Poster Printing

Physics OCS is equipped with a Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 4500ps plotter-printer serving faculty, staff, and students. The DesignJet prints on 42" wide, roll feed, heavy coated inkjet paper (a bright photo-glossy surface), with a printable area of 41.5". The printer's 2400 x 1200 dots per inch color output, combined with special-purpose paper produces high-quality output that is ideal for banners, signs, posters, and displays. Printing is charged at $8.00 per linear foot.

Click Here to submit an online request for poster printing.

The basic process to print a poster is:

1. Make funding arrangements (See Physics OCS)
   • Users must provide the following information on the job request form
   • Name
   • Unique Name
   • 6 digit U of M account number for billing purposes
     
     
2. Prepare your poster using an approved application. This includes Illustrator, Photoshop, and Powerpoint. Please inquire about all other applications before starting your project. Also, please keep in mind that although the paper is 42" wide, the actual print maximum is 41.5". One dimension (height or width) must be less than or equal to 41.5". Make sure you have your layering correct. In Powerpoint, it may preview correctly but then print with a text box covering an image. In Adobe apps, you need to flatten your poster, as, when they are not flattened, it may preview correctly but then print missing images. Prepare your poster accordingly.
   
   
3. If possible, turn your file into a postscript or PDF file, making sure to include all document fonts and make sure that images are at least 300 dpi or they may become distorted. Try Printing to a .PS format file first (through the HP 4500ps PostScript printer driver, setting a Custom paper size) and then distill the .PS file to .PDF. Your file should be 250 MB or less to ensure proper and timely printing. Files larger than 250 MB will not be accepted. The larger the file, the longer it takes for the printer to process. There are problems with large paper sizes from Distiller.
   
   
4. Save your the file to a CD, USB hard drive, or, if it is under 10 MB, e-mail it to Physics.ocs@umich.edu.
   
   
5. Visit the Physics OCS office between 8 am and 4 pm (closed for Lunch 12:00pm - 1:00pm), Monday-Friday, and see a consultant who will help load your file and show you a preview. Any print jobs that are not completed by 4:45pm will have to be picked up the following business day.
   
   
6. Once you approve the preview and your funding arrangements are verified, your file will be printed.

The procedure is "first come, first served," from the time you arrive at the OCS office with your file ready to print, However, jobs submitted by Physics users will have the highest priority. The OCS consultants will make their best effort to print your file. However, we cannot guarantee results in every circumstance. Be prepared with an alternate plan to use the plotter at the Media Union or a commercial printer, if necessary.

Before you come in to print, be sure to...

1. Finish your poster completely. Your poster should be proofread and in a finished state when you arrive. Correcting typos after you have printed the poster requires reprinting and is wasteful, expensive, and time consuming. Pages will be printed to the resolution and size specified by the electronic file format. OCS will not scale documents.
   
   
2. Allow enough time. Most jobs take approximately 30 minutes to print; however, in some cases the process can take more than an hour. We will not accept new print jobs after 4 pm. In addition, the printer may be in high demand for several days before a conference.
   
   
3. Know your software. You should be familiar with Illustrator, Photoshop, Powerpoint, or whatever software application you have chosen. Consultants are not able to give you detailed instructions on its use, especially when others are waiting to preview and print their posters.
   
   
4. Know your file storage. Once you arrive at OCS, consultants can work with you to import your file from CD, e-mail or USB storage.
   
   
5. Have funding arrangements in place. Printing is charged against a U-M account, at $8.00 per linear foot to cover the cost of the paper, ink, printer maintenance, and administration. Increments of a foot are rounded up to the next half foot. Billing arrangements should be made in advance. We do not accept cash, checks, or credit cards.
   
   Students who are printing for a course should have their instructor make arrangements for the class. Those printing for research or other projects should plan to supply a departmental account number.
   
   To make billing arrangements, please see our Required Information. If you have questions about printing charges, please contact OCS, (734)763-9756.
   
   
6. Have a poster tube. (Optional) Printed posters are susceptible to damage if mishandled. The plotter prints using water soluble ink and could run or smear if exposed to the elements. Bring a 42-inch long poster tube if available.

Resources:

• UofM Print Style Guide
• Tips on color choices