How do I print a poster?

Note that this helpsheet is only for Windows XP. Printing from the lab Macintoshes is theoretically possible, but usually doesn't work terribly well. We can usually wrestle with the poster to make it work, but for expediency's sake, you should make sure the poster is compatible with a PC as well.

ITS Helpsheet Poster Printing in Windows XP

This helpsheet will explain how to correctly set up poster printing on the large format printer at the ITS Building.

Alias: ITBLB Poster Printer

Name: ITBLB111-HP800

Path to Drivers: \\scribe.pomona.edu\drivers\hpdrivers\win2k\hp800ps

Cost: $12-16 per poster

Printing Method: Color Inkjet Printing

Special features: Prints large, high-quality signs, posters and banners at up to 2400 dpi. Glossy and Matte paper available

Before You Try to Print

If at any time you are unsure about a setting or would like advice, please ask a consultant for assistance before trying to print. ITS recommends printing from the lab so that we can assist you if problems arise. Please note that an ITS staff member will need to release your print job from the queue, and accordingly you should only plan to print posters when the lab is staffed. You should allow 1 hour at the minimum to print a poster, although large jobs regularly take several hours. Posters with mostly text and compressed graphics will print significantly faster than posters with many high quality graphics. During busy times, you may need to wait for other peoples posters to print before printing your own. To ensure the poster comes out correctly, we strongly suggest printing the poster the 2 days before you need it to allow time to fix any problems.

Also, as noted above, printing posters takes $12-16 of print quota. Since students normally only receive $10 of print quota per semester, please ensure that you have enough in your account before trying to print. If you need to charge the poster to a department, please see the consultant on duty for assistance. See the CheckPrintQuota page if you need help checking print quota.

Installing the Printer

By default, the poster printer is not installed on lab computers.

1. From the Start menu, click Run and type in \\scribe.pomona.edu. You may need to enter your username in the username box, in CAMPUS\username format, and your network/email/lab login password in the password box.

2. The list of printers on \\scribe.pomona.edu will appear in its own window.

3. When you double-click on the printer icon, the server will attempt to automatically install the correct driver, so your computer can recognize the poster printer. You may need to click Yes to approve of the attempt.

4. A status window will open to display the list of jobs for your new printer. You may now print to the network printer.

Setting up your file to print

ITS recommends using either Adobe InDesign or Microsoft PowerPoint (part of the Microsoft Office package) to create your poster. While other programs will work, we have found that these programs provide the best results. Consultants will be most able to troubleshoot any printing problems with these programs.

You can open Adobe PageMaker and QuarkXPress files in InDesign. For best results with Adobe Photoshop, ITS suggests saving your file as a JPEG and using PowerPoint to print. InDesign and Office are installed on lab computers, and Office is available for free on campus .

Please make sure that your document consists of only a single page (slide in Powerpoint). Otherwise, the printer will charge you for each page, even though only the first will be printed!

How to set up poster printing in PowerPoint

How to set up poster printing in Adobe InDesign

For More Information

Ask a consultant! Please call ITS at x18062. Poster printing can be complicated and riddled with problems, but we will do our best to help you print.