Home » Be on the Program »

Poster Tips

Formatting Tips

• Less is more. Be clear and concise with poster design and content. Overcrowding a poster makes it difficult to read.
• Use fonts that are large enough to read from a distance.
• Include the title and name(s) of the presenter(s) in a larger, bolder font than the rest of the poster.
• Provide clear labels or headings for each section of your presentation.
• Remember contrast. Put light-colored fonts on dark backgrounds and dark-colored fonts on light backgrounds so viewers can see your text clearly.
• Imbed high-quality graphics and videos.
• Avoid hyperlinks. Instead, incorporate a QR code into your presentation that will direct attendees to a website that contains more information about your poster and research.
• Sound is not permitted due to the open area in which posters are presented.
• We recommend you format your final poster presentation based on one of the following options:
  • PowerPoint presentation file compatible with PowerPoint 2010 (this includes file formats such as .ppt .pptx, .pptm, .potx, .pot, .pps, .ppsx, .ppsm, .ppa, .ppam)
  • PDF file
  • Any file format while using your personal laptop (make sure to bring the proper equipment to connect to an HDMI input)

For single-slide e-posters:

• Set the page size to 36.5” W and 20.5” H.
• Use a minimum font size of 32 points.
• Don’t overcrowd the slide.
• Single-slide presentation template, blank
• Single-slide presentation template with sample layout
• Single-slide presentation template with sample layout, including formatting tip text

For multiple-slide e-posters:

• Set the page setup or slide size to “On-screen show (16:9)” or 36.5” W x 20.5” H.
• Use bullet points.
• Use a minimum font size of 14 points if page setup is “On-screen show (16:9).” If slide size is set to 36.5” W x 20.5”H, use a minimum font size of 32 points.
• Use the slideshow mode to automatically change the display during the day, and then switch to the manual mode to move through the slides for your presentation.
• Avoid using too many slides. Past presenters have found 10 slides are about right.
• Put a footer such as “Slide 1 of 6” on each slide to let viewers walking by mid-cycle know where they are in the presentation and how long they’ll wait until it begins again.
• Multiple-slide presentation template, blank
• Multiple-slide presentation template with sample layout
• Multiple-slide presentation template with sample layout, including formatting tip text

Content Tips

Coverage: In addition to title/author and abstract, most successful posters provide brief statements of introduction, method, subject, procedure, results, and conclusion. Ask yourself the following:

• Have I provided all the obvious information?
• Will a casual observer walk away understanding my major findings after a quick perusal of my material?
• Will a more careful reader learn enough to ask informed questions?
• What would I need to know if I were viewing this material for the first time?

Clarity: People attending a poster session are free to move about from poster to poster and often must view a poster from a distance, making it difficult to read excessive text and small fonts. With this in mind, we recommend you do the following:

• Use large fonts and limit text to essential information. Place your major points in the poster and have the nonessential, but interesting, sidelights for informal discussion.
• Keep content simple and communicate clearly.
• Consider whether the sequence of information is evident. Indicate the ordering of your material with numbers, letters, or arrows when necessary.
• “A picture’s worth a thousand words.” Imaginative use of captioned illustrations, photographs, graphs, video (without sound), or other types of visually appealing material are extremely effective at communicating during a poster presentation.
• Make your final conclusions or summary a concise statement of your most important findings.

Online Resources for Poster Creation and Templates

These sites may provide other useful templates and tips for preparing your e-poster. Be sure to adjust any template using the formatting tips provided above for best display on the ASA’s monitors.

• http://gradschool.unc.edu/student/postertips.html
• https://www.postersession.com/poster-templates.php
• http://gradschool.unc.edu/student/postertips.html#powerpoint
• http://viget.com/flourish/14-tips-for-better-presentation-slides

Creating Slides Through Beamer and LaTeX

The ASA welcomes e-posters created using LaTeX and \documentclass{beamer}. Please keep in mind that the screens on which your posters and presentations will be displayed are approximately 36.5” wide by 20.5” high.

If you are using the vanilla Beamer package, you might consider using the 20pt style:
\documentclass[20pt]{beamer}

If you are familiar with other Beamer packages, you might consider using Beamer poster:
\documentclass{beamer}
\usepackage{beamerposter}

You can customize this further. For example, the width and height are in cm here:
\usepackage[orientation=landscape,size=custom,width=90,height=51, debug]{beamerposter}

We strongly recommend you test your presentation on a screen of approximately the same size as will be present at the meeting. There are many templates and examples of customized Beamer commands, templates, and tutorials on the internet if you need further assistance.