The majority of posters submitted for printing are PowerPoint files, and the format is generally preferred because it's easy to fix minor mistakes and alignment issues at print-time.
If you're planning to use something other than PowerPoint, please see the notes at the end of this page.
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Set the size! Do this before you begin; it's much harder to get textboxes and images properly sized if you have to change the page size later. Most posters are 48x36 inches.

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Format Background, Format Shape. Right-click the background, and set colors, gradients, or image fills. Right-click any shape to format it, too. The format pane has multiple tabs to control appearance, effects, and text margins.

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Embed Fonts: Ensure that your poster will look the same across everyone's computers when you share the poster.
Choose File > Options > Save, and change these settings:

Select the option to embed fonts, and choose All Characters.
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Save time with Smart Art. Many types of diagrams for processes, lists, tables, and comparisons are built into PowerPoint. Smart Art graphics automatically adjust the size and position of shapes as you add and remove items in the diagrams. Check out Insert > Smart Art and consider the options!

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Check your images as you work. Some images look Ok on your computer screen, but blurry or distorted when stretched onto a large poster. Be sure that your images look clear at 100% zoom, using the zoom slider in the bottom-right of PowerPoint.
Not using PowerPoint to design? Important checklist!
If any of the considerations below cannot be addressed in your chosen design program, do consider using PowerPoint for the final file you plan to submit.
- Page / Slide size matters in every design tool! Be sure you know how to set this correctly.
- Document Resolution: 300 ppi. Be sure to export the poster as high-resolution file so that text and shapes look great when we print.
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Test your export options with some sample text, an image, and a graph or figure before you get far in the design process.
- If it's not a pptx file, are you able to produce a PDF, PSD, AI, or TIF file?
- Does this exported file look Ok at 100% zoom? If any text, shapes, or images look jagged, rough, blocky, or blurry then the software might be reducing the resolution; this will affect the appearance of the print.
Video Version:
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