Offices & Services

Digital Media Services: Posters

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• Poster Instructions - Windows

  These instructions are based upon the current standard Microsoft Office Suite 2007 (with notes for Office 2003)
  
  You are basically creating a single PowerPoint slide that is 35 inches by 43 inches.
  
  

  Step 1: Create a PowerPoint "Poster" Slide

  • Open PowerPoint Select "Design" and "Page Setup" (Office 2003: select "File" and "Page Setup")
    • Select "Custom" from the "Slides Sized for:" drop-down menu and adjust the height and width
    • Select the appropriate orientation: Portrait orientation - 35" width x 43" height or Landscape orientation - 43" width x 35" height
    • Delete the standard slide text/graphic boxes
    • Add content to your poster as you would a PowerPoint slide:
      
      • insert  text boxes to organize your material, text and images, on the slide
      • backgrounds are best selected from the pre-set design schemes
  • About Images
    • Avoid using too many large images
    • Don't use a background image that will make text hard to read!
    • Don't resize a small image to a larger one using Powerpoint!
  • It will be helpful to zoom in and out to get the layout that you want and also to work with your text. To zoom, go to "View" and select "Zoom".
  • Save your work as usual

  NOTE: Important things to remember/consider:

  • Preview, Preview, Preview - Use the print preview whenever possible in this process to see if your output looks correct.
  • Things to check:
    • Does the poster size look OK with respect to the displayed borders (not a postage stamp on a huge screen)? If not, check page/paper sizes
    • Are top/bottom or left/right sections of the poster clipped? If not, check the orientation and/or the length/width order of the paper size (e.g., may need to change 43x35 to 35x43)
    • Remember the image notes above (too many, too large, or resized images can look great but cause problems with printing)
    • PowerPoint has a "Grid and Guides" function which you can lay over your poster; this might be useful for lining things up. Find it in the "View" menu.
    • Will your text color be hard to read on your background graphic?
  • Your poster may need to be reviewed by ITS/library staff before it is submitted for printing

  Step 2: Creating a PDF from your PowerPoint Poster

  To print your PowerPoint poster it must first be converted to a PDF. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat pro or standard, you can use PrimoPDF, which is a free PDF converter installed in Colgate public labs (download your own copy here).
  

  • In PowerPoint select "Print Preview" from the "Quick Access Toolbar" and the select "Print" (in Office 2003 select "File" and then "Print")
    • In the "Name" drop-down list, select "PrimoPDF" instead of the name of a printer.
    • Click the "Properties" button, then click on "Advanced"
    • Change the Paper Size to: "PostScript Custom Page Size"
    • Set width and height to same dimensions as your Powerpoint slide, e.g., 35" x 43" and click "OK"
    • If your poster is not completely displayed you may need to return and reverse the width and height above
      
    • Click "OK" on the open boxes and return to main Print box.
    • Click "OK"
  • A PrimoPDF dialog box will pop up.
    • Select the "Print" option (default is "Screen")
    • Change the file save location to your personal storage device, e.g., your network storage or flash drive
    • Click "Create PDF"
      
    • Adobe Reader will normall open the PDF of your poster
    • Ensure that the poster PDF is complete before submitting

  
  

• Poster Instructions - Macintosh

  Making a poster in PowerPoint requires many of the same skills used to make a regular PowerPoint presentation, but you will be making only one large slide instead of a series of small ones.

  Step 1: Create a PowerPoint "Poster" Slide

  • Open PowerPoint Select "Design" and "Page Setup" (in Office 2003 select "File" and "Page Setup")
    • Select "Custom" from the "Slides Sized for:" drop-down menu and adjust the height and width
    • Select the appropriate orientation: Portrait orientation - 35" width x 43" height or Landscape orientation - 43" width x 35" height
      
    • Select "Options", "Manage Custom Sizes" (this must be done on each computer where you edit your PowerPoint document -- it is not saved with the document)
      
      • Create a paper size to match your height and width, but reverse the height and width (Click "+")
        
      • Select this new paper size when done
      • When asked whether to correct size or not, Do NOT correct! You want to "print" to a paper size which you don't have on your Mac!
        
  • Add content to your poster as you would a PowerPoint slide: you may wish to create text boxes to organize your material, and select a background from the pre-set design schemes
  • About Images
    • Avoid using too many large images
    • Don't use a background image that will make text hard to read!
    • Don't resize a small image to a larger one using Powerpoint!
  • It will be helpful to zoom in and out to get the layout that you want and also work with your text. To zoom, go to "View" and select "Zoom".
  • Save your work as usual

  Important factors to remember/consider:

  • Preview, Preview, Preview - Use the print preview whenever possible in this process to see if your output looks correct.
  • Things to check:
    • Does the poster size look OK with respect to the displayed borders (not a postage stamp on a huge screen)? If not, check page/paper sizes
    • Are top/bottom or left/right sections of the poster clipped? If not, check the orientation and/or the length/width order of the paper size (e.g., may need to change 43x35 to 35x43)
    • Remember the image notes above (too many, too large, or resized images can look great but cause problems with printing)
    • PowerPoint has a "Grid and Guides" function which you can lay over your poster; this might be useful for lining things up. Find it in the "View" menu.
    • Will your text color be hard to read on your background graphic?
  • You must have your poster reviewed by Learning Commons staff before it is submitted for printing

  Step 2: Create a PDF version of Your PowerPoint

  To print your PowerPoint poster it must first be converted to a PDF which a Macintosh does via its Print function. 

  • In PowerPoint select "File" menu, "Print"
    
    • Select "PDF", "Save as PDF" in the lower left of the print dialog
    • Ensure that the PDF looks like your poster; it is easy to generate a PDF which contains only a portion of your poster
      
    • Save the document with an appropriate name which include your username for identification during the printing process
      • Save the document in an appropriate location (e.g., network storage or removable medium)

  Step 3: Submit both the PowerPoint and PDF documents

• Where do I pick up my poster?

  Pickup Location

  If your poster was printed in the library, you should have received an email detailing where to pick up your poster. Usually, posters are left in the corner of the Poster Area (room 555) near the Poster Printer. This should be the first place to check. Level 5