- Schedule a printing time.
- Upload your file or bring it with you.
- Pay after printing is completed.
Your helper
Chad Stoffel runs the plotter inside the INSTAAR IT lab space at SEEC room C232, which is inside the Albert Bartlett Center (room C215).
See also:
- Printing, copying, scanning (everything but posters)
Poster sizes and media
INSTAAR has an HP DesignJet plotter which can handle pretty much any kind of poster you can throw at it. Prints are up to 60" wide on a variety of media (cloth, photo gloss paper).
Request a printing time
The plotter is currently down and will need to be replaced, we are working on ordering a new plotter but it could take months, for the near future the INSTAAR Plotter is "closed" I will update here when I have new information.
The printing schedule is:
- Monday - CLOSED
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - CLOSED (10:00-11:00 a.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m.)
- Friday - CLOSED (10:00-11:00 a.m.)
We generally allow 30 minutes for each poster, which includes file setup, print, and trim times. Scheduling is more difficult before events such as the Arctic Workshop in early spring and AGU in December.
To be added to our queue, please follow these steps
1. Check the INSTAAR Poster Google Calendar for availablity. This week is shown below.
2. Fill out the INSTAAR Poster Request Google Form at least 24 hours in advance of the day you need printing. You have the option to upload your file, but it is not required to submit the form.
3. INSTAAR IT will respond to your request after the form is submitted and let you know if there are any date/time conflicts or that your time has been scheduled.
4. If you would like to upload your poster file after you submitted the request form above, please upload via this form when ready. ONLY UPLOAD FILES THAT ARE READY TO PRINT. If there is a chance the file will change, don't upload the file, just bring it with you to the printing time scheduled.
Designing your poster
We recommend designing your poster in Affinity Designer, Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, and then converting it into a PDF for final printing. Many choose to use Microsoft PowerPoint to design their posters, but due to the different color palette (RGB vs CMYK), the end results can vary.
Also, there is a new trend in poster design that could help with your poster layout; please check out BetterPosters and ButterPosters.
Cost and payment
The cost is $7.00 per square foot when using a CU speedtype, or $11 per square foot for personal payments. We accept active speedtype numbers, credit cards, or personal checks made out to the University of Colorado.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the process or are having trouble filling out the new INSTAAR Plotter request form, please email us at instaarit@colorado.edu.
