Large Format Plotter (Cplot1)
cplot1 is a large-format, Inkjet, 2400 x 1200 max dpi color printer which is available to the UCSD community on a fee-for-service (recharge) basis.
This Hewlett-Packard DesignJet T1100ps is capable of printing images 42 inches wide and theoretically up to 150 feet long. Various output media are available including draft quality paper, vellum, and photo-grade papers.
Pickup:
ACMS Operations Computer Room
Applied Physics & Mathematics (AP&M)
Room 1426
858-534-4097
Please Note!
CPLOT submittal and pickup arrangements ONLY: Call 858-534-4097
Software setup and preparation questions: contact the ACMS Consulting Office or 858-534-2448.
Check jobs (queue and completion status): http://Cplot.ucsd.edu
cplot1 is unlike any other printer that ACMS offers. Even if you are already familiar with fee-for-service printing on ACMS laser printers, please read the instructions carefully including the level of support offered, costs, media options, procedures for submitting jobs to the printer and hints for better output.
Service expectations
CPLOT1 printing is an auxiliary service of ACMS. The CPLOT1 fees are minimal, but so too are the levels of technical support and staffing to process jobs. CPLOT1 fees recover the cost of materials only.
To keep cplot1 fees to a minimum, technical support is limited to the written instructions provided on this webpage. Likewise the speed of job turnaround is not guaranteed. Computer room Operators run cplot1 jobs when time is available. Occasionally other duties take Operators away from the computer room thus preventing quick turnaround on cplot1 jobs.
Due to the limited technical support and uncertainties of job turnaround time we do not recommend using the cplot1 printer if you have a tight deadline, particularly if this is the first time you will be using the printer. Better options include Imprints (on campus) or a commercial printing company or copy store (e.g. Kinko's) that have staff standing by to process jobs and assist you in troublshooting document set-up errors.
For UCSD students working in ACMS computer labs, the computers are preloaded with the necessary printer driver and PPD files, and there are "login" utilities that assist students in making the network connections to the ACMS print job spooling system. UCSD affiliates working from other on campus locations will need to load driver files, establish printing network connections and make proper page set-up settings. It is not uncommon for it to take a few days to become familiar with all the logistical details necessary to print large jobs, properly scaled and properly positioned on cplot1.
There are several types of media available for
cplot1 output:
| Media type | Queue name | Paper/media cost per linear foot |
|---|---|---|
| 36" wide (non-printing queue) | cplot1_np |
$0.00 |
| 42" wide (non-printing queue) | cplot1_np42 |
$0.00 |
| Draft Inkjet paper (36" wide) | cplot1 |
$0.50 |
| Heavyweight Coated paper (42" wide) | cplot1_co42 |
$1.00 |
| Heavyweight Coated paper (36" wide) | cplot1_co36 |
$1.00 |
| High Gloss Photo paper (42" wide) | cplot1_hg42 |
$3.00 |
| High Gloss Photo paper (36" wide) | cplot1_hg36 |
$3.00 |
| Semi Gloss Photo paper(42" wide) | cplot1_sg42 |
$3.00 |
| Semi Gloss Photo paper(36" wide) | cplot1_sg36 |
$3.00 |
How do I determine cost and preview my jobs?
Cplot1 uses a unique pricing structure based on ink and paper used. Please use the no-print queue (Cplot1_np) to get an accurate estimate and see a preview of your poster.
The printer requires a 1/2" margin around your print area so you need to allow for this before sending your job to the "non-printing" queue.
E-mail Note: The report is e-mailed to the account you use to submit the print job. For departmental users (see above), this is the recharge account you established to use cplot1, not your UCSD e-mail address.
Ink Cost
There is an ink usage charge for each of the four ink colors cyan, megenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). The cost for full-coverage is $0.75 per sq. ft. per color C/M/Y/K.
Secondary colors (such as green) use more than one ink color and cost more. When Gloss Photo paper is used the printer mixes black from C/M/Y inks instead of using its black ink cartridge. The accounting script adjusts ink charges accordingly.
Paper Cost
The charge for paper is by the linear foot depending on the chosen media. See Media Options for more details.
(Be aware that this pricing is subject to change without prior notice. The email from the non-printing preview queue will always contain an accurate price.)
Protective Mailing Tubes
When you pick up your job, you may request a cardboard mailer tube for your
output. The cost is $4.00 each, which will be added to the cost
of your job. You may also exchange a previously-purchased mailer tube when you
pick up your output.
Cplot1- PPD supported page sizes
The PPD file for cplot1 supports many different document page sizes. See the list of supported page sizes.
What type of ACMS account do I need?
Students:
You will need a real money Laser Printing account, which can be set-up through the ACMS web site. You will also need premium-printing access, which you will need to request by sending e-mail to acms-consult@ucsd.edu. Please use your UCSD e-mail address when sending this request as it is a form of authentication to active the service.
Recharge/Staff/Faculty:
Recharge account users will need to contact the ACMS Business Office to establish an ACMS printing account. This will involve having access to an index number, as well as about 24 hours to set-up the account. Please take this turn around time into consideration if you will need to establish a new account.
How Do I submit Cplot1 jobs?
From an ACMS-Managed Windows XP Lab
- Login to your account
- Open your document
- Go to File -> Print
- Select a no-print queue (cplot1_np or cplot1_np42)
- Make appropriate changes for the poster you are trying to print
- Check the printing account e-mail for a preview
- Verify that poster looks correct
- Repeat process for the appropriate cplot1_mediatype and size printing queue (see Media Options)
- Use The ACMS Print Queue Manager to check the status of your poster
Remote Printing from a Windows XP PC connected to the internet
- Download and run the ACMS Remote Print Installer to install an HP DesignJet 1100PS driver and a special cplot1 "relay" print queue on your PC
- Connect to the ACMS Remote Printing Authorization web page where you will enter your cplot1 printing account's user name and password
- Select one of the no print queues from the drop down menu (cplot1_np or cplot1_np42)
- Open your document and select File -> Print
- Select the special HP DesignJet 1100ps relay from your drop down menu
- Make appropriate changes for the poster you are trying to print
- Check the printing account e-mail for preview
- Verify that the poster looks correct
- Using the ACMS Remote Printing Authorization web page change printers to the appropriate Cplot1_mediatype and size printing queue (See Media Options)
- Make appropriate changes and print
- Use The ACMS Print Queue Manager to check the status of your poster
Note: Windows Vista users will need to download the HP DesignJet 1100PS driver directly from the HP support web site
From an ACMS-Managed Macintosh (OS X) Lab
- Login to your account
- Open your document
- Select File -> Page Setup
- Choose the Cplot1 queue name from the "Format for" list
- Select page size, orientation, etc. for your job
- Select File -> Print
- Select one of the no-print queues (cplot1_np or cplot1_np42)
- Print
- Check the printing account e-mail for a preview
- Verify that the poster looks correct
- Repeat process for the appropriate cplot1_mediatype and size printing queue (see Media Options)
- Use The ACMS Print Queue Manager to check the status of your poster
Remote Printing from an OS X Mac connected to the internet
- Download and install an HP DesignJet 1100PS driver and a special cplot1 "relay" print queue on your Mac
- Connect to the ACMS Remote Printing Authorization web page where you will enter your cplot1 printing account's user name and password
- Select one of the no-print queues (cplot1_np or cplot1_np42)
- Open your document and select File -> Page Setup
- Select Custom Page size
- In the format for menu select the newly installed HP DesignJet 1000PS printer
- In the page size menu select manage custom page size
- Add a new profile and name it
- Input the appropriate settings for your poster and return to your file
- Select File -> Print
- Select the newly installed HP DesignJet 1000PS relay from the drop down menu
- Check the printing account e-mail for a preview
- Verify the poster looks correct
- Using the ACMS Remote Printing Authorization web page change printers to the appropriate Cplot1_mediatype and size printing queue (See Media Options)
- Make appropriate changes and print
- Use The ACMS Print Queue Manager to check the status of your poster
From an ACMS-Managed Unix Lab
If you have a Postscript file that is ready to be printed to cplot1, simply type 'lpr -Pcplot1 filename' at the command prompt of a workstation in an ACMS-Managed Unix Lab. Note: If you send an ASCII text file to cplot1 it will not print.
Check your Print jobs
Check Your Print Jobs using the Print Queue Management Utility.
Check or remove jobs from print queue
Print Queue Management Utility shows list of your print jobs, along with information about how many other jobs will print before yours and also have the option that allows you to delete your jobs from the queue.
Hints on getting best results
An important factor in successfully printing on the cplot1
printer is avoiding failures that occur if your job file is too
large to transmit or store in print job spooling area(s).
How large is too large? That varies depending on the route your
job must follow from your ACMS server to the print spool area
on ieng9 which is the host that currently drives the printer.
It also depends on traffic to the spool area(s) en route.
Under the best circumstances (if you have direct access to ieng9) it probably
is not wise to exceed 300 megabytes. Large jobs can run the spooling areas on
servers out of space. In which case they will be removed (largest first)
in order to maintain print service for ordinary jobs.
There are various ways you can reduce the size of your job files.
Use vector graphics ("draw") applications instead of raster graphics ("paint") applications. For example, Adobe Illustrator produces high quality signs and posters consisting of text and color areas (vector graphics). The size of Illustrator print jobs is small compared to raster graphics jobs of the same dimensions. Typical 30 x 42 inch posters have been created in Illustrator where the resulting PostScript file size was only 128 kilobytes. Vector graphics documents convert to PostScript very efficiently. The amount of text has little effect on the job size. Also the output resolution, in the case of vector graphics, is not critical. In Illustrator switching between 100 and 800 dpi does not change the job size appreciably. This is because the PostScript for vector graphics describes shapes of text and color areas in terms of geometric vectors, the printer builds the pixel by pixel bitmap of the finished image internally.
If you use raster graphics ("paint") applications such as Photoshop, the PostScript job file contains a pixel by pixel bitmap of the image. The file size can quickly get out of hand as the dimensions and resolution of the bitmap increase. Control the file size by reducing dimensions, resolution, and bit-depth. Reducing the dimensions and resolution reduces the number of pixels in your file. Reducing the color bit-depth reduces the amount of data per pixel.
The raster graphic's file size is not equal to PostScript job's file size. A 36"x 36", 300 dpi raster graphic of a square can be compressed by saving the file as a JPG or GIF to only a few hundred kilobytes. However, when the graphic is printed the PostScript job has a file size of over 250 megabytes. It is generally not a good idea to print jobs that includes raster graphics with a dpi greater then 300, even though the printer can print at a much higher resolution.
If you need to produce a large format piece such as poster that contains a mixture of text and color areas (vector graphics) and a few raster graphics images, consider using a vector graphics ("drawing") application for the major text and color areas of your poster. Leave space for raster graphics (e.g. Photoshop images) and attach them later.
Solutions to common problems
Symptom: Remote printing is not working.
OS X
Going to the ppd file with a browser shows a bunch of text, it does not download. You have to instead "Save As" in to /Library/Printers/PPDs.
Make sure set the document size and the paper size.
Make sure to set to LPD printing not IP printing.
Windows
Make sure to unpack the driver installer before running it.
Make sure to choose the "download as soft font" option.
Both
Make sure to use the preview queue.
Do not make the width other than 36 or 42.
Symptom: Document with gradient background fails to print. More specifically, a Microsoft Powerpoint job that has a gradient background is submitted to cplot1 and either the background does not print or you receive an E-mail report that says, "Note: Your PostScript job aborted or otherwise did not process properly. Please contact ACMS User Services ( acms-consult@ucsd.edu , (858) 534 4060 ) for assistance."
Diagnosis: Large gradient areas, particularly Powerpoint backgrounds, are known to fail on the cplot1 plotter. Looking through the error logs on ieng9, you may see something like:
GS Message: Error: /undefined in errordi^Tct GS Message: Operand stack: GS Message: GS Message: Execution stack: GS Message: %interp_exit .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push 1 3 %oparray_pop .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --nostringval-- GS Message: Dictionary stack: GS Message: --dict:931/983(ro)(G)-- --dict:0/20(G)-- --dict:81/200(L)-- GS Message: Current allocation mode is local GS Message: Current file position is 4048
Solution: Replace all gradient backgrounds in Powerpoint with single color backgrounds. (zz1kc)
(02/12/03)
Symptom: The cplot1_np preview of a PowerPoint document
indicates a letter-sized image and does not
show the whole document.
Diagnosis: The preview is showing an accurate indication of what would print. In this case, the job sent to cplot1_np contained a specification for a page size of "letter" rather than for a custom page size. The most likely reason for this is that it's not enough that you specify a page size in PowerPoint; in addition, you need to pick one of the page sizes known for that particular device (HP DesignJet 1100PS).
Solution: Click on the "Properties" button in the window which
appears when you select "Print..." from PowerPoint's File menu. (Be sure
that the "Name:" shows "HP DesignJet 1100PS", so you'll get the right
list of properties. Look at "Paper Size:"; it probably says Letter now.
Pick the size you want from the list or pick the PostScript custom Page
Size item from that list.
Once you've done this, the thumbnail you get back should reflect the
choice you made instead of the default "letter".
(09/24/03)
Symptom: The cplot1_np preview of a TEX document
indicates a letter-sized image.
Diagnosis: Special directives are required to increase (or override) the default TEX output size which is letter-size.
Suggestions: Look for TEX (LaTEX, teTEX) documentation concerning increasing the output size, for example look for notes about "poster.cls". Use those instructions to generate your DVI file. Use the dvips utility that is part of TeTEX on ACMS systems to convert your DVI file to PostScript. This dvips is configured to respond to the HSIZE and VSIZE values and set the height and width of the PostScript encoded file accordingly.
Alternatively, look for the "poster" program by Jos van Eijndhoven. This has not been tested locally, but it's described as a utility to resize an encapsulated (or single page) postscript image to print on larger media.
Yet another alternative, here's a suggestion from a UCSD student ...
For latex, I had a style file from
http://www.robots.ox.ac.uk/~awf/latex-posters/
provided by Andrew Fitzgibbon.
For dvi -> ps, I used
dvips -P a0 -Ppdf -G0 filename.
You were also right about the ps/eps issue, the ps printed fine, but the eps did not, nor did printing through ghostview work. It appears plain command line printing [using lpr] is the best option.
If you successfully use one of these methods, the thumbnail you get back should reflect your chosen output size instead of the default "letter".
(02/12/03)
Symptom: Problem opening files, e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint says
that file does not exist.
Diagnosis: Microsoft Office applications (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Publisher, etc.) on the Macintosh have trouble opening files from a network folder. If you see your file, but Microsoft PowerPoint insists that the file does not exist, then you must copy the file to your desktop and open it from there.
Solution: Make a local copy of your file by dragging it from your network folder to the desktop. Open the copy on your desktop for editing (Microsoft applications should not complain now). If you've made modifications, be sure to save the file and copy it back to your network folder.
(09/30/03)
Symptom: Windows Powerpoint landscape poster using custom page
size prints in portrait mode instead of landscape mode.
Diagnosis: Custom Page Setup screen's "width" is the paper's width, not the width of the (landscape) poster.
Solution: The width and height of the custom page size should be thought of with you standing behind the printer watching the paper come out: The width is the width of the actual paper, e.g. up to 42 inches, and the height is how much paper will unroll, e.g. 56 inches. Then, setting it to print Landscape mode will rotate the document so that it prints sideways, matching the document's height to the width of the paper, and vise versa.
(10/23/09)
Symptom: Recharge account using an ACMS lab print job does not go through
Diagnosis: Recharge account holders cannot print directly to the printer
Solution: Please use the remote printing authorization page to log into one of the Cplot1 Printers. Please see Media Options for more information on which printer is appropriate for your poster.