Please note that the use of SOA Technology Lab Services including equipment checkout, printing, plotting, and digital fabrication is restricted to members of the SOA community (faculty, staff, and students).
COVID-19 has impacted this service. Please review the altered submission procedures below.
The UTSOA Technology Lab has the ability to plot drawings on 6 paper types and can accommodate prints up to 36” wide (4mm margin) with varying lengths up to 300 ft*. Plot expenses are based on paper type and amount of ink/toner use. These expenses are charged to your What-I-Owe account, usually within 14-days of the fulfillment of the job. You can request a price quote when submitting your job – we will not proceed until receiving your confirmation of the quoted price.
* Note: Plots over 72" in length are not eligible for reprints or refunds.
How to Plot your PDF File
- Prepare your PDF file for printing by making sure it is under 50 MB in size
- Save it with your EID at the beginning of the file name
- For example abc123_sample.pdf
- Email the Tech Desk with your file, your EID, the desired paper type, and document size.
- Wait for confirmation from the Tech Desk before coming to the lab to pick up your plot.
- Any plots not retrieved by Friday at 6 PM will be recycled.
Plotting Costs (Estimate)
Additional Plotting Tips
Plotting "Full-bleed" on Plain Paper
Plots on plain paper that are full-bleed or have significant ink-filled areas (see below) on the edges will become oversaturated, causing the paper to tear. Plots like this are not advised on plain paper and will not be refunded nor reprinted for free.
Plotting Large PDF Files
If you are having issues getting your file below 50 MB, there are a number of optimization tools that you can use:
- Adobe Acrobat Reduced Size PDF
- Open your PDF File in Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Go to File → Save as Other → Reduced Size PDF...
- Either save over your existing PDF or chose a new file name for the reduced size PDF
- PDF Tips
- Adobe Online PDF Compression Tool
- ILovePDF Online PDF Compression Tool
Plotting Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign Files
DO NOT "Print to PDF" from Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign. Instead, save the file as a PDF from File → Save as...
This protects the file size and provides a way to reduce printing errors such as rotated and improperly cropped prints.
Plotting Sheets of Vellum for Drawing Use
You can plot a sheet of vellum to use for classes or studio. In order to have the sheet print, put a period, dash, or another unobtrusive mark in the top left and bottom left corners of your desired file size.
