How to Use the Plotter

Owned by Katie Lungren (Unlicensed)
Feb 25, 2022
7 min read

General Tips

  • A PDF file is usually the easiest to plot. With other file types, you risk missing fonts and images. Additionally, PDF files can be printed from Adobe Acrobat, which offers the most comprehensive configuration settings.

  • Only one page can be sent to the plotter at a time.

  • It is best to create your document with the length and width of your desired poster. For example, if you need an 18x24 poster, set your document size to 18x24 before beginning work. If the size of your document and your desired poster size are not proportional, the plotter will add white bars on the top/bottom or left/right edges to make it fit.

  • A PaperCut balance is required in order to print at CHHS computer labs. Students receive $5.00 in print credits every semester, and more can be purchased through RamCash. Print credit is transferrable between users via PaperCut.

  • The maximum width that the plotter can print is 36 inches. Typically, the largest size poster is 36x48, which costs $2.00. You can, however, print posters that are longer than 48 inches.

 

Plotting from a PDF


Most programs (including Adobe, Microsoft, and Autodesk products) allow you to export your document to a PDF format. Once you have a PDF file, open it up in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

 

If the lab you are in has Adobe Acrobat installed, you will be prompted to sign in with an Adobe ID. Instructions for creating an Adobe ID are available here. Once Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader has opened your file, you should see something like this:

 

Go to File → Print, or click on the printer icon on the top left corner.

 

The following window will appear:

On the right side, above the preview, you can see that the default settings are for an 8.5x11 (letter) sized sheet of paper, which is why the scale is indicating a factor of 33%.

 

Note: The document I’m using is 24x32. The ratio of 24 by 32 is 3:4 (24/32 = ¾), therefore, I can scale it to any other 3:4 ratio size without worrying about stretching the image or adding white bars on the sides. If you want to confirm the size of your document, you can select “Actual size” on the left. Once you do this, the scale indicator will change and show you the document size instead:

“Actual size” is typically only used when you need to preserve scale (architectural drawings) or if your poster is already the desired print size with custom margins drawn in. Most of the time, “Fit” will be the best option.

 

Next, click on the Printer drop-down menu and select the plotter. It’s important to do this before moving on.

 

The next step is to open the Properties window by clicking here:

 

You should see something like this:

 

Documents with small text, intricate drawings, or fine lines require the Print Quality slider to be dragged to the right from “Speed” to the middle of the scale between “Speed” and “Quality”. This will make the poster take a little bit longer to finish printing, but increase the quality. In most cases, it is unnecessary to move the slider all the way to the right.

 

Next, you will need to specify the size of your poster. You can select from the standard sizes in the menu or click on Custom to enter your own. I’m going to print on 36x48 for this example.

 

Enter your width and height, then click OK. In some cases, you may have to enter a custom name and then click Save before moving on.

 

Once this is done, your settings should look something like this:

 

If your poster does not take up the entire preview (i.e., there is some white space on one of the sides) you should instruct the plotter to print cutting lines for you to make trimming the poster easier. This step only applies if there is white space on the side of your poster, meaning you are printing to a size smaller than 36x48.

 

This next step only applies if your poster is smaller than 36x48 and does not take up the entire width of the plotter paper. It will print a very faint dashed line so you can crop your poster to the correct size in a straight line. If your poster takes up the entire width of the plotter paper, this step is unnecessary. If this step does apply to you, select “Clip contents by margins” and “Draw cutting lines,” then click OK.

 

Back in the properties window, click OK.

 

Since I previously selected “Actual size”, white space is added to fill in the extra space because my original document is smaller than the 36x48 print size. If you need your poster to print at its original scale, leave “Actual size” checked. Otherwise, follow the instructions in the step after this.

 

To fix this, change the setting back to Fit:

Note: The plotter only accepts 1 page at a time. If your document has more than one page, change the Pages to Print option from “All” to “Current” so it only prints the page you are currently working with.

 

Before printing, you can check your balance by clicking on the Papercut icon in the tray:

 

If you don’t see that icon, you can find it here:

 

With your balance in mind, you can now click the Print button back in your Adobe Acrobat window:

 

Depending on the size of your file, there will be a small delay. Then you should see something like this:

 

If you’ve made it to this point, your document should begin printing. It can take anywhere between 1 and 5 minutes to complete.

 

Troubleshooting


If a notification popped up asking you to confirm the print job (previous screenshot) but nothing printed out, find the PaperCut icon and click on it. Once the window pops up, click “Details” on the bottom right.

 

You will then be asked to log into your PaperCut account. Log in with the same credentials you use to log into the computer, Canvas, RamWeb, etc.

 

Once logged in, you can go to “Recent print jobs” by clicking the link on the left navigation bar. Under Recent Print Jobs, you can see all of the print jobs recognized by the system. If one was denied, you can hover over it and see the reason:

 

If it was not denied, you can click “request refund” and explain what happened. However, refunds will not be processed unless a lab operator also records it internally. If you need a refund after hours, you will have to speak with a lab operator during normal staff hours or email the helpdesk (chhshelpdesk@colostate.edu). If something printed out but it is incorrect, please save it and bring it to the lab op for documentation of the problem.


From the CHHS website:

 

More Resources and Information


For more resources and information, please visit our website at chhs.colostate.edu/technology/student-computer-labs or Student Computer Labs. For more complex issues, you can email the CHHS Helpdesk at chhshelpdesk@colostate.edu to create a ticket. You can also call the helpdesk during normal business hours at 970-491-3458.