Poster Maker Cheat Sheet Sample Poster Exercise TAKING BASIC LAYOUT #2 AND CHANGING IT INTO A PTA MEETING POSTER 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

16. 17. 18.

Open the VariQuest Software and choose “Posters and Banners”. Select “Browse Categories”. Go to “Basic Layouts” and choose “LAY002”. Select OK. Click once on the top text box and then select “Change Text”. Type in the heading, PTA Meeting. Select OK. To change the font, select “Change Font”. Adjust it to the new font style, “Hobby Headline”, and increase the font size by clicking on the plus sign. Select OK when finished. Select the right side text box and choose “Change Text”. Type in the appropriate information and repeat steps 7-9. Click once on the graphic box (one with the X in it) and choose “change graphic”. Choose Browse Graphics. Choose the category “People” and scroll to page 5 to select PPL035, the man with the megaphone. Choose OK. We are finished personalizing the poster, so select “next” and you can choose to save or not to save your poster. I recommend that if you have several users creating items, you request they start each saved document with their name and then a description. This will make it easier for them to find their personal documents. For example, I would label mine, Cobb-PTA Meeting. If you want to print the poster in reverse, you can check the box next to “Reverse Color”. Check to make sure that the output size matches what is inside of your machine. If it does not, turn the printer power off and back on. The output size should change. Adjust the number of copies to match what you need and choose print!

Contact one of AVI-SPL's Learning Coordinators to conduct live, online meetings for training tailored more closely to your school's specific needs. Call (800) 282-6733 to schedule an appointment.

Other Tips and Features You can browse between the categories or you could browse by keyword. Keywords may or may not bring up all of the designs, however. You must type an entire word for a keyword. This feature does not work with partial words or single letters. The Poster Maker’s poster templates are divided into nine categories: 1. Basic Layouts: blank templates that have text and graphic boxes for you to fill in 2. Borders: These are great for classroom rules or different announcements. They have large text boxes for you to fill in. 3. Classroom Visuals: includes learning tools, charts and rules posters 4. Fundraising: posters advertising different fundraisers that schools may hold 5. Graphic Organizers: KWL charts, Venn diagrams, cluster maps, and other tools for learning 6. Holiday: different posters to announce holidays 7. Recognition and Motivation: This has great ways to highlight students’ achievements. There is also a birthday poster that can be used as a fundraiser! 8. School Communication: general signage, hours, rules, calendars 9. Sport: announcements for games as well as brackets for tournaments The Poster Maker’s banner templates are divided into six categories: 1. Basic Layouts: blank templates that have text and graphic boxes for you to fill in 2. Classroom Visuals: includes timelines, word walls, and test prep banners 3. Recognition and Motivation – Horizontal: perfect attendance and thank you banners 4. Recognition and Motivation – Vertical: honor roll and drug free banners 5. School Communication – Horizontal: welcome, open house, pep rally and other school events 6. School Communication – Vertical: fundraising announcements and other school events When making a banner, the sizes are predetermined and adjust only between the four different sizes of paper. If a banner is too long, try using a smaller roll of paper which will decrease the length. Using a standard desktop printer You do not have to print your poster to the Poster Maker every time. If you would like to create a matching flyer to go with a poster, you can do that by choosing “Print 8.5 x 11”. Your desktop printer needs to be selected as an output device under the “Workroom Assistant”. (See below)

Contact one of AVI-SPL's Learning Coordinators to conduct live, online meetings for training tailored more closely to your school's specific needs. Call (800) 282-6733 to schedule an appointment.

“Workroom Assistant” Features Output Devices This is where you can add additional printers. For example, if you would like to print some of the posters you create to a standard desktop printer, you can do that by choosing the printer as an optional output device here. 1. In your VariQuest software, select the “Workroom Assistant” tab. 2. Choose the Output Devices button. 3. Add a check to the box next to the printers you would like to potentially use with your software. 4. Select OK. The Poster Maker will always be the default printer, however. To print to your desktop printer, you will just select “Print 8.5x11” located near the “Reverse Color” button in the software, and it will print to that size! Adding a Mascot and School Name 1. 2. 3. 4.

In your VariQuest software, select the “Workroom Assistant” tab. Choose the School Information button. Click on “Edit Name” to insert the name of your location. To add an emblem or mascot file, choose “Browse” to locate your own files. When selecting a picture file, we recommend you choose a file with a high resolution as you will be enlarging the image at least 250%. 5. Choose OK. Now your name and picture file will be included automatically on all the awards and stickers that contain a line where the school name is supposed to go and where there may be a mascot! Delete Saved Files You can remove any files that are no longer needed by choosing this button and selecting the file you want to remove. This can be useful at the end of a school year if a teacher has left your location, you can remove all of their files too!

Contact one of AVI-SPL's Learning Coordinators to conduct live, online meetings for training tailored more closely to your school's specific needs. Call (800) 282-6733 to schedule an appointment.

Choosing the Appropriate Paper for a Print Job There are three different types of paper that you can use: Direct Thermal Paper (DTP): Do not hot laminate. This paper is usually used for disposable, dated or fundraising items. The paper is more cost-effective. Thermal Transfer Paper (TTP): Can be hot laminated. There is a black film on the paper, so it looks black when you unroll it. This paper is also more fade resistant than the DTP paper. A black line on the underside of your roll of paper indicates the start and end of the roll; when the black line appears at the end of the roll there is approximately 2.5’ – 3’ of paper remaining (enough to make a standard poster). If you are interested in charging users per poster, the chart below indicates the cost per poster. This is also useful for deciding a price for poster fundraisers. Poster Size

Description

17" x 22" 17" Standard DTP 17" Transfer Plus TTP 23" x 31" 23" Standard DTP 23" Transfer Plus TTP 23" Poly Paper HDP 29" x 38" 29" Standard DTP 29" Transfer Plus TTP

Cost/Roll Posters/Roll Cost/Poster $69.95

54

$1.30

$99.95

46

$2.17

$89.95

38

$2.37

$129.95

32

$4.06

$129.95

38

$3.41

$109.95

31

$3.54

$159.95

26

$6.15

36" x 48" 36" Standard DTP $129.95 25 $5.20 36" Transfer Plus TTP $189.95 21 $9.04 Contact one of AVI-SPL's Learning Coordinators to conduct live, online meetings for training tailored more closely to your school's specific needs. Call (800) 282-6733 to schedule an appointment.

Scanning and Printing The Control Panel Select Menu Mode Multiple Copies Cut Clear Online indicator Ready indicator

Selects the option currently shown in the message display Sets the contrast, output size, auto cut and display units options (Chapter 3 in your manual). Also allows you to set up the partial enlargement feature (Chapter 3 in your manual). Normal: simply enlarges your original; white background with color print Photo: used on photos, originals in color, or grayscale graphics Reverse: color background with white type/reverses the color of your original Sets the number of printed copies (1-10) Allows you to manually cut the paper. Returns to standby screen, when you are selecting options using the (Menu) button. Also allows you to reset the number of copies. Clears the print job, when you are printing from a computer. Lights up when the printer is online mode with a computer. The light is an amber color. Lights up when the printer is ready to use. The light is green.

Output Size Options Paper Size Output Size 36” 20”x27’ 23”x31” 29”x38’ 33”x44” Standard output size for 36”roll/ no adjustment required Æ 36”x47” (B1)29” 17”x22” 20”x27’ 23”x31” Standard output size for 29”roll/ no adjustment required Æ 29”x38’ 42”x55” left half of poster Contact one of AVI-SPL's Learning Coordinators to conduct live, online meetings for training tailored more closely to your school's specific needs. Call (800) 282-6733 to schedule an appointment.

(A1)23” Standard output size for 23”roll/ no adjustment required Æ

(A2)17” Standard output size for 17”roll/ no adjustment required Æ

42”x55” right half of poster 17”x22” 20”x27’ 23”x31” 44”x58” left half of poster 44”x58” right half of poster 14x19” 17”x22”

Guide marks will appear on your output if you create a poster/banner that is smaller or larger than the paper. You will cut along the guide marks to remove the excess paper or to put the two output sheets together.

Using the Menu Button Adjust Contrast 1. Press Menu two times to see “Contrast Æ Select”. 2. Press the Select button. 3. Continue to press the select button until you have reached your desired contrast setting. 4. Press menu to return to the contrast Selection Screen. 5. Press clear to return to the standard display. Adjusting Output Size This is rarely used since the machine automatically enlarges the original to the largest size for each roll of paper. If you want to make a poster smaller than the roll of paper you are using, 1. Press Menu three times to see “Output Sizes Æ Select”. 2. Press the Select button. 3. Continue to press the select button until you have reached your desired output size setting. (See chart on page 5.) 4. Press Menu to return to the Output Sizes selection screen. 5. Press Clear to return to the Standby screen. Printing Part of an Original Document If you only want to print part of an original document, you can follow these steps to let the Poster Maker know what to do. (This is explained in more detail in your User’s Guide on page 3-13) 1. You first need to create a “command sheet” which tells the Poster Maker which part of the original you are interested in enlarging. 2. Take a blank sheet of paper and place it over the original. 3. Using a black or blue pen and ruler, draw a box on the blank page with at least a 0.2” margin around the section you wish to enlarge. (your selected portion needs to be larger than a 2”x2” box) 4. Press the Menu button until you see “Enlarge Area Æ Select”. 5. Press the Select button. 6. Place the command sheet face down on the scanner and press “Start”. Contact one of AVI-SPL's Learning Coordinators to conduct live, online meetings for training tailored more closely to your school's specific needs. Call (800) 282-6733 to schedule an appointment.

7. A “scanning” message will appear on the screen. If you see the message, “Read Error”, the box you’ve drawn may be too light, could have breaks in the line or is outside of the readable area. You will need to redraw your command sheet. 8. Once the command sheet has been scanned, place the original face down on the scanner. Be sure to use the same orientation you used when placing the command sheet in Step 6. 9. Press Start. 10. When it is finished printing, press Clear to return to the Standard screen.

Contact one of AVI-SPL's Learning Coordinators to conduct live, online meetings for training tailored more closely to your school's specific needs. Call (800) 282-6733 to schedule an appointment.