Patrons - Poster Printing

This document will go through how to create a poster in PowerPoint for Windows, PowerPoint for Mac, and Google Slides. It will also go through how to submit a poster to be printed, and how to troubleshoot it if there are issues.

Table of Contents

Get Help Making a Poster

DesignLab is happy to help patrons who are working on posters. Patrons don’t just have to come to DesignLab if they are having issues with getting their posters ready to print. DesignLab staff can talk patrons through the entire process of making a poster, including how to get started, what software to use, how to organize a poster, and what needs to go on a poster, as well as provide feedback on aesthetics (font, color, alignment, etc).

DesignLab is typically open Monday through Friday in the afternoons. Our main location is at College Library (600 N Park St) and we also have a satellite location at Ebling Library in the Health Sciences Learning Center (750 Highland Ave). We also offer appointments via Zoom and a chat/text service.

Check the main page of the DesignLab website for current hours: https://designlab.wisc.edu

Creating a Poster

IMPORTANT: Our poster roll has a maximum width allowance of 43”. Please make sure that at least ONE of the dimensions for your poster is no larger than 43”. (Example: 48”x 56” will not print, but 43”x 50” will print!)

Designing a Poster

Exporting your Poster to a Printable Format

Because we only print image files, you will need to export the poster to an image format.

Submitting a Poster Order

  1. Open your poster in Photoshop

  2. Check your print’s quality:

    1. Zoom in to 100%

    2. Move around on the poster looking for distortion, blurriness, or pixelation of images and text

    3. If there are any issues, see the troubleshooting section below

  3. Check the size of your print:

    1. Click "Image".

    2. Click "Image Size".

    1. One edge must measure at or below 43”

  1. Go to poster.library.wisc.edu

  2. Click “Sign in to your library account”

  3. Click “NetID Sign in”

  4. Sign in with your NetID and password

  5. Click “Order a Print”

  6. Choose the location you would like to print a poster at

  7. To Upload via File:

    1. Click “Choose File”

    2. Select the file you would like to print

    3. Click “Open”

  8. To Upload via URL:

    1. Select “URL”

    2. Paste the Share URL into the box

  9. Click “Next”

  10. Type in the Width and Height of the poster as found in Step 3

  11. Enter the number of prints of the file you want in the “Quantity” box

  12. Select the Paper Type

    1. NOTE: College Library can print in either Satin or Glossy, Steenbock can only print in Satin

  13. Click “Next”

  14. Look over the “Order Details” page for accuracy

  15. If everything looks good, click “Finalize Order”

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Issues with Poster Size

To fix any issues with the size of your poster, you will need to go back to the initial file to maintain the quality.

Issues with Image Resolution

Other issues? Contact DesignLab via email or chat and they’ll help troubleshoot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there resources for making posters?

Yes! DesignLab has an entire website page dedicated to poster creation. https://designlab.wisc.edu/resources/projects/posters/

What software should I use to make posters?

PowerPoint is the industry standard, but there are lots of options. Check out the DesignLab’s Research Poster page for a list of recommended software: https://designlab.wisc.edu/resources/projects/posters/

What size should my poster be?

Poster size is dependent on the event (conference, symposium, etc.). You should contact the event organizers, your instructor/advisor, or the venue to ask about poster sizing. The most typical poster size for conferences is 48in X 36in in landscape. Here on UW-Madison’s campus, most poster boards are 44in x 44in, so we tend to recommend 43in x 36in for campus events, but any event restrictions on size should supersede our suggestions.

How do I estimate the cost of a poster?

The cost of printing is $4 per square foot. To estimate the cost of your poster:

  1. Multiply the length in inches and the width in inches (to get the size in square inches)
  2. Then divide that number by 144 (to get the size in square feet)
  3. Multiply the size in square feet by $4.

This is also noted in the poster printing system. 

What is a good image resolution?

300 ppi is a perfectly adequate resolution for printing. However, 96ppi is the lowest resolution for printing that does not have noticeable low quality to the naked eye. Anything less than 96ppi is not adequate for printing. Anything higher than 300 ppi is also not noticeable to the naked eye and just makes the file size bigger. 

What file type is best to save as?

Some image file types are better than others for maintaining quality. Here is the DesignLab’s recommendation for image file formats: 

  1. Highest Quality: TIFF – acronym “Tagged Image File Format,” is used for storing raster graphics images. This format is popular among graphic artists, publishing, and photographers and is commonly used for print media. TIFF files can have multiple layers within the file and TIFF files retain transparencies when printed.
  2. Middle Quality: PNG – acronym “Portable Network Graphic,” is commonly used to store web graphics and digital photographs. PNG files have a lossless compression (similar to .GIF) for smaller file size. PNG files have a flattened (non-layered) image but PNG files retain transparencies when printed.
  3. Lowest Quality: JPEG – acronym “Joint Photographic Experts Group,” is a standard image format for containing lossy and compressed image data, leading to the smallest file size, but the lowest quality image. JPEG files have a flattened (non-layered) image and do not support transparencies, which are converted to the closest color or white.

Can I use something other than Photoshop to convert the PDF into an image file?

As far as we have tested, you cannot use Adobe Acrobat or other programs to convert the PDF file to TIFF/PNG/JPEG. If you do not have Photoshop, it should be available in any campus computer lab and on checkout laptops.



Keywords:
Poster Printing, Poster, Printing, order, edit, print
Doc ID:
124849
Owned by:
Ava B. in Libraries
Created:
2023-03-14
Updated:
2025-05-01
Sites:
InfoLabs, UW-Madison Libraries