| 1. First, choose which computer you
wish to use:
The plotters will accept jobs only fromthe GRID lab computers, so
it is simplest just to use them to make your poster. If you choose
your personal computer, be sure that when you move your file to
the GRID lab to print, bring all associated files (e.g. pictures,
graphs...) on a CD or thumb drive.
| See
images below |
| 2. Decide what software you wish to use:
I recommend using Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop!
I realize that many of you only have Microsoft Powerpoint, and although
it is easy to use, people encounter the most issues trying to print
or convert their files to pdf’s from ppt. If you have a choice,
DON’T use Powerpoint! Also, Illustrator templates are available
on the GRID
webpage.
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| 3. You cannot make a poster in Adobe Acrobat. You
can only OPEN pre-existing files.
Therefore, the page size should have been set in the original file,
and cannot be adjusted using adobe Acrobat.
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| 4. Now you are ready to create your poster. Be
sure to keep all your files (e.g. picture, figures) in one place
on the hard drive.
For advice on how to make an effective poster, talk to members of
your group or look at an example in the hallways that you like and
use that layout/color scheme. Also, their are simple instructions
and an Illustrator templates are available on the GRID
webpage.
It is a good idea to do a scaled down, 11x17 test print on the grid-inkjet
printer before plotting.
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| 5. When your file is oopen, Click FILE --> PRINT
| 
|
| 6. Select the Plotter (Escher or Ptolemy)-->
7. then click “Properties”-->
| 
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8. Click the “Paper/Quality tab”
-->
9. then click “Advanced” -->
|  |
10. Under the paper size pull-down, scroll
to the bottom, and select
“PostScript Custom Page size”
-->
|  |
11. Enter your page size
(see step 4)-->
12. Make sure the paper feed direction is correct
13. Click “OK” -->
14. Navigate back to the Print window. If the preview looks correct,
then click “Print”
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15. Navigate back to the
Print window. If the preview
looks correct, then click “Print”
| |
| 16. To release your job, visit the plotter release
form at: GRID Release Forms
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| 17. You must login with a valid SUNetID to access
the form.
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| 18. To release your job, first select it from the
pull-down menu. On the PC, you will recognize the username you used
to login to the computer. On the Mac, you should look for the name
of the computer from which you released the job. It is also a good
idea to check the size of your job. This serves as an extra check
that you indeed selected your job, and can prevent certain kinds
of crashes: Plotters tend to choke on jobs that are much larger
than about 100Mb.
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| 19. You must enter the following information in the
release form: a project number, a task number and an award number.
If you still use the old accounting system, you can convert it into
the new system as indicated on the release form. You must enter the
size of your poster and will be charged $1 per square foot. Click
"release", hit the "Back" button of your web browser and "Refresh"
the web page. Your job should now be marked by an asterisk. A few
minutes later, the plotter should start receiving your plot. It will
have to process the file before plotting and might take anywhere from
10 minutes to an hour before starting to print.
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