Poster Printing

The Physics department owns a wide-format color printer that can be used to print posters and banners for Physics and Astronomy research groups or other department-related activities. This is a service we provide for the department so, with rare exceptions, personal printing is not allowed. In general, printing is only done for Physics & Astronomy faculty, staff, and students.

If you would like to print a poster or banner, please make sure to read the following carefully, and follow the instructions below to help us get your print job completed fast and correctly.

VERY IMPORTANT:

Please plan ahead to give us 2-3 days to print your document. We can sometimes try and do rush jobs but please do not expect us to drop everything just to print your document. It is your responsibility to give us enough time to print your document.

Prices and Payment

Because printer supplies for wide-format printers are especially expensive, the department must recoup some of the costs associated with using the printer. The current prices for full page edge-to-edge printing are as follows:

• Any document with dimensions equal to or less than 36" x 48" (1,728 in² equivalent): $20.
• Any document with dimensions greater than 36" x 48" but less than 42" x 72" (3,024 in² equivalent): $35.
• If you need something printed larger than this please come talk to us to determine the price. 
• Documents that use significantly more paper or ink than normal may incur an additional charge. 
• To make the most efficient use of paper (and to make trimming excess easier for you), consider making one side of your poster the same length as the width of the paper you wish to use.

If you are a research student and your faculty advisor has approved it, or if you are faculty and need something printed for your group, funds will be taken from the group's account and we will be able to print your document right away.

If you are printing something for educational or promotional purposes, but it is not affiliated with a department research group, you will need to pay for your poster in N232 ESC and bring us the receipt to pick up the poster.

File Formats

We can print documents in a variety of file formats; however, those listed below are the ONLY formats we will accept. For speed and absolute best results, PDF is the preferred document format. Your poster will look exactly as it does when you send it to us. If you cannot send us a PDF of your document, we also accept the following formats. Of these PowerPoint is usually the next best option.

• Portable Document Format (PDF)
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Publisher
• Adobe Photoshop (PSD)
• Adobe Illustrator
• Image formats: BMP, JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF

Please be aware of the following:

• Formats other than PowerPoint and PDF may take additional time to prepare and print.
• If you use unusual, special, or symbolic fonts it is likely we will not have them available when we print the document. To prevent problems with missing symbols or unexpected fonts, make sure you send us a PDF and ensure you embed any fonts used.
• For best results, make the dimensions of your document the same dimensions that you want the printed poster to be. We can scale an 8.5" x 11" document up to 36" x 48", but you may be disappointed with the loss of quality.
• If you aren't sure how to prepare your document for printing, or want to point out some special attribute of your document, please come talk to us.

Paper Types

We usually have paper available in two widths: 36 and 42 inches. Your poster will be printed on whichever fits best and results in the least waste.

Our paper generally has either a glossy or semi-glossy (satin) finish. If you do not want this kind of paper, let us know and we'll see if we have something else available.

Printing Your Document

Please note: We cannot be held responsible for typos, misspellings, other formatting issues, or lack of adequate planning. Your document will be printed exactly as you give it to us, and if you thereafter find any problems it will be up to you to fix them. Due to costs there will be no free reprints.

Once your document is ready to be printed, please follow these steps:

1. Create a Trouble Ticket with the following information:
   • Your name
   • Your research group or faculty affiliation (if any)
   • The dimensions of the document you want to print
   • When you need the document printed
   • Where you would like the document left when its finished, or if you will pick it up in our office
   • Paper preference, if any
   • Any other specific instructions
2. Send an email to with your document attached.
3. If you are printing for a non-group related reason and will not be taking the funds from an account, please bring your payment receipt to the CSR office when you come to pick up your document.

We will reply to your ticket once your print job is complete.