Difference between revisions of "Plotting"

Revision as of 17:02, 10 January 2013

CAEDM has two plotters, one for posters, and one for CAD drawings.

Plotters are large-format printers used to make posters, banners, and print large CAD drawings. There are two plotters available to anyone with a CAEDM account. Plotting is restricted to official coursework, activities, and research within the college. Patrons may not print posters or drawings for classes outside the college or for personal use. All plotting must be directly college related. This means no English 316 posters.

42 Inch Glossy Poster Plotter

The glossy poster plotter is 42" wide, and the best choice if using a poster for display in a class or conference.

• Located in CB 425
• Cost: $4.50 per linear foot
• 42" wide x however long you want

The 42" High Gloss Poster Plotter uses quality photo paper to create stunning posters and banners. Due to the high cost associated with printing, only trained CAEDM employees may print to the glossy plotter. Poster printing must be done during business hours. Individuals wishing to print posters must first fill out a poster request form. Printed forms can be found near the plotter and must be completed before printing.

CAEDM is able to print posters from most applications. For best results, set the page size in the application before beginning any work. Changing the page size later will cause problems. Although the paper is 42" wide, the ideal page size is 40" wide. Using a 40" width will give you 1" margins on both sides of your document. Maximum printable length is about 10 feet.

Posters are charged to the nearest linear inch, with a one foot minimum. CAEDM accepts signature cards, group printing accounts, department journal accounts, and research journal accounts as payment. Cash, checks, and credit cards are not accepted. Please note that college departments must use a department journal account and cannot reimburse students for posters printed.

When ready to print a poster, please bring the poster on a USB flash drive along with a completed poster request form to the administrators in CB 423.

24 Inch CAD Drawing Plotter

The CAD plotter is 24" wide and produces full color drawings on standard bond paper. Anyone with a CAEDM account can print to the CAD plotter without assistance.

• Located in CTB 450
• Cost: $1.50 per page
• 24" wide x 36" long

The 24" CAD Drawing Plotter uses standard bond paper to create decent looking color mechanical drawings. The CAD Plotter is typically used to print drawings from AutoCad or other CAD applications. It does not require an administrator to use.

To print to the CAD Plotter, use the ctb450cad print queue. This printer is found on most CAEDM systems. You'll need to specify the size of your drawing before you can print using the printer properties dialog. 24" x 36"or 24" x (a number less than 36") is recommended. Always check your plot in "print preview" before plotting. Make sure it is oriented correctly on the paper. You may need to change the paper size or change landscape or portrait settings in the print driver for it to print properly. If you need help printing to the CAD Plotter, please speak with an administrator.

Troubleshooting

Make sure the "Send Job as a Bitmap" option is selected if trying to print a picture more than a few hundred kilobytes to the CAD plotter.

Multi-page plots

The CAD plotter does not allow documents longer than one page to print. If you need to print multiple pages, print each page as a separate print job.

Not enough memory

The CAD plotter cannot handle large poster images. It is possible to print pictures using the CAD plotter, but the "Send Job as a Bitmap (Process in Computer)" option must be set in the properties, of the print driver. This option is hidden in properties | services | troubleshooting menu. This sends small portions of the picture at a time to the plotter, instead of all of it at once.