


    5.
  5. For paper size, the radio button for Roll should be selected. Then in the drop down menu next to Size:, scroll down and select Edit Paper List


    6.
  6. Enter the same dimensions as in page setup in PowerPoint. Select OK.


    7.
  7. If poster has color, change Quality to Best (Enhanced), and change Optimize to Images
  8. If you set the dimensions to 1/2 the final size in PowerPoint, select Scale to Fit button. Select Apply this Scale Factor, and change to 200%. Select OK.


    9.
  9. Double check that orientation and paper size are correct, then select OK to exit and save changes to properties.


    10.
  10. Select OK to print. It will take several minutes to send poster to the plotter. DO NOT RESEND! The print manager in the lower right corner of the monitor will track spooling progress, as will the display window on the plotter itself. When spooling is complete, plotter will begin printing.


    11.
  11. The poster may take 30 to 60 minutes to print, depending on length. You should check on it periodically to make sure that it's printing right. If you notice a mistake that needs correcting, press Cancel on the plotter. It will stop printing and cut the paper automatically. You can correct the mistake and reprint the project, and you must pay for the length of the mistake.


    12.
  12. When the poster is done, the plotter will cut the paper automatically. Inform MPRL staff that you are done, and fill out the sign-in sheet in its entirety.

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Adobe Illustrator 8.0 Instructions

NOTE: We have experienced far more problems printing in Illustrator than in PowerPoint. Therefore, we recommend using PowerPoint if at all possible, especially if you are in a hurry. We understand that many people don't like PowerPoint, but the PLOTTER doesn't like Illustrator, and that's really all that matters. We are working to resolve as many of these issues as possible.

  1. Keep the file size as small as possible! We've had several problems with file sizes over 600 MB where the project simply did not print. We don't know exactly what the limit is.
  2. Select File | Document Setup to set orientation, paper size, and output resolution (300 dpi is the maximum for the plotter).


    3.
  3. Compose your poster.


    4.
  4. When ready to print, again select File | Document Setup and click the Print Setup... button. Select the HP Design Jet 800 printer and configure the appropriate application size and scaling/fit to page settings and orientation.


    5.
  5. Finally, place the cursor over the "Hand Button" on the Tool Box. Left click, hold, and select the "Box" option. Now, when you click in the graphic window a gray box will appear. Align this gray box so that your graphic in entirely enclosed within it. [If the paper size as represented by the gray box is larger than your poster, align the box so that the poster is to the right (landscape) or top (portrait). This will reduce paper waste if you need to cancel the job early in the plotting process.]


    6.
  6. You should now be ready to File | Print.
    7. See printing instructions above.

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last updated: 21 April 2005 PLH