Printing Posters

All members of the Faculty of Engineering (UGent) and in particular the OAP, can order posters on A0-size (and even something larger). The already printed posters illustrate the very high graphic quality of the poster printer (HP DesignJet 5000PS). The poster printer is managed by Mr. Marnix Vermassen of ELIS Department.

Because of the large number of applications for printing posters, you must send your poster design at least 3 working days before the deadline.
This printservice is reserved to the Faculty of Engineering. Staff members of other Faculties are referred to external companies.
Opening Hours: 08.00-11.30 and 13.00-16.00.
New address: send your posters to posterprint@elis.ugent.be
The print service is closed May 17 to May 28.

The Printer

Maximum Paper Width: 42" (1067 mm)

At this moment we have at our disposal

2 types of paper rolls of 91,4 cm (36") wide (max. 90 cm printable):
- HP High-gloss Photo paper 170g/m2
- HP Coated paper (comparable with copying paper) 90g/m2
1 type paper roll of 106,7 cm (42") wide (max. 105,3 cm printable)
HP High-gloss Photo paper 170 g/m2
6 ink components (CMYKcm)
Resolution: 1200dpi x 600dpi (on glossy paper)
Embedded Adobe PostScript 3 RIP with drivers for Macintosh and Windows
Embedded HP-GL/2 and HP RTL processor with drivers for AutoCAD and Windows

On the HP website you can find more technical information.

How do I print my poster?

Make a design on e.g. iso-A0-size.
Print by means of the right printer driver to a file.
Check this file by means of a preview program.
Deliver this file to Mr. Vermassen.
Pay a fixed amount.

Make a design

Use a package such as e.g. Coreldraw or Powerpoint to design your poster. Design your poster on the correct size:
e.g. iso-A0 = 84,1 cm x 118,9 cm = 33.11024 x 46.81102 = 2384 pt x 3370 pt
or maximum wide 900 mm (with aspect ratio of A0): 900 mm x 1272.4 mm = 35,433 x 50,095 = 2551 pt x 3607 pt
or maximum wide 1053 mm (with aspect ratio of A0): 1053 mm x 1489 mm = 41.4567 x 58.622 = 2985 pt x 4221 pt
The most requested format is 90 cm wide. Since the paper roll has the same wide, the poster does not have to be trimmed on the side. If your design was made in A0-size, do not forget to mention if it can be rescaled to 900 mm x 1272 mm.
It is strongly dissuaded to design e.g. on A4 size, and rescale afterwards to e.g. A0, because then you lose a lot of quality (resolution).
Some research groups have stencils at their disposal.
ELIS: OpenOffice Drawing
ELIS-PARIS: Coreldraw7
…
(Your own design used by others: send the url of your stencil to the the web master of this page).

Install the right printer driver

You don't have to install a printer driver if you have designed the poster with Coreldraw or Powerpoint. Then simply pass on the URL of the original file. If you have used another design package, you must produce a postscript or PDF file. That is possible by installing the correct printer driver.
The installation of the printer driver is a one-off operation.

After installation of the printer driver: Print your design to the HP design jet 5000PS 42

Don't forget to put on "print to file"
Page setup: e.g. paper Size = ISO A0 (or custom size)
Page layout: Enable scaling and rescale to 900mm x 1272.41mm
Device options: Maximum Quality, maximum details
Put on "Fit to page"

The generated file is a postscript file.
If you have already a programme which generates pdf-files (e.g. Acrobat Distiller van Adobe), then you don't have to install a printer driver for the HP DesignJet. You are however yourself responsible for the quality of the generated output.

Acrobat Distiller can convert postscript files to more compact pdf-files. You can find examples on the website of Jean Bekaert.

If the poster has been designed by means of Coreldraw (version 11 or lower), then you can forward (the URL of) the original coreldraw file to Marnix Vermassen, and then you must not take care of printer drivers or pdf-files. However if you use all kinds of "exotic" fonts, then you have to generate a postscript or pdf file: this way you are certain that the correct font is used.
The same applies to Microsoft Powerpoint (version Office2000 or Office97).

Provisional we only except coreldraw, powerpoint, postscript, pdf, and HPGL files.
You best generate HPGL files from AutoCAD.

Preview

Check if the generated output is really correct.
The current DesignJet printer driver generates postscripts which cannot be interpreted by Acrobat-Reader.
For this reason use a programme such as Ghostview.
In case of Pdf files you can also use Acrobat-Reader.

Print your file on A4 size (possibly in black & white), with the option "fit to page" and check this impression thoroughly!

Be sure that there are no objects outside the page edge. In the most of programmes you can check that by selecting "all objects" (Edit - select All…)

(Send your suggestions for preview programs of HPGL files to the webmaster of this page).

Send on your design

The generated files are easily some megabytes; too large to send by e-mail. You can however easily make your poster available to us or other interested people on your own website . Follow for this the directives on the website of UGent (uitwisselen van bestanden via www) or the ELIS website. If you have a (anonymous) ftp-server, you can also make the file available this way. Inform us by e-mail (posterprint@elis.ugent.be) of the location of your design: we get your poster file, check it and print it.

Contribution to the expenses

A0-poster: 37 EUR
Posters of 1 metre wide (aspect ratio A0): 50 EUR
Create an internal order with SAP (supplier number = TW06). Provide a copy of that order to Marnix Vermassen.
37 EUR is significant cheaper than an external company. Generaly external companies offer no guarantee concerning what is printed; Marnix Vermassen on the other hand checks first what will be printed (and contacts you for possible corrections).

Useful tips

Order via SAP
Start SAPGUI (More info: http://www.elis.ugent.be/nl/node/1017)
Log on and don't forget to put an 'E' in the field 'taal' if you want to work in English.
Go to User menu/Algemeen/Aankopen/Bestelling/Create purchase order/Interne bestelbon
Choose (in the left corner) the last but one 'Standard PO'
Vendor = TW06 (Enter)
Below you can find 3 subfields: Header, Item overview and Item.
Header:
- Tab "Org. data":
Purchasing Org. = UG00
Purch. Group = your number (for example 172)
Company Code = RUG
- Tab "Partner":
Function = VW
Number = number applicant (e.g. 10001234)
- Tab "Texts":
Header text = Poster + longer discription (subject, name electronic file, possibly name of second contact person, e.g. a student, ...). If you order more posters on 1 order form, limit the ‘Header text’ and add a detailed discription to the "Item" subfield.
-Tab "Delivery/invoice":
Payment terms = R01
Incoterms = EXW
Item overview:
A = L (if payed by state credit) or A = Q (if payed by a project)
Material = 3000025
Click on the green check mark or enter. The other fields are now completed automatic. But following fields still have to be filled in:
Short text = Poster + short discription
PO quantity = number of each poster
OUn = ST
Net price = 37 (for poster 90cm wide)
Currency = EUR
If delivered with case:
Material = 3000026
Short text = Carry case
Net Price = 12
Item :
For each position (= for each poster) of "Item overview" do as follow:
select the correct position (= the correct poster);
- Tab "Account Assignment":
If A=L => cost center = number state credit (e.g. TW0100) and Fonds = I
If A = Q => WBS element = project number ( field ‘Fonds’ is completed automatic when you enter)
- Tab "Texts": Here detailed discription (subject, name electronic delivered file, name contact person, ... if not mentioned in ‘Header’)
Save the order form by clicking on the diskette pictogram).
As soon as the order form is approved, printed and signed by the budget keeper or his proxy, the poster can be delivered.
If you want you can print a draft document (= an order form wich has not been approved yet) via "Display Purchase order" and click on 'print preview'. The draft document becomes "intern order form" from the moment the budget keeper or his proxy approved the order form in SAP.
Note down the order form number (430000XXXX), for later reference.
Contact Marnix Vermassen in time. If he finds layout faults on the poster, then there is some time left to make corrections. This way you avoid unpleasant surprises (e.g. maintenance of printer, delay of media deliveries, overcrowding of the printer,...)
Avoid filter and rescaling operations: they reduce the output quality.
Many design programs require much space between border and design. If the size of the borders is unknown, you risk crossing them. To avoid this choose "Fit to page" for printing.
If you use a Powerpoint background, then the background is not adopted in the postscript or pdf file, and so not printed.
To avoid font problems in Coreldraw:
Coreldraw 11: File, save as... --- Embed Fonts using TrueDoc (TM)
Coreldraw 9: idem
To avoid font problems in Powerpoint:
Powerpoint 97: File save as... --- Enclose True Type
Powerpoint 2000: save as... --- Menu Extra: Enclose True Type
The design of a poster in Powerpoint has to be limited to 1,30m. If your poster is longer, please rescale the design to a maximum length of 1,30m (rescale width comparatively). We can then rescale again (enlarge) to the desired length during printing. Notice: this problem appears only in Powerpoint and not in e.g. Coreldraw.
LaTeX A0-posters generate a fault postscript (the poster has moved about 3cm regard to the boundingbox). Ghostview hower shows no fault (ghostview doesn't consider the boundingbox). Converting to pdf (with Acrobat Distiller) solves the problem.
Following companies can also print your poster:
- Quality Colors
  Zwijnaardse Steenweg 153
  9000 Gent
  Tel. 09/233.62.63
  website
- Mister Copy
  Overpoortstraat 52
  9000 Gent
  Tel. 09/222.88.62
  website
- Flanders Digital Color
  Kortrijksesteenweg 1092
  9051 Sint-Denijs-Westrem
  Tel. 09/220.10.64
  website
- De Nobele
  Gaston Crommenlaan 8 bus 1
  9000 Gent
  Tel. 09/222.55.69
  website
- DCL print & sign
  Leegstraat 15
  9060 Zelzate
  Tel. 09/342.72.25
  website
- PLOT-it bvba
  Lembergsesteenweg 106
  9820 Merelbeke
  Tel. 09/362.37.13
  website
- Zo-te-Zien
  Maagd Van Gentstraat 10
  9050 Gentbrugge
  Tel. 09/232.17.27
  website

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