During the Spring 2013 Semester the Plotter Lab will be open:
Monday -Friday: 9am-5pm
Monday – Friday Nights: 7pm – 11pm
Saturday: 9am – 1pm
Sunday: 1pm – 11pm
To download a copy of the schedule please click here.
Hours
Saturday: 9am – 1pm
If you need to install the HP plotters on your Mac…
There are new drivers for the CAAD-Standard and CAAD-Presentation plotters.
You must now go here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL907
to download the new HP drivers directly from Apple. This will allow you to install the plotters on your Mac.
If you already have the printers you will not need to make this change, however, if you find yourself unable to plot please do this.
Mac Drivers
Please click on the individual links to download the appropriate drivers for each printer/plotter.
CAAD – Draft
The Draft plotter is unavailable from your Mac side. You can however print to this plotter from your Windows side.
CAAD – Standard
CAAD – Presentation
CAAD – ColorLaser
CAAD – BWLaser
New Pricing and Papers
In the coming days the Plotter lab will be switching to a new pricing system. I will come to each studio and explain further about changing over to the new printers and to let you know when to do this. The new system now has 3 categories of plotting.
Draft
-This is the cheapest way to plot. The paper in the Draft plotter is a 20# Bond, ideal for quick prints and line drawings.
Standard
-The standard printer is what everyone will be most familiar with. This is the typical paper that we have been using for years. It is a 24# Bright White Bond.
Presentation
-The Presentation plotter is our newest plotter and will handle plots that require a nicer, more professional finish. The paper that will be in this plotter is a 35# Heavyweight Coated bond.
The Prices associated with each printer are:
Draft: $1.50/ln foot
Standard: $2.50/ln foot
Presentation: $4.00/ln foot
In order to make the switch everyone will need to delete the old printers from your computer (Simply click on the printer and hit “delete”) and reinstall the new ones from the Iprint website. If you need help doing this, please see this post.
Mac Users:
You will need to go here and download the driver for the new HP DesignJet T1300 plotter, and install it prior to installing the PA-CAAD-Presentation plotter from Iprint.
New Papers
We will also be offering an alternative paper selection now. The alternative papers will be changed out on the Presentation plotter and will only be available by appointment. The pricing and options are as follows:
Glossy $4.50/ln ft
Semi Gloss $4.50/ln ft
Photo Matte $5.00/ln ft
Vellum $2.50/ln ft
Mylar $4.00/ln ft
Clear Film $2.50/ln ft
CP WaterC $9.50/ln ft
HP WaterC $9.50/ln ft
Macs and CAAD.LAB.03
Important Notice to Mac Users:
You cannot print to CAAD.LAB.03 from the Mac operating system. The file will say that it has printed correctly and Banner will charge you, BUT, the printer will not print the file.
You can however print to CAAD.LAB.03 from your Windows side.
The driver installation is quick and simple (compared to the Mac version).
Please see the Setting up Iprint post in the Student FAQ section to get a step by step guide to installing the printers on your Windows Side.
URGENT
NOTICE…
CAAD.LAB.02 Plotter is Temporarily OUT OF SERVICE.
A new part is being ordered and will be replaced as soon as possible. This could potentially take a week to 10 days, please plan accordingly.
I apologize for the inconvenience.
Emily
How to set up iPrint
Mississippi State University has established a web based printing solution to make installation of printers on portable devices an easy task. A onetime install of the iPrint Client enables students to then install a number of printers found around campus. Once you have installed the drivers from the iPrint website that particular printer will show up in the Printers & Faxes list. Occasionally, the MSU ITS department will update the drivers on the iPrint website, when this happens the students will be notified to delete and reinstall those particular drivers.
Please follow this link to go to the iPrint website.
NEW: Mac Iprint step by step instructions.
BEFORE you start installing iPrint on your Mac, please go to this here to download and install the drivers. You must do this before you install the iPrint client, then follow the instructions listed above.
If you are having problems getting the printers to add on your Mac please see this post.
These step by step instructions will guide you through the set-up process.
If you have any questions or problems, please come by the Lab and we will be glad to help.
It is recommended that students delete and reinstall all the printers at the beginning of the semester in order to make sure you have the most up to date driver.
How do I print a PDF?
In order to reduce file size and mitigate compatibility issues, it is a good idea to always have a PDF version of your file.
The Plotter Lab REQUIRES that ALL prints sent to the large format plotters be a PDF. This speeds up the processing time, and also gives you a chance to “print” your document before you actually PRINT your document.
1) Click on FILE > PRINT
2) Choose Adobe PDF for printer, and click on PAGE SETUP to open the Adobe PDF settings dialog box.
3) On the Adobe PDF Settings tab you will need to specify the page size.
If you are using a page size that is not listed, you will need to add a custom size by click on ADD
4.) On the Layout tab you will need to choose the proper orientation for your print. If you need help with this please see the Portrait vs. Landscape post.
5.)After you choose the proper settings, you will return to the Print Dialog box. In some cases you made need to go back into PAGE SETUP and adjust your settings a second time for the preview to register the altered page size and orientation. After verifying that your Preview looks correct you are ready to print. Click on PRINT
6.) Once you click Print a Save PDF File As dialog box will open asking you to specify a file name and location. Click SAVE and your file will open automatically in Adobe after it is done being printed.
Printing in COLOR
A common problem when printing is getting the color correct. Many times the color output from the printer differs somewhat from what we see on our computer monitors. This is an unavoidable situation when it comes to printers and here is why:
Visible Spectrum vs RGB vs CMYK
There is a significant differnece in what is visiable to the human eye and what we are able to graphically reproduce.
The entire color area represents the gamut of colors visible to the human eye.
The yellow area represents the colors that fall in the RGB spectrum.
The blue area represents the colors that fall in the CMYK spectrum.
As you can see these areas do overlap but their are still colors that a monitor (RGB) can produce which a printer (CMYK) cannot, such as some yellows and greens. As well as colors that are visible and can print but cannot be reproduced on a screen, like some blues.
The RGB Color Spectrum
The RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color system is considered to be an ADDITIVE system. This is because you start with black and add colors together to achieve white. This spectrum is used in computer monitors and television screens.
The CMYK Color Spectrum
The CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color system is considered a SUBTRACTIVE system. With all colors present you have to subtract color to achieve white. This spectrum is used in print media.
The differences in these two color spectrum are what cause the shift in color representation from the computer monitor to a print document. There are ways to compensate for these shifts, such as working in CMYK mode in Photoshop, but even this will not be 100% accurate. Some colors will be more difficult to reproduce than others, a vivid red for example can be very difficult to accurately represent on a document.
Portrait vs Landscape
Why is my print cropped or rotated?
Why is there a ton of white paper and only a little of my image?
How do I set up my print job?
The most common mistake made when printing is choosing the incorrect orientation for your print job. Here are some hints and tips to avoid these problems.
DO NOT USE AUTO-ROTATE.
ALWAYS CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS BY CLICKING ON PROPERTIES.
THE ORIENTATION SETTINGS THAT YOU GIVE THE PLOTTER IN THE “PRINTER DIALOG BOX” IS WHAT THE PLOTTER WILL USE TO PRINT YOUR JOB.
When you print a job that has a height greater than its width, that is a PORTRAIT print. The max width of our plotter is 36″, so if your large dimension is over 36″ you should plot in portrait orientation.
When you print a job that has a width greater than its height, that is a LANDSCAPE print. If the largest dimension in your print is 36″ you should plot in landscape orientation.
The “Auto-Rotate and Center” option in the program dialog box is deceptive. It will rotate your document and place it correctly in the PREVIEW, but NOT in the PLOTTER.
To download a PDF of these instructions please click here.
Printing problems with your Mac.
Make sure you have followed the Mac iprint Installation instructions found here.
The most likely culprit of your printing issues is your printer driver.
Before you attempt to print again follow these instructions.
1. Make sure you have the most up to date operating system on your machine. You must have OS 10.6 or higher.
2. Delete all of your printers and the iPrint Client from your computer. Empty your trash and reboot.
3. Download this driver (HP) and this driver (Ricoh). For the Ricoh, click on the Mac OS X 10.6 link and it will open a window for you to download the Mac OS X 10.6 PPD installer.
4. Install both of the drivers. You do not need to use the HP Printer Setup Assistant, iPrint will do this.
5. Reinstall the iprint client then download the printers from iPrint as you normally would.
This should resolve the printing problems that you are having with iPrint and your Mac. If it does not please come see Emily in the lab and she will work with you to get the problems fixed.