Difference between revisions of "Plotting"

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There are two plotters available to anyone with a CAEDM account. Plotting is restricted to official coursework, employment, 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.
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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==
 
==42 Inch Glossy Poster Plotter==
Quickfacts
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*Located in CB 425
*Location: Clyde Building 425
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*Costs $4.50 per linear foot
*Cost: $4.50 a linear foot
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*42" wide x however long you want
*An administrator will help you print during office hours
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Only trained CAEDM employees may print to the glossy plotter, preventing expensive mistakes for users. Individuals wishing to plot must first fill out a [[plotting request form]]. Printed forms can be found on top of the plotter and must be completed before printing.
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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.
  
To print to the plotter, the CAEDM employee will log in to one of the [[scanner computers]] in the CB 425 Lab. From there, you and the administrator will print to the plotter. It will show up as a standard printer, but some customization is needed.  
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CAEDM is able to print posters from most applications. For best results, you must set the page size in the application '''before''' you begin 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.
  
====Preparing a Document to Plot====
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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.
#Open the file to be printed in its native program. Common programs to plot from are Microsoft Publisher and Powerpoint, Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
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#Make sure the document itself is 41 inches wide with no margins. This allows .5 inch margins on both sides, as the paper will be 42 inches.  
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#Make sure that the paper length is as long as the document itself. Now is the time to center the document, or make other adjustments based on width.
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Before printing, make sure you set the paper size to the same size as the page you just made. This is set in the printer properties page and not in page setup. Also in printer setup, make sure the margins are set to the smallest permitted, and enable auto-rotation.
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When you are ready to print your poster, please bring your poster on a USB flash drive along with a completed [[poster request form]] to the administrators in CB 423.
    Verify that all settings are correct, and then print the document. The plotter will come to life and begin printing the poster. As it prints, verify that it is printing correctly. If you detect any irregularity, you should cancel the job before it completes by pressing the cancel button on the plotter. It may take several seconds (up to 30) for the plotter to register your cancellation.
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Some programs will not allow you to select 42" x whatever paper sizes. For these programs, you should first create an Adobe Acrobat PDF (not PDFCreator) using the steps above.
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==24 Inch CAD Drawing Plotter==
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*Located in CTB 450
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*Costs $1.50 per page
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*42" wide x however long you want
  
==24 Inch CAD Plotter==
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The 24" CAD Drawing Plotter uses typical weight paper to create decent looking color mechanical drawings. The CAD Plotter is typically used to print drawings from AutoCAD and other CAD applications. It does not require an administrator to use.
  
====Common Mistakes====
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To print to the CAD Plotter, use the ctb450plt printer. 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. If you need help printing to the CAD Plotter, please speak with an administrator.
Many people unnecessarily convert their files to PowerPoint before plotting.
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Revision as of 16:33, 7 March 2012

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

  • Located in CB 425
  • Costs $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, you must set the page size in the application before you begin 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 you are ready to print your poster, please bring your poster on a USB flash drive along with a completed poster request form to the administrators in CB 423.

24 Inch CAD Drawing Plotter

  • Located in CTB 450
  • Costs $1.50 per page
  • 42" wide x however long you want

The 24" CAD Drawing Plotter uses typical weight paper to create decent looking color mechanical drawings. The CAD Plotter is typically used to print drawings from AutoCAD and other CAD applications. It does not require an administrator to use.

To print to the CAD Plotter, use the ctb450plt printer. 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. If you need help printing to the CAD Plotter, please speak with an administrator.