A: The poster printer, as with all resources in the Vitale Digital Media Lab, is open to all current Penn students, faculty and staff.

A: The paper is 42" wide, but requires at least a half-inch margin both sides.  Your poster can be as long as you wish.

A: We charge $0.35 per inch on the longest side of the poster.  So if your poster is 24 inches by 36 inches, the charge would be $0.35 x 36 = $12.60.

Here are some common sizes:

Longest Side Cost 18 inches $6.30 24 inches $8.40 30 inches $10.50 36 inches $12.60 42 inches $14.70 48 inches $16.80 54 inches $18.90 60 inches $21.00

Poster Size Cost 40" x 60" $21.00 30" x 40" $14.00 24" x 36" $12.60 18" x 24" $8.40 40" x 80" $28.00

A: Payment for all library printers is handled with PennCash. Please add money to your PennCard (in Van Pelt Library or online), if necessary, before you print. If you need a receipt, please ask the lab consultant on duty.

A: You can obtain a departmental copy card that can be used on any of the printers and photocopiers in the library. You will need to have your department's business administrator fill out a form. More info at http://www.library.upenn.edu/facilities/photocopy/departmental.html

A: We have glossy and matte papers available, and samples are in the lab.

A: No.  Our papers are not archival, and we use dye-based inks which are not waterproof or fade-resistant.  The poster printer is primarily intended for student work. For archival-quality printing, you may wish to check out TAWS (1527 Walnut Street, 800-551-2341) or an online service.

A: We recommend not using a Penn logo that you simply downloaded from a generic Penn webpage, because when printed at poster-size, the image can appear fuzzy or pixelated. The University provides higher resolution versions of the Penn logo and shield "for members of the University community in applications supporting the University's mission." Logo images and usage guidelines are at http://www.upenn.edu/webguide/style_guide/logo.html

A: No, we do not offer this service at present.

A: No, but we can help you design it yourself. If you are interested in having your poster designed for you, you may want to check out Biomedical Art & Design (http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/biocbiop/art/, 215-898-0874), located on campus in room 79D of the John Morgan Building. They provide professional poster design and custom drawing services for a fee. Samples are available on their website.

You can also download templates for creating your poster in PowerPoint. This saves you a lot time in designing your poster, but can lead to a "cookie-cutter" poster which will look like everyone else's. You can find free templates for common poster sizes online at places like PosterPresentations.com, Genigraphics.com, or PosterSession.com. Search Google for additional templates.

A: The lab's paper cutter handles sizes up to 54".  Longer posters can be cut manually in the lab with scissors.

A: No.  Unfortunately we are not set up as a high production facility. We ask that you limit your printing to only 1 copy.

A: This varies depending on the size and resolution of the file, but usually about 90 minutes from when you start printing.   That being said, the poster printer is a popular resource, and it is not uncommon to have several people waiting to print.  We strongly recommend planning to print your poster at least 48 hours in advance of when you need it. For your own sake, please don't wait until the last minute!!!

A: No.  We print posters on a first-come, first-served basis.

A: No.  We are a self-service lab.  Please bring in your files and we'll be glad to help you print it in person.  Once you've sent the job to the printer, you can leave and pick up the poster later if you don't want to wait.

A: No, please bring a tube or other protection for your poster with you as per your need. As of this writing, you can buy a sturdy mailing tube (4" wide by 42" long) for about $8.00 on campus at either the UPS Store (3720 Spruce St., 215-222-2840) or Campus Copy (3731 Walnut St., 215-386-6114)

A: Because we charge only a fraction of what other places charge, we cannot reprint posters for free unless the printed colors are unreasonably different than the colors on the monitor, or if we make a mistake when printing your poster for you. For this reason, please ask the lab consultant for help when you print your poster, rather than trying to print it on your own. If you require reliable color reproduction, you should print a test strip first, or have your projects printed somewhere that offers a color-calibrated output.

A: Both Kinkos (3535 Market Street, 215-386-5679) and Campus Copy (3907 Walnut Street, 215-386-6410) provide poster printing services.  Kinkos can print on vinyl as well as paper.  Both stores can also laminate your poster.

A: You can certainly use the lab to print the photos, but a local camera store would actually be cheaper and faster for normal-sized prints. They usually charge about $0.20 for a 4x6 print. If you were to use our poster printer (which is the only thing we have approaching the quality of the prints that a camera store makes), we would charge $2.10 for the same print (we charge $0.35 per inch on the longest side of your image). If you're printing your photos as 8x10 or larger, then the lab starts to become the better bargain. However, please keep in mind that the prints we make are not water-proof or light-fast, and they'd need to be cut out by hand from the roll of paper we print on.

If you just want regular prints, go with a local store (on campus: Ritz Camera at 138 S 34th St., 215-387-0600 or CVS in the food court at 3401 Walnut Street. Ritz even lets you upload your photos to their website (http://www.ritzpix.com/) and then pick them up at the store at your leisure.) If you're interested in poster sized images, though, the cost savings probably makes it worth your while to stop by the lab, and we'll be glad to help you out.

A: We can handle most common file formats: TIFF, JPEG, PNG, Illustrator (.ai), PDF, Photoshop (.psd), PowerPoint (.ppt), etc. We do not support Microsoft Publisher. If you want to use a file format not listed here, please ask us.

A: Use standard fonts such as: Arial, Courier, Garamond, Helvetica, Palatino, Times New Roman, and Verdana. If you use a non-standard font, we recommend rasterizing the text if the design program you are using supports that feature.

A: We find that 150dpi provides a good balance between file size and print quality. Posters printed at higher resolutions are often too large, cause printing problems and can tie up the print server.

A: Images with a low resolution (100dpi or less) will appear fuzzy and pixelated when enlarged. This is common with images you may have downloaded from the web. Use images that are at least 150dpi at their final size.

A: PowerPoint was not developed as a print layout software package. It is important that the proper steps are taken to ensure your file will print successfully.

• When designing in PowerPoint, never "copy and paste" image graphics into your file. Always "insert as picture."
  
  
• There are occasionally inconsistencies between the screen version of your slide and the printed output. These include text shifting or wrapping to the next line, or colors appearing somewhat differently than they do on your monitor. If these issues are of concern, we suggest using software designed for handling print layout, like Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop, all of which are available in the Digital Media Lab and on all computers in the Information Commons.
  
  
• Avoid using preset pattern fills for graphs and other objects as they may not show up clearly.
  
  
• "Ungroup" all graphs, charts, and formulae generated outside of PowerPoint after insertion to prevent printing errors.
  
  
• All symbols must be "inserted". After placing your cursor in a textbox, go to the Insert menu, then choose Symbol and select the symbol you want to place in your file. If the symbols are not placed in your file through the Insert menu, they may not print.
  
  
• We strongly recommend saving your PowerPoint slide as a JPG or TIFF, preferably on the same computer you used to create the slide, before bringing it to the lab for printing as a poster. Make sure your final file is at least 150dpi at the size you wish to print it. All Information Commons computers provide this functionality. We also recommend bringing your original PowerPoint file to the lab, just in case of any problems.

A: Feel free to call us (215-746-2661), email us (wic1@pobox.upenn.edu) or stop by the lab during our normal hours, and we'll be glad to answer any other questions you have.