Creating a Research Poster

In order for your poster to print properly, we have a few suggestions:

1. Make sure that if you created your own template, you resized the PPT slide BEFORE you added any text or images. This will prevent pixilating when the poster is printed.

2. Print your slide on an 8 1/2 " X 11" sheet of paper to make sure that everything is proportional.

3. Have someone read your poster to double-check all spelling and grammar. Once your poster is printed in large size, mistakes will be very noticable.

4. Save your PPT file to PDF before sending it to be printed. 

5. Leave time to have your poster printed with time to spare (at least a couple of days). If you catch a mistake, you want time to be able to print it again. This may cost you more money, but it could be worth it if you are presenting at a professional conference.

You can also print your poster in pieces on a regular printer, and piece them together yourself. Here are the instructions:

You will print out your PPT as tiles and piece them together on a piece of poster board. You can do this in black and white or in color. The University Library has a color printer on the 1st floor of the Main Library (color printing is 25 cents per page, Black and white pages are 4 cents per page).

1. Export your single PPT slide as a graphic. To do this, Save As >> Name your file >> Choose Windows Metafile or Enhanced Windows metafile format from the drop down menu >> Save to your preferred location.
2. Open Excel.
3. Use the Insert tab >> Picture. This will bring the image into Excel.
4. Double check the size of your poster. Right-click and choose "Size and Properties" to set the size you want the picture to be. The most common poster size is 30" H by 40" W.
5. Print.
6. Excel will "tile" your printout across however many sheets it takes to accommodate your chosen picture size.
7. The tiles will print from top to bottom and across. Piece together the pieces.

From PPT Tools.