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Using the Designjet 650C Large-Format Color Plotter

One of an eclectic series of notes on how to do things on the EPS network, by Jim Connolly (connolly@unm.edu)

(25-Jun-2003)

About the Plotter

The Hewlett Packard DesignJet 650C plotter is a four-pen (CYMK - cyan, yellow, magenta, black) plotter that prints on a 36" wide roll of special coated ink-jet paper. This vintage plotter was first manufactured in 1994, and HP will not provide any technical support for it (although they will still sell you the manuals for it on paper for quite a few bucks). It has 68 MB of RAM Memory, and uses a version of the HP PCL for its RIP (raster image processing). The "updated" drivers we use for it are dated 1998. We are quite pleased that it works as well as it does.

The width of the roll is a limiting factor for the short dimension of your plot. The maximum length of a plot will vary depending on complexity, but if you keep your long dimension 60" or less you will usually be in good shape. The longest poster I have seen come out of the plotter was 108"; it took 30 minutes to process it for printing and 45 more minutes to actually come out. Large plots tend to be unreliable and will often fail in some way - chop one end from the plot, omit some graphics, or something equally frustrating. If you can design your very large poster on two panels, you will generally have a much higher probability of success.

Typically a 36" x 56" plot in enhanced (best quality mode) will take about 20 minutes to plot. The actual time will vary depending on the program used to make the plot, and the complexity of the graphics included.

Scheduling Your Plot Time

To minimize waste caused by failed plots, "default" permissions are restricted on this plotter to Network Administrators only. If you plan to use the plotter, you must arrange this in advance with the Network Administrator (connolly@unm.edu); this must be done so that the network administrator can add your username to the permissions list for the plotter. Before major meetings (GSA, AGU, etc.) there will be signup sheets posted in the lab to reserve time to print posters. Users should sign up at least one day in advance to insure that they will be put on the permissions list for printing in time to use the plotter.

Cost of Plotting

We are currently charging $1.00 per square foot of material printed successfully (rounded up to the nearest foot). Users must inform the network administrator of what they have printed. A "successful plot" is defined as a one in which the printer succeeds in printing your document, i.e., doesn't run out of paper or ink or chop off part of the plot, etc. If the plot is successful and you didn't like something in it and print it again after your corrections, you must pay for both plots. Plotting will be billed on a regular basis after the end of each semester. Special bills will be prepared for particular users on request; this is required for students or others who are completing their degree and checking out of the department.

Poster-Creating Programs

We have several programs designed for creating posters or for creating parts of posters (i.e., plots, graphics, pictures, etc.). Some of those are listed below:

• Microsoft PowerPoint: In my experience, PowerPoint is the most reliable and most forgiving program for printing posters. Its chief limitation is the maximum size of your slide. See the section of PowerPoint tips later in this document.
• Adobe Illustrator: Illustrator can be used to make very attractive and detailed drawings. It makes vector plots which rescale very well (as opposed to dot-based bitmaps which lose resolution when resized). It is best to use Illustrator to make your "component" illustrations that you import into PowerPoint for your poster rather than making your entire poster in Illustrator. If required, it is possible to directly print large drawings prepared with Illustrator. This requires careful preparation and use of a number of tricks discussed in the Illustrator tips section below.
• Adobe Photoshop Elements: This program is used for editing photos and other bitmapped graphics and as a front-end for input graphics from the slide and page scanners. It should never be used to make a large poster, but can be use to optimize the photos you will use in your poster. See the photo tips section below.
• Canvas: Version 8.0 is installed on EPS027 (the workstation that is connected to the plotter). It is available primarily for people who use Canvas on their own systems and want to use the plotter. Canvas for Mac users can print their work with the Windows version of the program, but because the plotter is not a postscript device it is not possible make successful plots directly from a Mac. The main issues which Canvas users must be concerned with are substitution of fonts (use simple ones like Arial and Times Roman), shifting of un-grouped elements resulting in registration of elements which are slightly off, and the tendency of colors to change slightly from screen to plotter.
• Other Programs that create graphics: You may use any number of other programs to create graphics to be used in your poster, including Sigma Plot, IgPet, Microsoft Excel, and others. In general, Powerpoint is best at importing graphic "object" from other programs through the Insert - Picture or Insert - Object menu functions, but some programs may require use of the clipboard and/or modification of the graphic in an intermediary program for this to be successful.

Applications installed on other systems on the network (PCs only - sorry Mac guys) may be used, but time for experimentation and testing should be allowed if you plan to use Designer or some other program we do not have in the lab. Network sharing of the plotter, permissions and temporary removal of the workstation from general use must also be arranged in advance by the network administrator for this to be possible.

General Poster-Planning Tips

• Use Microsoft PowerPoint: In my experience, PowerPoint is the most reliable and most forgiving program for printing posters on our DesignJet 650. Its chief limitation is the maximum size of your slide (36" x 56"). Its strengths include the ability to incorporate drawings, graphs, charts and photographs from a wide variety of sources (including Illustrator, Photoshop, MS-Office and almost any other program) while maintaining image quality. It is also very easy to resize and move those objects on your page. Specific tips related to PowerPoint are discussed in a separate section below.
• Allow ½" Margins on your page: Whatever page size you select, it is best to allow ½" of margin space all around. If your plot goes to the edge of the page, ½" will be chopped off. If you are using a background that covers the whole page, just make sure that the text and graphics you want to see are not within that margin area. One way to get around this in the "long" dimension is to specify a page size an inch longer than your actual size (i.e., 57" for a 56" slide length). The "short" dimension is fixed at 36" and you must be sure to allow sufficient margin. Another way is to use the "print to fit" setting on the plotter driver which fits the image into the printable space, but this can result in some distortion if your proportions do not scale exactly. In general, the most reliable solution is to make your printable area no larger than 35" x 56"; this will print fully and without scaling on a custom sized 36" x 57" sheet.
• Scan Photos at High Resolution: If using digital photos that you want to be larger than snapshot size, use the high-resolution setting on a camera with at least 2 megapixel resolution. If scanning paper photos, use at least 300 dpi resolution. If scanning photos from magazines, examine your scans carefully - the "moire" effects can cause blotching when scanning at 300 dpi or higher, and lower resolutions may be required. If scanning slides, use the maximum 2700 dpi resolution on the side scanner. Use the functions of Photoshop Elements to enhance the scanned or digital photo to brighten colors and modify the contrast. The scanner prints at a maximum of 300 dpi and makes colors by mixing "dots" on the page. Photos that look good as snapshots can look very granular when blown up and printed on the plotter, and photos without good contrast can look very washed out when printed. The rule of thumb is if it looks very good at 100% "View" in Powerpoint, it should print acceptably.
• Use the "Process in Computer" Setting on the Plotter: As discussed in the final section on setting up the plotter, you may choose to have your plot processed in the Printer (the default setting) or on the computer. If your processed plot size (usually 3 to 5 times the size of your saved file) exceeds 64 MB, it is a good idea to use the Process in Computer setting on the plotter driver. This will cause your plot to take longer time (in total) to print, but the plotter will not run out of memory. "Process in Computer" enables the plot to start quicker and is generally the most reliable setting.

The Adobe Illustrator Tips Section

Adobe Illustrator is an excellent program for doing very precise technical drawings, graphs, maps, etc. It is not the best program for creating poster presentations primarily because of difficulties in printing large, complicated documents on the plotter from Illustrator. In most cases where assembling a poster with graphics from Illustrator, text and graphics from other sources, your best choice is PowerPoint. This section includes tips about how to prepare your Illustrator files for successful import into PowerPoint.

In some situations (i.e., where you need to print large maps created in Illustrator for a thesis or dissertation) making large printouts is unavoidable. Tips are included below about how to prepare large-format documents in Illustrator in a way that will maximize your chance of successful printing on the plotter.

General Tips:

• PowerPoint and (especially) Illustrator can use a lot of virtual memory (i.e., disk space) to process images, particularly when importing or exporting them.
• Before starting to work on a poster or printing it, restart the computer you are using. This will clear virtual memory and unneeded program and service modules from the operating system, usually resulting in better program response.
• Save your work frequently and minimize the number of programs running simultaneously on the system when plotting or working on putting a poster together. Illustrator will frequently slow to a crawl or crash for lack of memory if too much is running.
• Don't do your Email, or chatting on this system while you are plotting or working on creating a poster. Do not run programs that you do not need to run.

Preparing Illustrator Graphics for Import

Illustrator drawings may be included in your PowerPoint poster. You will get the best results if you prepare a special version of your Illustrator drawings using the tips in the next section. There are several ways your drawings may be imported, and the one you use will be governed by what you are looking for in your output. These methods, with their strengths and weaknesses, are listed below.

• Insert - Object - from File: This method inserts an Illustrator drawing in it's "native" format. Prepare your Illustrator file (next section) then import it by entering its location in the box (you can browse for it). If this method works (it can be short-circuited by a troublesome file of very large size) it will give you the best printed quality and the ability to resize with virtually no loss of quality. If it doesn't work, you will be forced to use the clipboard method.
• Edit - Paste - Special (Clipboard): After preparing your drawing (next section) select it and copy it to the clipboard. Use the Edit - Paste - Special command and paste it into your PowerPoint presentation. In general the best choices are: Picture (generally best resolution with least loss on resizing) Device Independent Bitmap (larger file and 2nd best quality) or Bitmap (smaller file, good quality). The drawing becomes a bitmap, and increasing size will result in some loss of resolution.
• Insert - Object - from File may be used for other types of graphic files. This is enabled for all file types associated with programs on your computer - i.e. if you use Corel Draw, it will work for Corel Draw drawings. Bitmap formats will lose some resolution on enlargement, but vector drawings will generally remain sharp.
• Insert - Picture - from File may be used for any type of graphic file for which there is a Microsoft "file import" capacity installed. This type of import is independent of the program that created the file. It does not work with Illustrator documents, but does work with most bitmap types (.jpg, .bmp, .gif, tiff, etc.). Resizing to large size will result in some "pixelation" or loss of resolution.

Getting Illustrator Files That Can be Successfully Printed

(Thanks to former M.S. student Amanda Tyson for tips in this section. Amanda was able to get Illustrator to print drawings that I thought were unprintable.)

The most important factor in creating an Illustrator drawing that can be printed on the plotter (either directly from Illustrator or as an imported object in PowerPoint) is to simplify the drawing as much as possible, eliminating things that do not need to be there (including multiple layers and ungrouped objects). This involves creating two new documents -- on that simplifies the graphic construction of your original file, and a second document specifically designed to print on the plotter. Here's how to do it:

• Eliminate all unneeded objects (i.e., hidden bitmaps used for tracing, etc.).
• Save everything into one layer by doing the following: Unlock all objects, select all objects and Group into one group. This will put them all into the top layer. Erase all empty layers and save with a new name (so you can keep your original drawing intact).
• If you are going to import your drawing into Powerpoint, you may use this newly saved and "stripped down" file as an imported object. If you are going to print directly from Illustrator:
  • Make a new, empty document that is the size you want it to be. Maximum allowable length is 108". 60" to 80" length gives you the best chance of a successful printed output. Maximum height is 36".
  • From menu choose File - Document Setup and setup the plotter as the printer and page size to match your document (as described in the last section).
  • Switch to your original document, select and copy all of the grouped, single layer stuff, and paste it into your new file, and then print from the new file.

The PowerPoint Tips Section

• Use a custom-sized large Powerpoint slide (not a bunch of small slides printed on a large sheet) to make your poster on this plotter.
• When printing, set your printed page to be the same size (or 1" larger all around if your printed material is inside the ½" printing margin), and make sure that all of your printed "elements" are completely within the printable margin. "White space" overhanging the page margins will result in a crashed computer and a failed print.
• If using photographs or other bitmap graphics try not to enlarge these in PowerPoint. This will usually cause significant loss of resolution. Bitmaps can usually be reduced in size without loss in quality.
• Sometimes print quality can be improved by modifying contrast or brightness of your images. This can be done within PowerPoint when you are in the picture editing mode. Be careful how this is done. If you can't undo changes, you may need to re-place your image from the original.

Step-By-Step Plotter Procedure

(Note: Should you want to print this section without all the preceeding stuff for reference, use your mouse to select the text, then File -- Print and have your web browser print the "Selection" so that only what is selected will be printed)

If the plotter hasn't been used in a while it is important to advance the paper at least 3 inches before you print your poster. The end of the paper will have yellowed from exposure to the light in the room, and if you do not do this you will have a yellow stripe at the beginning of the plot. This may be done by printing a test page which will

The following steps outline and illustrate how to setup and print on the plotter. The driver for the plotter is old and not very smart; will not remember custom page sizes, or any other settings between sessions, although it will remember what you setup as long as you remain logged on. It is a very good idea to check the settings each time you start a plot to avoid wasting time, paper and ink.

1. Have Jim Connolly add you to the permissions list for the plotter. Without being on the permissions list you cannot print on the plotter.
2. Have your file you want to print in your folder on the L: drive.
   • a. If you can, use Microsoft PowerPoint to make your poster. It is by far (winning by at least a 10:1 margin) the most reliable program to use for printing large documents on the Designjet 650. We have the PowerPoint version from Office 2000 on EPS027 (the plotter computer) and if you have a newer version, you might have to save it to an older version to make in work correctly. You should use a single large slide (maximum page size of 36" x 56") for your panel. If you want something larger than this, plan on using two panels and designing accordingly. Macintosh versions can be printed as long as the version is not newer than Mac Office 2001; you can save an older version if you need to.
   • b. Adobe Illustrator 9 (Mac and earlier formats are ok), and Canvas 8 (earlier formats OK) can be used, but have a much lower rate of producing successful plots. The plotter does not like to print documents that are more than 60" long, although sometimes it will successfully do it. Generally failures manifest as missing elements in your plot, badly substituted fonts, bad color substitutions, or whole sections of you poster not printing. I have not recognized what characteristics of a particular plot produce successful vs. unsuccessful plots, but in there seems to be a general correlation between large file size and complicated graphics with unsuccessful plot attempts.
   • c. If you are using another program (i.e., newer version of Designer, or something else) not available on this system, you must have Adobe Acrobat 4.0 (or newer; not the reader, but the full program) installed on the machine you are using to make your poster. Print the poster using Acrobat Distiller using "Print" (or high) resolution settings, and save your output PDF file in your L: drive folder. Some programs like Canvas and Illustrator will let you save directly to an Acrobat PDF file. PDF files generally print more reliably than Illustrator and Canvas, but even this is not universal.
3. Log on to EPS027 (the system connected to the plotter).
4. Set the Plotter as your default printer. Go to "Start Menu", "Settings", "Printers". Find the printer named "DJ 650C Plotter (HP W2K Driver)". Right-click your mouse on its icon and select "Set as Default Printer".
5. Start the application you will use to print your file, and open your file in it. Make a mental (or written) note of the exact size of your poster. The maximum size for PowerPoint is 36" x 56". The short dimension cannot be more than 36" (width of the paper). Depending on the application you are using, you may or may not be able to successfully print documents longer than 56".
6. Do whatever you need to do to "setup" the plotter in your application. This varies with different programs, but it is always somewhere in the "File" menu. For example, in most Adobe applications, the command is "File", "Page Setup", and there will be a small dialog box for "Properties" to access the printer setup stuff. Sometimes this menu may be accessed directly from the "File", "Print" menu. The print properties tab for the plotter is shown below. There are several tabs which you need to check:
   
• Paper Size Tab: Check portrait or landscape. Most posters will be landscape.
  • Click the "More Sizes" button (to bring up the window below). Very important: Uncheck "ANSI" box. The "Oversize" and "American" boxes should be checked.
    
  • Pick a Custom Size (I'd suggest Custom 3) and put the exact size of your poster in the width and height box. Note that the maximum "height" in landscape mode is 36". If using PowerPoint or some other program where the printed material does not have a ½" margin (i.e., printed area is no more than 55" wide), add an inch to the width of your paper. When done, click OK.
  • Back at the Paper Size tab, make sure "Zoom Smart" shows no scaling.
• Options Tab: (below) In the quality box, select "Best (Enhanced)". The other defaults (Automatic color, 1 copy, etc.) should work fine.
  
• Advanced Tab: (below) Make sure that "..In Computer" is selected in the process document. This will slow printing somewhat, but will assure that the plotter will not run out of memory and choke on your plot. It also starts printing faster which is good for helping with your anxiety level.
  
• Layout View: (below) Provides a final check of orientation of your output. It should show a plot size exactly the same as your poster "scaled to" the same size as your poster and oriented correctly. If this is incorrect, go back and get it right. When it is right, click OK.
  
7. When you are set up, correctly, print your document. Typically this is done with "File", "Print". An "Enhanced" 36" x 48" plot will typically take about 20 minutes to print. Stay with the plotter while it prints - if it goes nuts and starts printing mass quantities of some solid color or gibberish, it is important that you be there to cancel the plot. Stuff to watch for:
   • The plotter will whir and test the pens before it starts to plot. It will not print if any cartridges are empty or are clogged. Only the network administrator changes pens - get him if you need this done.
   • As the plot starts, watch that the paper curl does not get caught in the metal cover. If it does, it may cause the paper to jam requiring paper to be re-fed. This is a tricky process and will only be done by the network administrator.
8. Keep track of the size of your document, and let Jim Connolly know by Email or note the size of your printed output. If you have Connolly print your document and he makes a mistake on one, you only pay for the successful copy. If you make a mistake on one copy and have to print two (or more) yourself, you must pay for all of them.
9. When you are done, change the default printer back to one you normally use (so you won't accidentally printer to the plotter when you don't want to).

Please send feedback and/or corrections for this page to connolly@unm.edu.

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