Frequently Asked Question

The large format printer is shared on the server at \\msserver\TechCenterLF. If you're in the group with access, it should show up automatically as Tech Center Large Format.

If you need access to this printer, please open a ticket and let the Tech Team know, so we can add you to the appropriate group.

Print Settings

I've set up some sensible defaults for the printer, like making sure it's set to print to the Super D1 (24"×36") paper and setting the correct paper type.

Since these defaults are set on the server, you shouldn't need to fiddle with most settings when you go to print, unless you're doing something other than a full 24"×36" print.

There is one setting that just won't save for me. In the Printer Properties on the Features tab, you will need to adjust the Resizing Options. The radio button next to Print document on should be selected, and SuperD/A1 size paper should be chosen in the drop-down menu:

Otherwise, you'll end up with a little normal-sized page of content printed at the left-hand edge of a strip of paper from the roll, sort of like this image shows:

It's also not a bad idea to look at the settings for paper size and make sure they're correct (it seems some programs may automatically adjust them from the defaults). These are the settings that it's important to pay attention to on the Paper/Quality tab of the Printer Properties:

Also worth noting on this page is the Orientation setting. If you've laid something out in landscape orientation, rather than portrait, you'll want to be sure to change this setting before printing.

Creating content for the LF printer

If you're making your own documents or signage that you intend to print on the printer, you should make sure the page dimensions are 3×4. In software (like Word) which doesn't support a page as large as 24"×36", a good choice is to use a custom sized page at 8"×12", since that can just be scaled up directly for printing. When working in Word like this, you should probably also set all the margins of your document at or close to 0" for best results. In order to actually print, you will need to save the Word document as a PDF and then actually print it from Adobe Acrobat Reader. Don't print directly from Word!

When printing from Adobe, there are additional print options that are provided by Adobe. The big one to pay attention to is under Paper Size and Handling, where you should choose the Fit option, to make sure it'll expand the document to fill the whole printer page. Remember, you still need to double-check the printer Properties, as outlined above in the Print Settings section.