Creating Posters with PowerPoint

Why PowerPoint?

Although there are many software programs that will create posters, PowerPoint is an excellent choice because it is readily accessible, compatible with most word processing and spreadsheet programs, and quite powerful, yet user-friendly.

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Poster Size

Important note: use the page setup measurements given below! Posters are composed at 50% of the final size, and output at 200% (final poster size).

Please compose posters at 45" (114 cm) wide and 22" (56 cm) high, at 300 dpi. 

Posters for the meeting will have final dimensions 90" (228 cm) wide and 44" (111 cm) high, and are to be composed at half size. Ultimately, the final poster will need to be printed out at twice the composed size but that will be handled at the printing or output stage.

It is recommended that the posters be no smaller than 88" (224 cm) wide by 42" (107) high, which would put the composition size at 44" (112 cm) by 21" (53 cm)

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Background

PowerPoint has many options for backgrounds. Choose carefully. The background should not detract from the poster content. The colors should be soft, and, if textured,  should be selected to enhance the content of the poster.

Tip:
When using a picture background, create your poster FIRST, then insert the background. The large size of the picture will create lengthy delays when your poster refreshes each time an action is done. Note: A picture background will slow down the printing time for the poster considerably.

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Text

Recommended font styles:

Arial
Verdana
Times or Times New Roman
Garamond
Georgia
Symbols, math - use only for the most basic symbols

Suggested font sizes:

  • Title: sans serif, 40-60 pt
  • Subtitles: sans serif, 36 pt
  • Section Titles: sans serif, 24 pt
  • Main Text: serif font, no smaller than 12 pt

Keep in mind that the type will print out at twice the size of the above recommended sizes!

Text design considerations

  • Avoid shadow, emboss, engrave, or underline formats for text.
  • Keep text horizontal.
  • Use several columns.
  • Use lines or reasonable gutter spaces between columns.
Tips:
  • Use separate text boxes for different sections on a poster. It will be easier to move sections around and to size text boxes according to available space.
  • Turn off the snap-to-grid feature once text boxes are aligned properly. This allows finer movement of graphics and other items.
  • Ensure all the text boxes and graphics stay within the page.

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Graphics, Photos, and Figures

Digital images are representations of pictures, drawings, or graphics stored electronically as files in a variety of file types. Digital imaging refers to the process of acquiring, editing, and presenting digital images. Among the most common file types that can be imported into PowerPoint are .wmf; .jpg; .bmp; .gif; and .tif. Each type has unique properties and advantages:

  • .wmf - This image format is scalable within PowerPoint
  • .jpg - An efficient and recommended format when saved at high image quality settings (low compression)
  • .tif - Preserves maximum image quality, but file sizes are large
  • .gif - Good for graphics but may not be rescaled; supports only minimum colors but allows for transparency.

Did you know?
Images captured from web pages are very low resolution and if enlarged will appear pixilated in your poster. These graphics are not recommended for poster presentations.

A word about image resolution

Remember that you are composing your poster at one half the final size. Our recommendation is that a photographic image should be at least 150 pixels per inch at the final size desired in your poster. (For instance, if you wish an image to be 5 inches wide x 4 inches high in the final poster, the image resolution should be minimally 750 pixels wide x 600 pixels high.) 

Resolutions up to 300 pixels per inch will deliver better final image quality, but resolutions above 300 pixels per inch will not be noticeably better and will add considerably to the file size. In this application, the terms dpi (dots per inch) and ppi (pixels per inch) are synonymous.

Slides, photographs, and drawings that are not in digital format can be scanned and saved as graphic files. We encourage you to save the file as a TIF or JPEG (at the maximum quality setting). It is important that you scan your images in at the size you need them to be printed out. If the image is going to be 8 inches by 10 inches, then you need to set the scanner for that image size at 250 to 300 dpi/ppi (dots/pixels per inch). 

Note that the larger the file, the longer it takes to print. Smaller files are also easier to manipulate and manage.

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Saving Your Poster to Send to the Printer

Save your final poster to a separate file and make sure you make a backup file as well. If you are using graphics in your poster, be sure to include a copy of each of the image files seperately along with your presentation. This is useful if the image gets corrupted and needs to be reinserted.

Tell your output or printing service that your poster must be scaled to print at 200% to achieve a final poster size of 90 inches wide by 44 inches high.

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