| 1. First, we start a new document. There are two parameters we must set: the Document size and the Print size. In most software (e.g. CorelDraw or Powerpoint), these are the same. In Illustrator (and Photoshop), they must be set separately. Let's start with the Document size. Begin a new document by clicking: File->New... and selecting Artboard->Size->Custom
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| 2. Enter the custom size of your poster, for example 60"x"42". 42" is the width of the Escher plotter. If we want a landscape poster, 42" will be the height of our poster, and we must mark the landscape button in this menu.
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| 3. Now we move on to the print setup. Click File->Print... and then Media->Size. Select the appropriate paper size or create a custom one of your own. Then hit "Done". This will save your settings.
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| 4. The print frame is marked by a dotted frame. You can move this frame with a tool that is hidden behind the "hand" tool.
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| 5. Drag the print frame to the appropriate position if necessary. In Illustrator and Photoshop, the print frame serves the same purpose as the "Print preview" function in other programs.
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| 6. Create your poster (try to add lots of pictures while reducing the amount of text), and save it in a Portable Document Format (pdf).
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| 7. Send your poster to the small printer for proofing. Paper sizes of 11"x17" are supported.
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| 8. To prevent possible font errors, convert your type to outlines. This means the text will become uneditable, so make sure you've done all proofing before doing this! Select everything on your poster and then click on "Type>Create Outines". All your text will be converted to vector shapes. Make sure you save your file with a different name so you still have a version that is editable.
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| 9. To print the poster, click File->Print... , select Escher (or Ptolemy, if your poster is 36" wide) and hit "Print". This sends your print job to Pangea, where it will sit and wait until you release it.
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| 10. To release your job, visit the plotter release form at: GRID Release Forms
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| 11. You must login with a valid SUNetID to access the form.
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| 12. 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: Ptolemy will choke on jobs that are much larger than about 100Mb.
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| 13. 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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