PUB2000: Large Banners and Posters Are Printed in Separate Sections on a Hewlett Packard DesignJet Plotter

When you print a banner or poster that has a height or width greater than 48 inches to a Hewlett-Packard (HP) DesignJet 350c, 650c, 2000, or 3000 series plotter, the banner or poster is printed in sections separated by gaps. The sections may also appear to be printed in an incorrect order.

Additionally, 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 behavior occurs because of a design implementation that prevents Publisher from stopping (hanging) when you print to printers that support roll paper.

Because the Microsoft Windows 95/98 printer drivers for the HP DesignJet 350c, 650c, 2000, or 3000 series plotters allow you to automatically enlarge a small page to fit on a larger one, you can reduce the size of your publication banner and then configure the printer driver to enlarge the printout on paper.

For example, create a banner publication that is 18 inches tall by 36 inches wide that will print out to the HP DesignJet plotter with dimensions of 36 inches tall by 72 inches wide (in the landscape setting).

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

1. Start Publisher 2000.
2. In the Catalog dialog box, click the Exit Catalog button.
3. On the File menu, click Print Setup.
4. Select HP DesignJet in the Name list.
5. Click Properties, and then click the Paper Size tab.
6. Click to select the Fit To This Page check box, and then click More Sizes.
7. In the custom Paper Sizes dialog box, type the dimensions of the banner or poster that you want to actually print. For example, assume that you want to print a banner that is 36 inches by 72 inches. Set the width to 72 inches, the height to 36 inches, and then click OK . (This step determines the size of the publication that will be outputted by the plotter.)
8. In the Application Page Size section, click the More Sizes button.
9. For the name Custom 1, type the dimensions for the publication that is actually being created. For example, you created a banner that is 18 inches by 36 inches as outlined in step 6. Set the width to 36 inches, the height to 18 inches, and then click OK. (This step determines the size of the publication before it is enlarged and outputted by the plotter.)
   
   NOTE: The larger dimension of this measurement should be less than 48 inches.
10. Click to select either the Landscape or Portrait check box, and then click OK.
11. Click the Layout View tab.
12. 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.
13. Verify that the scaling information displayed at the bottom of the dialog box is correct.
    
    For this example, the program page size should be 18 inches by 36 inches, and the size of the enlarged page should be 36 inches by 72 inches.
14. Click OK twice.
15. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
16. Click Normal, and then click OK.
17. Add the text or graphics that you want to appear on your banner. When you view the page in Publisher, it appears to be 18 inches by 36 inches. However, when you print the page, it prints as a continuous 36 inches by 72 inches page.
    

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

For information about how to contact the third-party companies mentioned in this article, visit the following Microsoft Web site: