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Printing to the plotter
Steps for using the HP DesignJet 5000 PS
The plotter is useful for printing poster-sized images from digital files. Typically printing can take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the file. Equipped with cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, and black ink cartridges, its best output includes a range of images such as photographs, computer screen captures, and line-art graphics. The height or width of one dimension of a printout has to be 40 inches or less.
For best results, follow these tips when preparing your files:
Microsoft PowerPoint
PowerPoint is the recommended file format for plotter printing. PowerPoint documents must be created on a Windows machine—or, if created on a Macintosh, opened on a Windows machine to ensure it is formatted correctly, then saved on a Windows machine.
Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop is recommended when the poster consists of just an image. The quality of the final printout is dependent on the dots per inch (dpi) of the Photoshop file. The higher the dpi the larger the file will become which will create a lengthier period of time for the poster to finish printing. Eventhough the large dpi results in a larger file size and a longer time for the job to be complete compared to Illustrator, the increase in dpi produces a clearer image. For a fair quality job, a dpi of 300 is usually satisfactory.
Illustrator documents must have the artboard set to match the final size of the printed document, then be converted to PDF.
Warning about other file types
Not all files can be printed using the HP DesignJet 5000 PS. Call the lab proctor desk at 475-6364 for recommendations. Any other files printed on the HP DesignJet 5000 PS is done at the risk of the user. The lab will not provide any support for the printing of any outside file format, i.e. any file that can not be open on a lab computer station. The user will be held responsible for any charges incurred in all attempts to print such a file.
General tips for file preparation
The width of the plotter paper is 42 inches with a print width of 40.
Use large type (especially if you created your file in Photoshop). For text, use at least 20-point type; otherwise the text may appear blurred and hard to read.
Every station produces an image with a different color tint. To ensure the correctness of the final print, create small test strips and correct for any color differences. The cost of the test strips range from $2 per linear foot for matte to $6 per linear foot for glossy paper.
