I have been provided some existing servlet code with lots of out.println statements that I have to convert to a more presentable interface.In a nutshell I want to write a jsp with better look and feel than existing servlet code. Is there some standard approach/tips or tricks for doing this?
servlet code with lots of out.println statements that I have to convert to a more presentable interface
That's the main intention of introducing JSP. You must consider using JSTL, EL and JSP Standard Actions, together you can eliminate all those System.out statements used to do the presentation logic. You better start from Jsp FAQ if you are not familiar with JSP.
Once you got the JSP basics it's all about how you design the views to match your requirements. You may get started by a sample but it'll be more useful for you to do it your self . At the end you will be designing the view according to your requirement.