The HP DesignJet Z6100ps is a wide-format color inkjet printer that prints on rolls of paper that come in these widths:

• 24"
• 36"
• 42"

The maximum resolution is 1200x1200 dpi. It uses pigment inks instead of dye-based inks (like the old plotter), so prints will be more fade resistant under fluorescent lights. They will still fade under UV light but not as fast. Click here to access HP's website for more information.

This printer only accepts files in the following formats:

• PDF
• Adobe PostScript level 3
• TIFF
• JPEG
• RTL
• HP-GL/2
• CALS G4

File Preparation Tips

• Your poster should fit on paper either 36" wide or 42" wide. The advertised maximum print length is 175 meters, but in reality, this will depend on how much paper is on the roll.
• The printer margins are 0.2 inches all around. But lately, some rolls of paper are a little short, i.e., 35.8" and 41.8" instead of 36" and 42". So best to allow 0.5" margins to be safe. See illustration below. Only the area in blue will print. 

• Make sure your file is high resolution. If using Adobe Acrobat to create your file, don't use the default settings. You have to go into Properties and select High Quality print.

How to Print

You must be a member of the EES department or affiliated with a member of the department to use this printer! People outside the department needing to use this printer will be considered on a special-case basis by the department chair.

All poster info must be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Give your file to the plotter administrator (via email, website, scratch disk, memory stick, etc.) with the following information:

• Type of paper. (See table below.) And size of final poster (36 or 42in)
• Quality: Fast, Normal-Fast, Normal, Best (higher quality, more ink)
• NMT Account number. or cash if paying out of pocket.
• When you need it. If less than 24 hours, best to call and set up an appointment. For groups planning on printing 4 or more posters at a time, such as for a conference, contact plotter administrator 2 weeks in advance to ensure there are enough supplies on hand.

Types of Paper in Stock

If you need paper in a size or type not shown, please contact the plotter administrator. HP makes lots of fancy papers, including canvas for fine art.

Prices

For jobs at least 4 feet long, the prices are comparable to the old plotter, which is about $4-6 a running foot. Shorter posters are more expensive, but longer posters are cheaper! This is because each print job is assessed a fixed cost of $15.29 for equipment recovery. Then actual paper and ink costs are added to that. See the above table for paper costs. Ink costs vary depending on the coverage. For 100% ink coverage, the cost is about $0.40/sq ft. For 25% coverage, the cost is about $0.10/sq ft. The higher the quality, the more ink is used. So if you don't need "Best" quality, choose Normal, Normal-fast, or Fast. Details on the plotter pricing are here.

Any mistakes made by the user i.e. something wrong with the origanal file, misspelling, poor photo quality, incorrect border, will be paid for by the user. Admin mstakes will be paid by the Dept. 

Job tracking and consumable usage is tracked by the plotter, so you no longer need to record your print jobs in a notebook.

High Volume Printing Periods

Department members print posters for various events during the year. Known events are listed below. Posters are usually printed a few days prior to the event, so please plan accordingly. If you know of other time periods of expected high-volume printing that aren't listed below, please inform the plotter administrator.

Known Problems

Q. I created my poster using PowerPoint 2007 and saved it as a PDF using the PowerPoint PDF maker, but I didn't rotate it. Then Susan rotated it with Adobe Acrobat 8 Pro, saved it, and submitted it to the plotter. But the plotter kept rejecting the file as having an unknown file format.

A. Submit the original PDF file to the plotter and have the plotter rotate it. Maybe there is some incompatibility between PowerPoint 2007 PDF maker and Adobe Acrobat 8 Pro.

Q. I created my poster using Latex, and the Greek symbols in the text look fine in the plotter preview, but when printed, the Greek symbols in my figures are just dots!

A. Make sure your images were saved as High Quality and with No Compression. This forces them to be Acrobat 5.0 compatible. Also, save them as PDF, not EPS. (I'm not sure which of the previous solved the problem, because we did both.) See Jesus Gomez for more details.