Plotting Services

ASET Plotting Services no longer provided. Please contact an alternate service provider for your needs.

Alternative service providers:

PSU Engineering Copy Center
101 Engineering Unit A
863-1612
http://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/ecc/

PSU Document Services
Business Services Building
865-7544
http://www.documentservices.psu.edu/

Kinko's
Corner of West College Avenue and North Atherton Street
238-2679

I Need a Poster! - Large Format Color PostScript Plotting Services

ITS/ASET plotters in Room 2 Willard Building DISCONTINUED are available for creating large format color posters from postscript output. The plotters are two Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 2500CPs.

Here is a quick PlottingCheatSheet.

Getting Authorization

Plotting is a fee-based service. The 2004 rate for plotting is $1 per linear inch. A typical poster is 36"x48" (ARCH E) and costs about $50.

Authorized users must be joined to an ITS Remote Plotting Account obtained from the ITS Accounts Office, , located in room 101 Computer Building. Charge accounts can be created by faculty and staff and use inter-departmental budget transfers to cover the charges associated with the account.

If you are with the grad/undergrad expo, your organizers have already added you to their account, and you are authorized to print one plot.

The PSU Access Account ID for each person who will be authorized to plot should be explicitly joined to the account, so that each user can use his or her own userid when submitting plots to the queues. It is against University Policy AD20, Computer and Network Security, for users to share userids or passwords.

Designing a Poster Layout

Plotting is an output only services. Users are expected to design and create their posters in a graphics or desktop publishing application of their choosing and then upload to our queues. Any application may be used, as long as it is able to print/save to a PostScript file. The system will not accept Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) files, only PostScript 2 or 3 (.ps or .prn) files.

In order to keep overhead down for all plotting users, we have standardized on a heavyweight coated (but not glossy) stock. The standard media is suitable for most research poster plotting, which constitutes the bulk of submissions to the plotters. The paper can be examined at Room 2 Willard Building DISCONTINUED if you have any concern about its suitability for a given purpose. We cannot accommodate requests for lamination or special purpose media.

The maximum width of your job should be 36", minus the 3/4" unprintable margin. The maximum length depends on a few things:

• the length of a roll of paper - approximately 150 feet long
• the constraints of the program - some software packages have an upper limit for page size
• overly larger prints may be printed in 36" wide strips and then pieced together

The recommended and most popular applications for creating posters are Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft PowerPoint. These applications are recommended because they are installed in all ITS computer labs, and because ITS staff have some familiarity with their use for plotting.

Training regarding the plotting service, and specific graphic design applications, can be obtained through ITS Training Services Technology Seminars.

Users can also use their own computer and software to prepare posters. Application software and a printer driver that can produce and preview postscript output of your design must be installed.

Creating a PostScript File

Once a user had designed his/her poster using an application, she/he will need to create a postscript output file (.ps or .prn) for uploading to the plotting services upload webpage. This is done by printing with the HP2500CP printer driver and selecting "print to file" or "save as file". All ITS computer labs have the "Willard 2 Plotter / HP2500CP" printer driver installed.

Instead of printing directly to the printer, you select "print to file" or "save as file" in the print dialogue and save to a postscript (.ps or .prn) file.

In ITS Windows XP Labs, the correct printer driver is available just like any other printer. You can go to this menu option in your application: File --> Print.

For ITS Mac OS X Labs, you must enable the printer driver before starting up your layout application by running from the desktop: Programs --> All Programs folder --> Willard Plotter. You may then select the menu option in your application's print dialogue: Output Options --> Save as File --> Format: PostScript

There are a few options to watch when printing to file:

• page sizes should match with your layout, the "page/document setup", and under advanced properties of the printer driver
• files not in ASCII postscript 2 or 3 format, containing more than one page, or in excess of 150MB will be rejected
• if you are using your own fonts other than the default 12, you must "include font descriptions" or "download as softfont" to prevent font substitution
• files with multiple and/or large raster images (e.g. scanned photos, "paint" images, or 3D rendered graphics) can take excessively long to process

Eg.
    4"x3" scanned photo @ 600 DPI = 2400 x 1800 x 24 bits 
                                  = 103,680,000 bits
                  1 byte / 8 bits = 12,960,000 bytes
                                    about a 12MB image! 
                                    images add up quickly!

• Select "fast", "draft", 300 DPI or lower resolution under your advanced properties for the print quality

Previewing Your PostScript File

It is highly recommend that you preview your file before uploading. Many common errors can be caught by on-screen preview, which will avoid unnecessary and wasteful materials consumption and, even more importantly during crunch periods like grad and undergrad expo weeks, precious time in the queues. Please do not use time in the plotting queues for testing and debugging that could otherwise be handled using on-screen previewing tools.

Refunds are only available for plotter errors, not for users who submit improperly formatted files, decide they didn't want two copies after all, etc. Plotter errors would include: out of ink, out of paper, missing print, killed jobs, etc. You may be reimbursed by taking the defective plot to the Accounts Office in 101 Computer Building.

You can preview by converting your postscript (.ps or .prn) file to a Portable Document Format (.pdf) file with Adobe Acrobat Distiller, and then opening it with Adobe Acrobat Reader. Distiller is part of the commercial Adobe Acrobat suite of software, of which Reader is a free component. If the page size is correct and everything else looks good in Reader, you've probably got a winner for the plotters and can submit your original application output to the plotting queues.

The Adobe Acrobat Distiller & Reader applications are available in any ITS Windows or Mac lab. GSview can also be used to open and preview you postscript file on many platforms, and is freely available for download and use on your own computer.

Distilling

Distilling, converting your postscript to PDF with Adobe Acrobat Distiller then opening the PDF and printing again from Reader, is a step known to fix mysterious postscript files that process through the queues OK but mysteriously die on the plotters. Adobe Acrobat Reader produces very clean postscript that is fully compatible with the Adobe PS3 firmware on our plotters. To ensure proper processing, submit the postscript printed from your PDF preview.

The Adobe products are available in any of the Windows or Mac ITS Computing labs.

Submitting Your PostScript File for Printing

Once you are satisfied with your file, you may upload it to our queues at: http://plotting.cac.psu.edu. This can be done anywhere there is network access.

You will log in using your own userid, select your authorized charge account, browse for your postscript file and upload. Depending on the size of your file, uploading may take some time, particularly if you are at home on a modem.

Check the status of your plot on our queue page for errors: http://plotting.cac.psu.edu/queue

Receiving Your Plot

Once uploaded and accepted, a typical four-foot plot takes 40-60 minutes to process and print. You may then present your Penn State ID, sign for and pick up the plot in Room 2 Willard Building DISCONTINUED during regular lab hours.

If you are located at a branch campus, let us know ahead of time, and the plot can be sent via inter-office mail. Contact and note when you will be sending the file and where it needs to be delivered.

Software and Drivers

Adobe Acrobat Professional is a commercial product that provides the Distiller and Reader applications, which produce and view Portable Document Format. Acrobat is available on all ITS lab machines.

Ghostscript, Ghostview and GSview can be used in any ITS Windows lab and can be freely downloaded for use on your own Windows, Mac or UNIX/Linux system for viewing postscript.

Adobe Illustrator & Microsoft Office PowerPoint are recommended for design layout, and available in all labs.

TeX & LaTeX, the de facto standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents, is a popular technical/professional solution for publishing medium to large documents.

All of HP's supported software/drivers are available for your own home or lab use.

Here is a kludgey PlottingLinuxWorkflow.

Hardware Specifications

Photo-quality Adobe PostScript 3 color printer for workgroups of print-service providers, graphic designers, retailers, office users and GIS users

• Photo-Quality Output
  HP's integrated system of printer, ink, papers and films allows the HP DesignJet 2500CP and 3500CP Series printers to produce 600-dpi, photo-quality images with millions of colors and smooth, subtle skin tones up to 54 in (1.37 m) wide and 150 ft (45 m) long. Automatic color calibration guarantees high-quality output every time.
• Plug and Play
  Thanks to built-in, industry-standard print drivers and a true Adobe PostScript& 3 RIP, the HP DesignJet 2500CP and 3500CP Series printers plug straight into existing environments. Built-in Ethernet interfaces make powerful networking easy, while ample memory and a 4.3-GB hard disk are part of the package.
• Choice of Ink and Media
  With their revolutionary large-capacity ink systems, the HP DesignJet 2500CP and 3500CP printers offer easy switching between two ink sets - dye-based for maximum image quality or pigment-based for enhanced lightfastness. A choice of specially-developed HP and 3M DesignJet media contributes further to the exceptional output quality. Additionally, HP's Complementary Media Program provides users with extended choice and added flexibility for media including transfers, metallic film, adhesives and special coated media.
• Improved Productivity
  High-speed, enhanced print-management capabilities and unattended printing - up to 400 A1/D-size prints per ink system - help boost productivity. The HP DesignJet 2500CP and 3500CP Series printers require minimal operator intervention thanks to their fully automated printhead servicing and calibration routines. Plus, best-in-class HP service and support options ensure minimal printer downtime.
• Low Cost Of Ownership
  Energy-Star compliant, the HP DesignJet 2500CP and 3500CP Series printers are not only power-efficient but, combined with their exceptional ease of use, also deliver low cost-per-copy and reduce training outlay.

• True 600-dpi black and color print resolution
• Photo-quality output in over 16 million colors
• A1/D-size color images in around 8 minutes
• Large-capacity ink system - up to 2000 sq. ft. between ink system changes
• Dual ink sets - dye-based for photo-quality images or pigment-based for enhanced lightfastness
• Auto-replenishment ink delivery for easy replacement of ink - complete ink-set change in less than ten minutes
• Built-in humidity and temperature sensor adjusts drying times for best results
• Automatic printhead alignment
• Optional take-up reel for unattended printing
• Adobe PostScript 3 as standard
• PostScript drivers for Macintosh and Windows included
• HP ZoomSmart technology allows large-format output from virtually any Windows application
• Processes next file while printing
• Reprints images quickly and easily from the queue
• Automatic color calibration for consistent results; Pantone-certified; SWOP
• Eurostandard and TOYO color emulation
• Custom HP-developed drivers for AutoCAD and Microsoft Windows
• Network ready with built-in HP JetDirect EIO network card for Ethernet 10/100 Base-TX
• TIFF and JPEG support available for UNIX
• 4.3-GB built-in hard disk
• Warranty: One-year, next day on-site, Monday to Friday. (Korea: two years) Full range of HP SupportPacks enables warranty to be extended from two to five years, with a choice of response options
• Lightfastness: 24-month outdoor and five-year indoor warranty with 3M MCS HP pigment-based inks on HP media are Wilhelm-tested for 100 year durability

Paper Sizes Explained

Contact Information & Help

Trained consultants are available in Willard Building Room 2 DISCONTINUED during lab hours for hands-on help and general questions related to plotting.

For email support, please contact with any and all questions.