Plot's the problem ?

Yours truly got a poster accepted at a conference (applause !! Ahem ...) - now the poster had to materialize overnight out of thin air because I have to catch the train tomorrow. Now I have made presentations before - but never a poster. So what's the big deal you may ask, but preparing a poster is a medley of choices (My choices, S's(a co-presenter) choices, my boss choices and the correct choices - try choosing between these). Here is chronological blow by blow:


Day one: Saturday, 8:30 am

1. Paper Size - Big problem here - the poster board available at site is A0 size (well nearly - its about 2 inches shorter in height). So do I use 16 A4 sheets to tile the space or use one huge A0 sheet.
   
   
   
   • Ask the boss: "Use A4 or maybe A0" - a lot of help from those quarters !!
     
   • Ask S (He's also presenting a poster with me): He says A0 - so A0 it is!
     
   • Time taken to decide - 30 mins.
     
   
   
   
2. Designing the poster - Now illustrator/pagemaker options are summararily overruled - besides its a tech poster so better stick need some math typesetting support as well. Decide to stick to Linux - and attempt Latex as result.
   
   
   
   • 1 hour later : Exhausted, confused, too much typing to do, give up latex
     
   • 2 hours later : Switch to OpenOffice - decide to create one huge slide.
     
   
   
   
3. Content - Hmmm - S says put the whole written text into the poster with figures sprinkled here and there - I think this will land me into trouble later - but I go along as I cannot think of anything better yet !
   
   
   
   • 5 hours and 1 lunch break later : More Exhausted, very satisfied, the poster is
     ready.
     
   
   
   
4. Printing - I go down four floors to find the one plotter I know exists in the same building as I do, and voila - there it is - things looking ominous - plotter standing on two legs and a chair - will it or wont it plot ? Finally after making use of my cell to gain operating instructions from far away quarters I sent the plot only to realize that the damn thing could print only A1 size posters at max. Yaaaa !! The axe fell right on my foot ! Accept defeat at the cartridges of the plotter - took only recourse available - shrunk the poster and took a plot.
   
   
   
   • 9 pm - Plot in hand I return home
     
   
   

Day two: Sunday - 11 am

1. Encounter with the boss - "Too much written material for a poster - chop this, chop that" - chop my head off instead !
   
   
   
   • 2 hours later - Newly chopped poster - boss approved
     
   
   
2. Coordinating a print with S - I have been trying to get S to chop his poster up (as boss will make him do the same anyway) and print the damn thing - but S's wife (higher boss) called and he's gone home for lunch so now its my lunch break too !
   

Eating, and praying that the thing get done before I leave for the City of Joy - yup that's where my conference is.

Time to get off the blog, and plot .... Wish me luck !