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Printing Posters to the Color Plotter

Poster Restrictions

The maximum paper width is 42". The length (or width if landscape) is variable.

Do not fill the page to the edges. You should have at least a 1 inch margin on all sides. These are minimums, you can make the margins a little larger to be on the safe side.

New Click below to get instructions for using Microsoft PowerPoint to create your posters (even those larger that 56” long):

Creating Large Format Posters Using PowerPoint

Printing on 8.5 x 11 paper

Printing a test page on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper is a way of previewing what your poster will look like. Following are the steps to do this.

  • From the File menu select Print.
  • This will give you a Print pop-up window.
  • Select the General tab in this window if it is not already selected.
  • Select the printer Name for the printer you wish to print to.
  • Click on the Properties button next to the printer Name field.
  • This will give you another Pop-up window.
  • Under the Paper tab select the paper size that you will be printing on.
  • Press the OK button at the bottom of the window.
  • You should now be back to the original Print pop-up window.
  • Select the Layout tab.
  • Under Image Position in Page select Fit to page.
  • Make sure there is a check mark next to Maintain Aspect Ratio.
  • If you want to see what this will look like before you print you can choose Print Preview.
  • You are now ready to print by clicking on the Print button at the bottom of the Print pop-up window.

Having Your Poster Printed on the Plotter 

When you are ready to have your poster plotted:

  • Make sure your file has a unique name.
  • Copy your poster file to O:\Posters to Plot
  • Send Email to cssposters@oregonstate.edu  
  • Allow for a one day turn around period, although it may be quicker. Remember others will be trying to get their posters printed also.
  • Allow time for making changes and reprinting after you see your poster printed.
  • In order to keep printing costs within reason, please make sure you’ve proofed and spell-checked everything before you send it to be printed.