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Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology

Visual Design Services

Our visual design staff can print a poster for conference presentation from your PowerPoint or other print-ready files (Production Service). We can print full color images from 8.5” x 11” to poster sizes up to 40” by any length. Additionally we can also help you create cutting edge graphics that will produce high quality images for presentations, poster, print or the Web (Design Service). Please contact Amber Thomas at 438-8930 for more information.

Service Policies

Production Service

We offer production services for ISU faculty, staff and students. We ask that you please provide us with 3 to 5 business days for poster production. (Large quantities may require more time. Please contact us in advance for an estimate.)
Any jobs needed in less than 3 business days are accepted on a case by case basis dependent upon our workload.

Design Service

We offer design services for ISU faculty and staff only. We do not design posters for posters sessions due to time restraints, but we can offer design tips for your posters.

Poster Specifications

  • File formats accepted: PowerPoint, PDF, high resolution JPEGs and TIFs
  • For PowerPoint files, please use standard fonts
  • Size- leading edge can be no more than 40”

FAQ

How long does it take for you to print a poster?
We ask for 3 to five business days for production. Any jobs needed in less than 3 business days are accepted on a case by case basis dependent upon our workload.
Do you laminate?
We do have laminating capabilities and can laminate projects that you have produced here. Due to time constraints, we do not offer laminating services for projects that you have had printed elsewhere. Please contact Media Services for those laminating projects.
What size posters can you print?
We can print any size poster as long as one of the sides is 40” or less.
Do you print projects that are for personal use?
We do print personal projects, however teaching and research related projects have first priority.
What is the standard poster size?
The standard poster size for poster sessions is 48” wide by 36” high.

Poster Design Tips

Text
  1. Check for overlapping text or text too close to graphics.
  2. Make sure your text isn’t too close to the edges of your poster. Try and leave at least a half inch between the edge of the poster and the beginning of your text. If the text is too close to the edge, it may be cut off when trimmed.
  3. Less is more. If you are going to use more than one font, use no more than 2 different fonts. Any more than that can become confusing to the viewer.
  4. Keep a consistent hierarchy of text. For example, all headlines of the same importance should be the same font, size, color and weight (bold, regular, italic etc.).
  5. Try not to make your poster too text heavy. Too much text on a poster can be overwhelming and deter the viewer from wanting to read your poster.
Colors
  1. If you use a colored background, make sure to use a font color that is easily readable against the background color (high contrast).
  2. Simple backgrounds are usually best. Try to pick one that isn’t too distracting.
Keep it simple
Your poster should be content driven. It should be attractive, but don’t let a busy poster with too many graphics overwhelm the point of your poster, that is to explain your research.
Proof your work
Have another person look over your poster to check for errors. If you find an error after the poster is printed, we will have to charge for a reprint.