Correct page size from the start
Make sure you set the correct page size (A0 in this case) at the start. E.g. for PowerPoint, change the page setup values to “Custom” and use the following dimensions:
84.09 × 118.9 cm or 33.11 × 46.81 inches
Fonts and sizes
Font: always use sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Helvetica.
Text size recommendations:
▪ Poster title: minimum 90pt
▪ General text: larger than you think – try for minimum 24pt.
▪ Footnotes/subtext: this can go down to a minimum 10pt.
Make use of bold and colour changes to make your text stand out. But never put red text on a blue background!
Image settings
Imported images must be high resolution, at least 300 dpi and scalable images.
Do not use bitmap images such as JPG, JPEG, GIF and TIFF. Their resolution is fixed, and they do not resize well and become pixelated (fuzzy around the edges).
Instead, use vector formats such as EPS, CGM, PICT, and WMF, but you must convert your output to PDF before printing. The vector format is resolution-independent, composed of individual objects made from mathematical calculations. These resize well and result in crisp images.
Colours
Many applications, such as PowerPoint, use RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colour mode, whereas plotters that print posters use a four-colour CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) process. This is why sometimes colours print differently from how they look on screen, e.g. royal blue becomes purple, etc. This is why you must convert your output to PDF before printing. PDFs give exactly the colours as you see on the screen if you use the settings specified on the next pages.
Never use dark backgrounds as the paper will become saturated and cause the colours to run. They tend to make the text harder to see, which means the poster will take longer to print and dry.
Converting your file to PDF
You should create a PDF, which you must check fully for any errors before printing.
NB: Please do not “save as PDF” as this does not keep the page or quality settings.