Innovation Media Center (IMC)

• Images - Use high resolution images and make sure to cite any images that are not your own. You can search for free to use images via Google's Image Tool option (select Creative Commons license under Usage Rights) or use one of the image websites listed below.

• Layout - Most posters have a flow, where your information makes sense as you read each column.  Also make sure sections of the poster are not "running together" and that each section is clearly labeled with its own space.

• Fonts - Your poster should use no more than two fonts: one for your title and text box headers, and a possible second font for your text box information.

• Colors - Bad color combinations can ruin good content. Avoid bright jarring colors. Try to limit your colors to 2 or 3 colors.

• Give credit - Anything you don't own or didn't create must have the source cited in your references.

• Spellcheck - Always make sure to run spellcheck and to proof-read the poster; there are some things that spellcheck will miss.  

Creating Research Posters:

• Designing Research Posters by Colin Purrington
• "Pimp my Poster" user group on Flickr

Find Images Online (these images must be cited):

• MorgueFile
  • The morguefile contains photographs freely contributed by many artists to be used in creative projects by visitors to the site. To acknowledge the artist's accomplishments, they ask that you credit the photographer when possible.
• Wikipedia Commons
  • Includes audio, video, and other multimedia files. Users can choose from multiple images sizes when downloading, and each image is often accompanied by information about the work depicted as well as copyright information.
• Flickr: The Commons
  • A public photo collection that began in 2008 as a collaboration between Flickr and the Library of Congress. It has since expanded to include the collections of over 45 institutions, including NASA, the Imperial War Museum, and the New York Public Library.
• Burst
  • Burst is a free stock photo site that is powered by Shopify. All the photos on the site are offered under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, which means you’re welcome to use the photos for any purpose.

• Did you check your poster size? Confirm by going to Design-->Slide Size in Powerpoint, or Format-->Format options in Google Slides.
• Proofread your poster for spelling and grammar mistakes. Ask a friend to read it too, they may catch mistakes that you miss.
• Don't forget to include any acknowledgments, plus your name and institutional affiliation.
• Have you included references and citations?
• Double-check the size and resolution of your images. In the View menu, click on Zoom to set your magnification.  Set Zoom at 100% so that you can see what the poster will look like when printed.
• Save your file as a PDF and then submit!

PDFs Please!

The IMC asks that print requests be submitted as pdf files whenever possible. Always make sure to save your original file in case you need to get back in and make changes. Once your file is saved as pdf, it is very difficult to change anything.

Saving as PDF

Directions for Microsoft Office Suite on PC

1. When finished designing your file go to "File > Save As"
2. Click "Browse" to select a location to save your file in, and give it a name.
3. Using the drop-down menu next to "Save as type:" select pdf.
4. If done correctly, your new pdf file should open automatically.
5. Check the formatting on your new pdf file before submitting it for printing.

Directions for Microsoft Office Suite on Mac

1. When finished designing your file go to "File > Save As"
2. Using the drop-down menu next to "File Format:" select pdf.
3. Your file won't open automatically. Make sure you open your new pdf file and check the size and formatting before sending your file to print.

Directions for Adobe Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Etc.)

Most Adobe software that deal with image manipulation have similar ways to save/export files to pdf.

1. When finished designing your file go to "File" and look for "Export" or "Export to pdf".
2. The Export dialog box looks very similar to a save as box. Give your file a name and select a location to save it.

Using "Print as PDF" option

If you have Adobe reader or Acrobat installed on your computer you have another option for saving as pdf.

1. In whatever program you are using go to the print option. (Usually "File > Print")
2. In the dropdown to select printers select "Adobe PDF" (Depending on installed software it could say, "Print as pdf" or "Microsoft Print to PDF")
3. Remember to setup your print settings to reflect the settings you want for your pdf. Setting up paper size will determine your pdf size. Selecting color printing will keep the color in your pdf, where printing b&w or grey scale will remove the color from your pdf.