Do you print posters for conferences?
Yes, we do. Our large-format printer will print up to 42 inches high, and 10 feet wide. We recommend that you prepare your material in PowerPoint due to its ease of use, and general availability. Create a custom-sized slide at your actual size up to 54 inches square. Be aware that there is a bug in PowerPoint; it will allow you to create slides up to 56 inches square, but items along the right-hand border will print incorrectly. We have found that 54 inches is the actual maximum safe size. If you need a poster larger than that, say 36 inches by 60 inches, work at one-half size (18” x 24” in this example) and we will scale it up to your requested size as we print it. Our turn around for posters is usually less than 24 hours. The cost is $5 per square foot at the finished size, plus a $15 setup/trimming charge.

How much do your services cost?
There is no charge for materials normally used in the classroom: preparation of presentation materials for data display or overhead transparencies, handouts, etc. We do charge, however, for media prepared for non-classroom uses. This would include program promotional materials (flyers, brochures, posters), items used in meetings or conferences (brochures, programs, posters, or display materials), and most multimedia applications (due to the complexity and labor necessary).

How long does it take to have materials prepared?
As is true in any production environment, turn-around is based on current work-in-progress (or scheduled), the scope of the work you have requested, and how much you wish to pay. Wherever possible, our deadlines are driven by your needs; we will do everything we can to deliver your work when you need it. To this end, we ask that you plan ahead. There is an old adage in the production business that runs "Price-Quality-Speed - pick any two."

How do I scan a picture to use in my presentation?
Scanning material for reproduction falls into two categories: on-screen use, and publication use. For on-screen or digital display use, the image should always be scanned at 72dpi (screen resolution). For output as hardcopy on your laser printer, you need to know the halftone resolution of your printer. This is the lpi or lines-per-inch of the tiny dots the printer uses to reproduce pictures. Most 300dpi laser printers use a halftone frequency of 60lpi, and 600dpi printers use 85lpi. For accurate reproduction, your scan should be from 1.5 to 2 times the halftone resolution. A resolution higher than this increases file size and print times, with no increase in image quality. Thus, for a 300dpi printer (60lpi) your scan should be between 90 and 120dpi, and for 600dpi (85lpi) between 130 and 170dpi (always round to the nearest 10). Our experience indicates that excellent results are obtained using the lower value. Black & white photographs should be scanned as greyscale, while most scanners will scan color material as RGB (Red, Green, Blue). Line drawings should be scanned as bitmap, or black & white only, and should be scanned at the printer's native resolution (300 or 600dpi), rather than the halftone resolution.