Large-Format Printing
Some ISUComm WOVE projects can benefit from color printing or printing in large sizes. Because such printing can be expensive, ISUComm provides limited funds and materials to reduce the cost. Learning Community grants can be used for various course support services, including printing (paper and ink costs). Given at least two-weeks notice, ISUComm can order the necessary printing supplies and will underwrite the cost of these for a limited number of ISUComm course sections each semester. Specialized ink and paper have a relatively short shelf life and need to be ordered near the scheduled printing time.
Request for Printing Support
If you have an ISUComm class activity requiring full-color, large-format printing, email your request to
- Instructor’s name
- Course designator, number, and section
- Number of students
- Brief description of the printing project
- Dates and times of printing
- Person who will supervise the printing
- Needed paper size(s)
- Need for any mounting cardboard
- Needed paper finish (matte, coated, semi-gloss, high-gloss photo)
- Availability of Learning Community or other funds to offset the costs.
Some instructors collect project files from their students and then print the files themselves. Some hire a technical support person (e.g., lab monitor) to help students print. While Martin Teply, English Department Computer Support Specialist, is knowledgeable about specialized printing, his only responsibility is to ensure that the printer functions properly.
Some instructors collect project files from their students and then print the files themselves. Some hire a technical support person (e.g., lab monitor)Others schedule brief appointments with students or have then drop in during set hours. Such mini-conferences can help in the teaching and review of design issues, mechanics, and other editing matters. Given the expense of printing full-color posters in large sizes (e.g., 24x36, 30x40), this conference is a last chance for corrections before printing; no reprinting is allowed (at a local copier, a 30 by 40 inch color poster can cost $85!). Use the reserve.engl.iastate.edu URL to reserve 426 Ross Hall, the location of the large-format printer (42-inch Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 800PS).Print Sizes
The large-format printer typically uses roll paper in two widths: 36 and 42 inches. The two most common aspect ratios for posters are 2:3 (a standard photo ratio) and 3:4 (a standard screen ration and thus the default ratio for PowerPoint). These aspect ratios yield the following poster sizes:
2:3: 10x15, 12x18, 14x21, 16x24, 18x27, 20x30, 22x33, 24x36
3:4: 12x16, 18x24, 15x20, 21x28, 24x32, 30x40
Paper Finishes
The HP DesignJet 800PS can handle a range of paper types that differ in material, size, finish, weight, and cost. Here are common options with approximate prices:
Matte heavy-weight coated paper
24x100 $50
36x100 $65
42x100 $75
Semi-gloss heavy-weight photo CP paper
36x100 $145
High-gloss heavy-weight photo paper
36x100 $150
42x100 $170
Software
Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and PowerPoint are commonly used programs for designing and producing posters. PowerPoint is technically a weak choice because it was never designed for such a purpose and doesn’t handle the detail needed for quality printing (spotty importing of high-resolution images, for instance). Nevertheless, it has been widely used for poster printing just because many faculty and students are familiar with it as a presentation tool. Photoshop is likely to be needed for editing images no matter what software is used for layout and design. For that reason, it can be used as the single piece of software for poster production, sometimes a pedagogical advantage, although Photoshop is weaker on text manipulation. Graphic designers will prefer InDesign for its precision and rich toolset. All of these applications are standard in the ISUComm computer classrooms.
Printing Tips
The computer platform and the specific software will affect the procedures for printing, but keep the following tips in mind.
- Consider creating templates (one portrait, one landscape) for your students. Preset such variables as margins, paper size (usually custom), resolution (300 dpi recommended), and image mode (CMYK for printing), background (transparency). Directions can include as a text block within the template or, in some software, as an attached audio comment.
- Use a format for the development stage that allows the most information to be saved (such as the psd format with editable layers in Photoshop). At the point of printing, a rasterized (bit-map) or PDF file can be created to keep file size small for emailing or network transfer to the printer.
- For large posters, consider design at one-quarter scale. The transfer file can be smaller and the final 400% upscaling can be done in the printer.
- Restrict fonts to those available in the ISUComm computer classrooms, especially if you want to allow last-minute editing on a computer other than the one the student used to design the poster.
- If the posters are to be mounted on cardboard, allow at least an inch extra on all sides. Backgrounds can “bleed” within one-quarter inch of the page edges to cover wrap-around on the backing cardboard.
- Eliminate any layers before final printing. Look for commands like “flatten image,” “rasterize,” “merge layers.” Save the printing copy as a separate file; don’t overwrite the original poster file.
- Distinguish between paper size and print size. For example, you might create a custom paper size of 42x32 and a print size of 30x40, allowing one each of margin or wrap-around space on all sizes.
- If the poster has been developed undersized, then be sure to scale to fit in the print dialog box.
- Use the print preview option where available to ensure that the poster is properly sized and aligned. Setting portrait and landscape orientation can be confusing depending on how the template, design, and roll paper have been used. A visual preview will confirm that all settings work properly.
- Print one poster to ensure proper setup before queueing a whole class of posters.
- Count on about thirty minutes for processing, printing, and drying of a large poster. Mounting the poster requres another fifteen minutes or so.