Myth #1: I must use 600 ppi if I am using any of the printers.

Myth #2: The higher the resolution the better my print will be.

FACT:

When using any of the printers or plotters available in the Digital Media Group labs, the following ppi settings are optimal:

• 150 is optimal for color and grayscale images.
• 600 is optimal for black and white bitmap images.

Higher resolution settings for color images do not increase the print quality, but do increase printing time and file size. To use any type of image for display on a computer monitor, save the image with a resolution setting of 75 or 100. Source: www.hp.com

Myth #3: I should flatten my image before I print so that I do not crash the printers.

Myth #4: I should save my poster as a JPEG before I print so that I do not crash the printers.

FACT:

Flattening an image reduces the overall file size that could have otherwise been resolved by dealing with Myth #1 and #2. Once the image has been flattened, the content is no longer editable as separate layers. By saving an image as a JPEG format, it effectively reduces the overall file by selectively discarding data from the file during compression and maintaining the image in a RGB format resulting in a lower quality overall image. JPEG file format should only be used when posting to the internet. If another file type is preferred, the TIFF format is recommended since it will both preserve layers and all of the color information in the file.

Myth #5: I should print my poster to the color laser printer or basic plotter to make sure the colors are correct or to determine if I am going to have problems printing before I print the final.

FACT:

Color results between printers will vary greatly because of the differences between media types and printing technologies. Different paper types (bond, heavy bond, soft gloss, etc) all absorb inks differently and have different media definitions in the printer that define how much ink the printer can put on the paper. Both factors will affect the resulting colors. The only true way to guarantee the colors are going to be as close as to what you see on the monitor is to use CMYK color mode, and to use the same printer when printing a test. It is highly suggested that a smaller test print be sent if color matching is of great concern. Because of the difference in drivers between devices, getting a successful print on one printer does not guarantee that there will not be issues on a different printer.

Myth #6: If I print my poster to a PDF, I will have no problems printing.

FACT:

Granted printing a file to PDF does help resolve SOME printing problems, it should not be used as a secondary step to printing. The main reason this is so effective is because it again reduces the overall file size and therefore quality of the document to be printed. Unless specified otherwise, the Acrobat PDF printer or the save as PDF options will compress the document to be viewed on a computer screen and not for print. So if converting your document to PDF for printing reasons, you must customize the printer options to create a HIGH QUALITY PRINT.

Myth #7: The plotters crash "all the time".

FACT:

While the plotters do crash from time to time for technical reasons, the reasons why they do crash can be severely reduced if the directions for using the plotters and printers were followed.