How to Make a Poster

Presenting Your Research Presenting Your Research

The most common way to create a research poster is by using Microsoft PowerPoint. However, this is not the only way and everything below applies regardless of the program you use.

Dimensions

The very first thing you should do is set the dimensions in PowerPoint. Making your poster at a smaller size and then scaling it up can lead to formatting errors and blurry images.

To change dimensions of your poster go to Design tab > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size.

Posters for UNCW events should be 36 inches high x 48 inches wide (this is because we use boards that are 48 inches wide and binder clip hold the posters to the boards), unless otherwise specified by CSURF. Any files submitted with different dimensions will likely be scaled to 36x48 during the printing process. If you intentionally need your poster printed smaller, please email Dr. Liu (liuk@uncw.edu). For non-UNCW events, make sure to follow the guidelines provided by the conference or event organizers. Other possible sizes are 36x42in and 42x48in.

Color Management

The background must be white. This is to help reduce overhead costs and printing time. Additionally, posters with solid backgrounds tend to have wrinkled appearances as the paper gets saturated with ink. We reserve the right to decline printing posters with solid backgrounds. This means NO TEAL BACKGROUNDS!

Layout

There are conventional layouts for posters (e.g., the three columns strategy) which are popular for a reason. But they are not your only options. Every project has a different story, and different stories benefit from different designs. Here are some collected resources:

The Poster Design Hub – this is from a website about science communication but helpful for everyone
Better Posters – this is a blog updated weekly with lots of tips and discussions about designing and presenting posters
Twitter thread about designing posters – the focus here is design strategy (layout, fonts, size, amount of text, etc)
Twitter thread about how to use colors to highlight information – being deliberate about your color choices and how you use them
Twitter thread about designing a poster around a key image or photo
You can find many great (and free!) non-conventional poster templates on Canva, Adobe, edit.com, and elsewhere (remember to set the dimensions of your poster before starting your design!)

Images and Artwork

Artwork and photos used in your poster should be original work. If you use material that is not yours, make sure you have permission to use the material before submitting your file for printing, and that your poster includes appropriate acknowledgement.

The image resolution for all artwork and photos should be at least 100 pixels per inch (ppi) after it is placed and sized in your poster file. If the image resolution is less than 100 ppi, the artwork and photos will appear pixelated or blurry when printed. For example:

A 4"x6" photo that is 300 ppi can be enlarged 300% to become a 12"x18" photo at 100
A 4"x6", 100 ppi photo that is enlarged 300% will become a 12"x18" photo that is only 33 ppi. This image will appear very jagged.

Test image quality by setting the zoom to 100% and checking the clarity of all images and photos.

Logo Use

When using the UNCW logo, make sure to be following the official logo use policies. Unless you (and your project) are associated with UNCW athletics, you are only allowed to use the House logo. Confirm you are using a high resolution file by zooming in to 100% and checking for pixelation. Files can be acquired from UNCW Licensing (licensing@uncw.edu).

High-resolution CSURF logos can be downloaded here.

Saving Your Poster as a PDF

You will need to save your poster as a PDF for printing.

For Windows Users:

Click on File in the top left-hand corner of the PowerPoint window, then click “Save As”
Choose where you want to save your file and enter your file name (following the naming scheme presented above).
Select “PDF (*.pdf)” as your file If given the option (or under “More options…”) select “Standard (publishing online and printing)”. Then click Save.

For Mac Users:

In PowerPoint go to “File” in menu, select “Export.”
Select “PDF” as the file
Save the PDF version of your poster.

Regardless of Windows or Mac, check the page size of the PDF before submitting to make sure it is the size you want for your final poster.

See "Guidelines for Posters" for more information