Banner printer information and templates

I have use of an HP Designjet 510 full color inkjet printer that can print posters, signs, pictures and banners on roll paper that is 24" wide. It is available for use by anyone in the school community who needs to print something for school use related to academic instruction, school sponsored activities and administrative purposes. There is no charge for school use.

We use 24 pound coated paper and it prints with inkjet ink. The print quality is excellent but not waterproof. I recommend having your final print job laminated if you plan to use it multiple times, need it to last a long time, will use it outdoors or if you're going to use it as an instructional aid where you use dry erase markers or overhead markers on the final product. Our school's laminator will handle paper up to 24" wide which is exactly the width of our printer's paper

Photo paper
I can also print high quality photographs from high resolution digital image files on heavy weight, photo quality glossy paper for a charge of $4 per linear foot since I have to buy that kind of paper and ink myself. For instance, a portrait print that is 2' wide and 3' tall costs $12. A landscape print that is 2' tall and 4' wide would be $16 and so on and so forth. (Try to get that kind of deal somewhere else.) If you have at least a 10 megapixel original photograph the final print quality is superior. Lower resolution originals create lower quality prints. Defects in photographs are extremely noticable when blown up to large sizes as well. I can help you determine if your digital file is suitable for extreme enlargement.

Since the paper and ink is fairly expensive and mistakes are easy to make, it is best if you allow me to do the printing. I have all of the "bugs" worked out and I don't mind doing the printing.

You need to figure out how large your final document will be. The paper is 24" wide and it is best if you limit the other dimension to 56". It is possible to print one dimension greater than 56" but you'll have to read my notes in the next step before you decide if you want to exceed 56".

If you only need a banner that is 12" tall or something then that is alright. I'll print the banner out on the 24" paper and you can cut it in half. Basically, whatever you send me I'll print just as it appears on your screen.

You can make a document in landscape mode where the final product will be 24" tall and any length.

You can make a document in portrait mode where the final product will be 24" wide and any height.

The best way to prepare a document for printing is to design your work in PowerPoint since it is one of few programs that allows for large document sizes. All you have to do is use a single slide in PowerPoint into which you can drag and drop pictures, copy and paste text, and use the built in shape tools and text tools.

Option 1: Simple but you're limited to the sizes below
So easy a caveman could do it
Download one of these templates as a starting point for your project.

Option 3: Documents exceeding 56"
A degree in math isn't necessary but it helps
PowerPoint only permits documents that are up to 56" in length but we can easily trick the computer and printer to print up to 112" in length (that's 11'4"). What I will do is scale the page up during the printing process to match the final dimensions you want. The print resolution decreases but you'll end up with a ridiculously enormous print. Documents can even exceed 112" but you have to scale your other dimension down pretty dramtically and the print quality declines geometrically.

Open a new document in PowerPoint and go under File to Page Setup. You need to make the following changes.

Slides sized for: change to "Custom"

Width and length must be changed so that your final print has the same proportions as the page in PowerPoint. One dimension must be less than 56" and the other dimension must be less than 24". Let's say you want a 100" long banner. What you should do is make the height 12" and the width 50". That way when I print your document I scale it to 200% of its original size and it will come out as 24" by 100". Or.. if you want the final width to be 72" long you can make the height 16" and the length 48" so when I scale it by 150% it will come out to be 24" by 72". e-mail me if you have trouble with the math.

Click OK

An error box frequently comes up after you hit OK on this screen. Just hit OK in the error box and everything will be fine (trust me).

Step 3.) Create your document

You can be very creative in PowerPoint. Feel free to insert pictures, text, text boxes, shapes, diagrams, etc. just like you would for a typical presentation. This time you have LOTS of space to work in.

Here are some useful tips:

Be sure your pictures are of high enough resolution to look good when enlarged and printed. Many images embedded in web pages don't look very good if they're enlarged to a final print size greater than about 10". Know if your final product will look good by changing the zoom to 100%. If the picture looks pixellated (blurry) on your screen at 100% then it will look as bad or worse when printed.
Creating shadows behind text looks sweet when printed out. Don't be afraid to try out the different creative word art in PowerPoint.
Please leave the background of your document as white as possible like the example banner to the right. If you use a dark, solid color it causes the printer to consume a lot of ink and might reduce readability. If you need to print something where ink will cover the entire page then contact me in advance so we can discuss your needs.
You can copy and paste from other programs like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and many drawing and photo programs.
Incorporate some WASD artwork. Here are some high resolution files that you can include in your document. Click on the Download button to download the high resolution original file:

Sample image (don't use in your banner)	Download original for use in banner
	Top Hat & Cane B&W
	Top Hat & Cane Color
	Williamsport Proud

Step 4.) Send your document

Attach your document to an e-mail and send it to me at lflint@wasd.org

Let me know in the e-mail the date you need it done by. I can usually print things within a day or two but it would be best if you give me a few days cushion. If you need something soon or if you think I forgot about you then please call me at x3330 and I take care of it right away.

Have fun!