Plotting Using Photoshop (Windows)

Overview

This document provides you with a quick overview of how to plot to DotCIO's plotters using the Windows version of Adobe Photoshop.

Procedures

Preparing the Image for Plotting:

1. Determine the dimensions and resolution of your image (so that you can later select the correct paper size).
   1. From the “Image” menu, select “Image Size”.
   2. Take note of the image height and width (in inches).
      • You can change the size if you want.
      • You may need to zoom out to see the entire image on the screen.
   3. Verify the image resolution: it should not be larger than 300 DPI (dots per inch).
      • Larger resolutions result in huge files that almost always have trouble plotting.
2. Next, orient the image appropriately within Photoshop, as described below. Depending upon the dimensions, you may need to rotate the image before printing. To switch the orientation of the image, use the “Image” menu to rotate the entire image by 90 degrees.
   • Tip: No matter how you orient the image, you will often need to select a custom page size when printing.
   • If the longer side of your image is more than 35 inches, you will need to orient the image such that it looks ‘portrait’ on the screen. For example, the Photoshop dimensions might be 30 inches wide by 44 inches high.
   • If the longer side of your image is less than 35 inches, you will use the smallest amount of paper if you orient the image such that it looks ‘landscape’ on the screen. For example, the Photoshop dimensions might be 32 inches wide by 20 inches high.
3. Important Tip: If you flatten the image before printing, it will shrink the file size significantly and increase your chances of success in plotting. Flattening reduces the file size by merging all visible layers into the background and discarding hidden layers. To flatten the image:
   1. Make a backup copy of the image file. You do not want to flatten the only copy of the file that you have, because it may be irreversible.
   2. Make sure that all of the layers that you want to keep are visible.
   3. Choose “Layer” → “Flatten Image”.

Sending the Image to the Plotter:

1. From the “File” menu, select “Print with Preview…”. The Print window will now appear.
2. In the pull-down menu under “More Options”, do the following:
   1. Select “Output”.
      1. Now, at the bottom of the window, for “Encoding” select JPEG.
         • If Photoshop uses JPEG when printing, the print jobs will go much faster, be much smaller, and will be more likely to print successfully.
   2. Select “Color Management”. The window will change.
      1. If the option is available, select “PostScript Color Management”. If this option is not available, stay with the default.
3. Click on the button labelled “Page Setup…”. The Page Setup window will open.
   1. Do not select landscape orientation — you should have taken care of any needed rotation from within Photoshop.
   2. Click on the button labelled “Printer…”.
      1. Select the name of the plotter (e.g., vcp7100) from the pull-down menu.
         • Note that the correct printer driver must be installed.
   3. Click on the “Properties…” button. The Paper Source needs to be set to “Roll Feed”, as the plotters do not support anything else.
4. Click on the button labelled “Advanced…”.
   1. Under “Paper Size” select an appropriate paper size (for example, Arch E, 36″×48″), making sure that it's about 2 inches larger than the size of your image.
      • Note the maximum width of the plotters is 36 inches.
   2. To choose a custom size, click on “Custom Postscript Page Size” near the bottom of the pop-up window. Fill in 36 for the width and an appropriate number for the height.
      • Note that if you want a paper height smaller than the width (to save paper), you must choose a custom size (e.g., width 36 and height 22), and you must also select “Long Edge First”.
5. Click “OK” until you return to the Page Setup window.
   1. The boxes should display the size of the paper you chose and “Roll Feed”.
6. Click “OK”.
7. In the Print window, if the preview image in the upper left looks correct, then click “Print…”.
   1. In the next window, click “OK” to send the file to the plotter.

Troubleshooting:

Most plotting problems are due to sheer size of the Photoshop file. Here are some ways to reduce the size of your file:

• Reduce the resolution. Be sure it is not greater than 300 DPI (using “Image” → “Image Size”). If your file is extremely large, you may need to reduce it to 150 DPI in order to get a successful plot.
• Have you flattened the image layers? (See the first section above.)
• If the above fails, try converting the file to a PDF and make use of the “Reduce File Size” option in Acrobat Pro.

Last Reviewed: 18-Jun-2018