Submitting Posters for Printing

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The deadline for poster printing submissions is: 
Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 11:59 pm.

Posters for the Festival of Science, Scholarship and Creativity are printed in Office Services.
Please pick up your posters in the basement level of Vilas Hall (Room G5).
Office hours are 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday.

If you have specific questions not answered below, please contact Office Services at 315-229-5891 or officeservices@stlawu.edu. 

The deadline for submitting posters for printing to Office Services is Sunday, April 21 at 11:59 PM. Faculty mentors are encouraged to set an earlier internal deadline for students to submit their posters to ensure all are collected by the submission deadline.

Submission Process

Faculty Mentors with Multiple Posters:
Please collect your students' posters and submit one print request linking to a shared folder containing the files. Supported platforms include Dropbox, Google Drive, or SharePoint.  

Faculty Submitting One Poster:
If you are submitting only one poster, please upload the file directly into the print request form instead of using a shared folder.

Posters may take up to 4 business days to be printed, so plan ahead!

Any questions regarding printing should be directed to Office Services at 315-229-5891 or officeservices@stlawu.edu .

Additional Guidelines for creating posters:

Poster Size:

  • The standard poster size is 36" x 48", though other sizes may be used.  It is important to keep one dimension to 42" or less, as that is the maximum width of the printer. Please note that some poster board and easels used to display posters are 40" by 32". Posters that are larger than the standard size (of 36" x 48")  may have difficulty being properly displayed. Please check with your faculty advisor if this will interfere with presenting your work.


Text-size: 

  • The Main Title should be at least 100 points (4 cm high) 
  • Subheadings should around 50 points (Between 1.5 - 2 cm high)

Body text is most easily read when it is 25 points (Between 0.5 - 1 cm high).  The absolute minimum for text is 18 points.

  • The title of your poster should appear at the top in large letters.
  • People will not read a lot of text, and certainly won't read standard journal-sized text.
  • Printed text should be very brief, or most people will walk away.
  • Studies show that text written in all capital letters is hard to follow; it is better to use bold print than all caps.
  • Bullets may be helpful in summarizing information.
  • Divide the contents of your poster into appropriate sections.

Things to Remember:

  • Posters will be printed in 2 – 4 days (48 - 96 hrs).  There may be delays due to the size of your poster, demand on the plotter, and availability of the network.  You should plan on time required to produce a poster in your print request.  When your request is completed we will notify you.  Late requests may not be printed.
  • Carefully and completely prepare your poster in advance of the conference.
  • The flow of your poster should be from the top left to the bottom right.
  • You may wish to use color for highlighting and to make your poster more attractive.
  • Use pictures, diagrams, cartoons, figures, etc., rather than text wherever possible.
  • References - Concentrate on key references only. This is not meant to be an exhaustive listing. You can expand on your sources during discussions with viewers attending the poster session.
  • Pay attention to grammar and syntax.
  • Do take time to make the poster visually pleasing and professional.
  • Don't wait until the last minute to assemble your poster; things can always go wrong!
  • Photos print well if they have not been resized more than 1.5 times their original size. Anything beyond that will result in a blocky, pixilated reproduction.
  • Proof your poster thoroughly before submitting. Posters that need to be re-printed due to author error will likely result in additional costs.
  • Your Name: please include (somewhere) on your poster AND as part of the file name.

Special Fonts:
If you are using imported fonts, it is your responsibility to embed them in the document or make them available at the time of printing.  Check the software's help on how to do this.  In Office 2013, File -> Options -> Save -> Check Embed fonts in the file

Problem Files:
Most files will print out just fine, however, if a problem arises we will try to determine the source of the problem and contact you for any needed information.

Apple Users:
**Before submitting your poster file please read Saving PDF from Powerpoint for Mac**
Be sure to let us know if your file was created using an Mac instead of a PC as this may affect the formatting of your poster when it is opened on the PC we use for printing. 

If this is your first attempt at creating a large-format poster, follow the steps below:

  • Choose the program you want to create your poster with. Many students use Microsoft Powerpoint, though other programs such as Adobe Illustrator or InDesign may be used also.
  • Set poster size using the Design Tab> Page Setup
  • Set the height and width according to your needs.  The standard poster size is 36" x 48", though other sizes may be used.  It is important to keep one dimension to 42" or less, as that is the maximum width of the plotter.
  • Choose portrait or landscape orientation.
  • Add content to your poster.  Keep your color scheme and layout as simple as possible.  Avoid complex backgrounds that interfere with readability.  Dark colored backgrounds will use more ink resulting in paper that is wrinkled.  The printed color does not always match the screen color.
  • Use the PLACE or INSERT command to add an image or graphic to your poster.  Avoid using Copy & Paste.
  • Use fonts that are readable at a distance.  Use the ZOOM to 100% option to see what the actual printed page will look like.