Creating and Printing Continuous Logs in LogPlot7

The process of banner printing can be confusing.  First, a couple of general concepts:

  • LogPlot typically creates a banner (continuous) print by creating multiple 8.5 x 11 pages which are chained together with no top or base margins.  That’s the key – you still get a multi-page log but the print occupies the full 11″ extent of the letter-sized paper.  This allows these individual pages to print with no breaks on a roll of paper.  Of course, you can choose a legal page size if you prefer (8.5 x 14) or tabloid (11 x 17) if the printer offers these.  But the key is the no-margin setting.
  • Another option is to specify one very long, custom page length in the printer software to accommodate the entire log on the roll output.  While this is possible, it requires futzing with the page size for each log, which is a pain, AND both the printer and Logplot can run out of memory processing the content for such a large “page”.  I don’t recommend this method unless absolutely necessary.
  • The paper size and the printable portion of that paper (all defined by the printer driver) is stored in the log design in LogPlot.  This is how LP knows how to fit the graphic log on the sheets at compile time.

All plotters offer marginless printing, but sometimes it’s tricky to know how to set this in the driver AND to have LogPlot understand it.  I recommend that users first read the help topic about setting the log’s page size in the Help:

LogPlot Help Window

LogPlot's Help Topic on Setting Your Page Size

The goal: to get the Printable Length of the printer’s “page” to equal the Page Length (e.g. no margins).

Example:  I go to the Windows Control Panel, Devices & Printers.  I right-click on my HP Designjet T520 and choose Printing Preferences.  Here is the window, set to Letter “sheets”, roll paper source, portrait orientation:

HP T520 Printing Preferences Window

HP T520 Printing Preferences Window

I then click the Margins/Layout button to tell the driver that I want Oversize printing so that there will be no margins (contents equal to paper size).

HP T520 Margin Settings

HP T520 Margin Settings

I Apply these settings and close the printer driver window.

In LogPlot, when I go to my log design, choose File | Setup, and choose this printer name, my Printable Length matches my Page Length (top of window). This indicates LogPlot now understands the driver’s setting for no top/bottom margin. Yay!  I click the Set Default Size at the bottom so that my LogPlot page now equals the printer page.

LogPlot Page Setup Window

LogPlot Page Setup Window

All printer/plotter drivers have a different setup; if you get stuck contact our tech support group.

Once you have the page setup in your log design, then compiling the continuous log in LogPlot is easy.  In the Compile window, click on the Header + Footer tab and check the Continuous Output option.  This tells the program to put the header at the top of the first page and the footer at the bottom of the last page, with none in between.  (You can actually disable headers/footers entirely if you like.)

LogPlot Compile Window

LogPlot Compile Window - Header + Footer Settings

One other comment:  If you have an existing continuous log that you need to repaginate for a new/different page length for a new device, follow these steps:

1. Open a new LogView window in LogPlot7 (File | New | LogView).
2.  Choose the File | Open with Page Dimensions menu option.
3. Select the LPT file you wish to repaginate and print.
4. You’ll see the Page Setup window shown above. Be sure the printer info in the upper  part of the window is set up correctly, then click on Set Default Size in the lower part.
5. Click OK. LogPlot will repaginate the continuous log for the new page settings.

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