AAP IT Solutions Tutorials

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Printing and Plotting Policy

  1. Plots over 100" are at your own risk. The system will warn you and we will not refund you if it is unsuccessful.
  2. Plots over 1 GB are automatically deleted (the system tells you). Please follow the distill or raster instructions below.
  3. Cornell in Rome and AAP NYC: Plots over 500 MB (takes 8 minutes to come to Cornell and back) are automatically deleted (the system tells you). Please follow the distill or raster instructions below.
  4. All refunds requested more than 7 days after job submission will be denied.
  5. Please check the plotter/printer to ensure it is functional before swiping your ID card to release your print job.
  6. Incorrectly rotated plots will trigger a warning in the system (coming soon).
  7. If you are having issues plotting, please find a lab monitor. Multiple failed jobs without seeking help will not be refunded.
  8. Files sent to the printers and plotters will greatly expand when converting to printer language. This is based on the size and complexity of the file (a 20 MB pdf can expand upwards of 1 GB). Please read the section at the bottom of the page on how to distill, or lastly, how to raster your file to ensure you don't hit our printing size limits (1 GB in Ithaca, 500 MB Rome and AAP NYC).

Install Net-Print Software

The new Net-Print is now campus-wide. Follow CIT's instructions here to install for Mac and Windows in Ithaca, Rome, and New York City.

How to Print or Plot From Windows

Print on 8.5" x 11" or 11" x 17" paper

The print dialogue looks different across applications — here it is shown in Word, follow along with the video.

  1. For Printer make sure to only choose campus-bw or campus-color (if you are in Rome or AAP NYC please ask Annalisa or Brooke which printers to install)
    1. Most of the options on this main print window are self-explanatory and will be used depending on the file you are printing.
    2. Click the Page Setup button.
    3. In the Paper Size pull-down, choose tabloid or letter (do not send A4 as it will cause the printer to lock up), click ok, and then click print.
  2. A PaperCut popup will appear. Choose the account you would like to print from and click print.
  3. Walk to the bank of laserjet printers and visually inspect which printer is free and working, swipe your ID card at the card terminal, and your job should automatically release to the printer.

Plot on 42" paper to mil-oce-pl, mil-hp-pl, or mil-special-pl

Always plot from a PDF file. Instructions on how to create a PDF.

  1. Rotate your plot so that it is vertical (ex: 42" x 85", not 85" x 42"; or 24" x 42", not 42" x 24").
  2. In the print dialogue box make sure to choose mil-oce-pl and that ONLY the following boxes are checked (each of these three queues will allow you to release to a set of printers after verifying that the printer is clear):
    1. Pages to print all
    2. Page sizing and handling fit or actual size
    3. Auto portrait/landscape
    4. Click the properties box
  3. Click the advanced box.
    1. Under Paper Size, click the pull-down and choose Postscript Custom Page Size. A box will pop up.
    2. Type in the width and height of your rotated plot (example: width - 42, height - 85; or width - 24, height - 42).
    3. Wherever the number 42 is, if it is smaller than the other number, choose short edge first. If it is larger choose long edge first. Click ok.
    4. Under Quality choose either production (fine for every day) or presentation (better for making sure gray and black are closer).
    5. Click ok, ok once more, and your print preview should look correct. Then click print.
  4. A PaperCut pop-up will appear. Choose the account you would like to print from and click print.
  5. Walk to the plotting area, visually check that the plotter you would like to print on is available and functioning, go to the web release and release your plot to the available plotter.

How to Print or Plot from Macintosh

Print on 8.5" x 11" or 11" x 17" paper

The print dialogue looks different across applications — shown in Word here.

  1. For Printer make sure to only choose campus-bw or campus-color (if you are in Rome or NYC please ask Brooke or Annalisa which printers to install)
    1. Most of the options on this main print window are self-explanatory and will be used depending on the file you are printing.
    2. Click Page Setup. A warning box will appear, click do not show, and then yes).
    3. In the Paper Size pull-down, choose tabloid or US letter (do not send A4 as it will cause the printer to lock up), click ok, then click print.
  2. A password pop-up will appear, type in your Cornell NetID and password. You can click remember password if you don't share your computer with other people.
  3. A PaperCut pop-up will appear. Choose the account you would like to print from and click print.
  4. Walk to the bank of laserjet printers and visually inspect which printer is free and working, swipe your ID card at the terminal, and your job should automatically release to the printer.

Plot on 42" paper

  1. Follow along with the video here
  2. Rotate your plot so that it is vertical (example: 42" x 85", not 85" x 42"; or 24" x 42", not 42" x 24").
  3. In the print dialogue box make sure to choose mil-oce-pl, mil-hp-pl, or mil-special-pl and that ONLY the following boxes are checked:
    1. Pages to print: all
    2. Page sizing and handling to fit or actual size
    3. Orientation to auto portrait/landscape
  4. Click Page Setup. A warning box will appear, click do not show, and then yes).
    1. Leave the Format For: pull-down to say any printer (this will allow you to use your custom sizes with all plotters).
    2. In the Paper Size pull-down, choose manage custom sizes.
    3. Click the + (plus) icon on the lower left of this window, double-click on the new word untitled, and type in a name for the new size (typically you will name it after the actual size of the plot, such as 42x85).
    4. In the same window, type in the paper size for width and height.
    5. In the Non-Printable Area: leave the pulldown as user defined, but set all the margins (top, bottom, right, left) to 0 (the integer zero).
    6. Click ok, and your custom-named paper size should now be automatically selected (this will remain selected for next time).
    7. Click ok again, and your plot should now show in the right preview window rotated correctly. Click print.
  5. A password pop-up will appear, type in your Cornell NetID and password. You can click remember password if you don't share your computer with other people.
  6. A PaperCut pop-up will appear. Choose the account you would like to print from and click print.
  7. Walk to the plotting area, visually check that the plotter you would like to print on is available and functioning, go to the web release and release your plot to the available plotter.
  8. If you have rotation issues with your file, please save as an EPS from Acrobat Pro, then distill that at standard settings which should clear up any issues.

How to Fix/Shrink a File (Distill or Raster)

Distill

  1. In Acrobat Pro choose Save As and pull the Format menu down to say Encapsulated PostScript (single page at a time). 
  2. Open Distiller (installed when you install Acrobat Pro), choose the Standard option in the pulldown. Drag and drop your new EPS file onto the window, a PDF will be created in the same directory.
  3. Check the size, did it shrink by a large measure? If yes, then you are ready to print.
  4. If you have a large amount of vector data, this won't help. Please raster the file with the instructions in the next section.

Raster

  1. If all else fails, please raster your file. This will essentially lock your PDF into a single size and DPI ratio. The difference in quality is not noticeable to the human eye from a foot away.
  2. Open Photoshop, then using the open file dialogue in Photoshop choose and open your PDF.
  3. A dialogue box will appear, choose anywhere from 200–300 dpi depending on how close you are to the file size limit of our printers, and then continue.
  4. Once open (it could take a while) save the file as an EPS.
  5. Open Distiller (installed when you install Acrobat Pro), choose the Standard option in the pulldown. Drag and drop your new EPS file onto the window, a PDF will be created in the same directory.
  6. The file should now print correctly.
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