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20th Annual Undergraduate Scholars in Action Days

Printing Your Poster

Springfield College Print Shop

Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: (413) 748-3286
printshop@springfield.edu

In most cases, your department will cover the cost of printing posters up to size 36" x 48" ($48.00) at the SC Print Shop. You should discuss this with your Professor in advance of going to the Print Shop.

Poster Presentation Guidelines

Fonts
The specific font type and size used in each section of the template is provided in red letters. Feel free to change the font type, but remember that the letters should be readable from 6' away. Here are some suggestions for font type and sizes:

  • Title: consider using a font size between 72-120 points.
  • Subtitles (authors' names, school name, etc.): use the same font as your title but make the font size smaller than the title.  A font size between 48-80 points usually works best.
  • Section titles (Introduction, Results, etc.): use the same font as your title and subtitle.  Make the font size approximately 50% larger than the body text, between 36-72 points.  Make sure that all section headers are the same font size.
  • Content text: choose a serif type that is very readable, like Garamond, Book Antiqua or Bookman Old Style.  Make the font size between 24-48 points. Make sure that the body text is the same font throughout the entire posters.
  • DON'T USE ALL CAPS for any portion of your poster. It is harder to read and it looks like you are shouting!
  • Use sans serif fonts for large headings and serif fonts for the main text of your poster.

Font Sizes
According to most studies, sans serif fonts are more difficult to read. For this reason, they are used most often for short text components such as headlines or captions, while "serif” fonts, such as Palatino or Times New Roman, are used for context text .

Images
To insert a picture into your poster, select Insert > Picture > From File... Beware of the image's resolution: for better print quality, an image should have a resolution of at least 200 dpi. You can reduce the size of an image without affecting the quality, but if you try to enlarge an image it will become pixelated. It's always better to start with a large image and then reduce the size as necessary.

When re-sizing an image, be sure to drag from the corner handle to keep the shape proportional.

Printing
Although the PowerPoint template is designed to print at a very large scale, you may want to print your poster on a letter-sized piece of paper to proofread, check layout issues, and share drafts with others. You may do this by making sure the Scale to Fit Paper option is checked within the Print window.

When your poster is complete, you can email the PowerPoint file or PDF to the Print Shop (printshop@springfield.edu). It costs $4 per square foot to print a poster, which is approximately $21 for a small poster. Please call the Print Shop (x3286) with any questions about size, cost, or format. Your department may also be able to offset the cost of printing, so speak with your faculty sponsor.