Large banners and posters are printed in separate sections in Publisher 2000 and in Publisher 98

When you print a banner or poster that has a height or width greater than 48 inches to a Hewlett-Packard (HP) DesignJet 350c or 650c plotter, the banner or poster is printed in sections separated by gaps. In addition, the sections may appear to be printed in an incorrect order.

When you attempt to print a page that has a height or width greater than 48 inches, Publisher attempts to tile the page before it prints it. This is a design implementation that prevents Publisher from stopping (hanging) when you print to printers that support roll paper.

Because the Windows 9x printer drivers for the HP DesignJet 350c and 650c plotters allow you to automatically enlarge a small page to fit on a larger one, you can reduce the size of your publication and then configure the printer driver to enlarge the printout.

For example, to create a banner that is printed 36 inches high by 72 inches wide (in landscape), follow these steps.

NOTE: You can substitute the actual dimensions of the poster or banner you want to make. For best results, follow these steps before you add any text or graphics to your banner or poster:

1. On the File menu, click Print Setup.
2. Select the HP DesignJet from the Name list.
3. Click Properties, and then click the Paper Size tab.
4. Click to select the "Fit To This Page" option and then click More Sizes.
5. In the Custom Paper Size box, type the dimensions of the finished banner or poster. For example, type 36"x72". Click OK.
6. Click More Sizes (next to the Application Page Size list).
7. Type the dimensions as a proportion of the finished banner size. For example, type 18"x36".
   
   NOTE: This measurement should be less than 48 inches.
8. Click to select either the Landscape or the Portrait option, and then click OK.
9. Click the Layout View tab.
10. Optional: Click to select the "Show a Preview After Pressing the Print Button" check box.
    
    This step allows you to preview your print job before it is sent to the plotter.
11. Verify that the scaling information shown at the bottom of the dialog box is correct. For this example, the application page size should be 18"x36" and the size of the enlarged page should be 36"x72".
12. Click OK.
13. Click OK.
14. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
15. Click Normal, and then click OK.
16. Add the text or graphics you want to appear on your banner.

When you view the page in Publisher, it appears to be 18-by-36 inches. However, when you print it, it prints as a continuous 36-by-72-inch page.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.