Poster Design Tips

Avoid common design & printing problems

Creating Your Poster File

  • Programs you can use to design your poster:

    • PowerPoint

    • Google Slides

    • Adobe: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, Express

    • Canva

  • Set the canvas size to the size that you want printed. This way, you won’t need to resize the poster prior to printing.

  • You do NOT need to add a bleed or registration marks to your file.

  • Make sure the file you're working on is set to CMYK (print colors), not RGB (web colors). See the graphic below for a quick explanation:

Styling Your Text

  • Recommended font size for titles is between 60-77 point.

  • Recommended font size for other text is between 24-36 point.

  • For best legibility, the smallest font size we recommend (for acknowledgments, credits, citations, etc.) is 11-12 point (about the size of newsprint).

  • Choose only 1-2 font types to use on your poster. Using too many different fonts can make your poster harder to read. Choose a legible font that isn’t too stylized

  • Choose a font family that has a lot of variations (such as Light, Oblique, Semi Bold, Bold, etc.). This will give you a lot of choices for titles, subtitles, body text, etc. while keeping your poster’s design looking consistent and professional.

  • Commonly used font families:

    • Helvetica

    • Franklin Gothic

    • Arial

    • Futura

    • Times New Roman

    • Garamond

    • Bebas

    • Monsterrat

    • Calibri

    • Verdana

  • Dark background colors can make text harder to read. If overlaying text onto a dark background, increase the font size and use white text for easier legibility

Using Images

  • Avoid using small images (web images that are 72 DPI) on large posters, as they will look pixelated when enlarged. Try to use images that are 300 DPI and at least 2000 pixels wide.

  • Institutions often have very strict guidelines for using their logos and branding. Be sure you are aware of and following the guidelines for all institutions’ logos and branding you're using, and that you have permission from the institution(s).