Overview
Poster sessions reward a different skill from papers. A visitor typically reads the title, glances at the central figure and either moves on or starts a conversation. Posters that reproduce the paper's abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion in six equal boxes of small text rarely get that conversation, however good the research.
We design posters around a single take-home message. Many researchers now use layouts inspired by the #BetterPoster idea popularized by Mike Morrison: a large plain-language statement of the main finding in the center, a sidebar with methods and details, and a QR code linking to the paper or supplementary material. It is not right for every field or conference, so we also build refined traditional column layouts when that suits your audience or the organizers' template.
We check the conference's poster rules first (size, orientation, board type, digital e-poster specifications) and deliver print-ready and screen-ready files. For conference posters linked to a paper, the conference paper support page covers the written submission.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Graduate students presenting a first conference poster or a departmental research day poster
- Researchers turning a paper or thesis chapter into a poster for an international meeting
- Clinicians and health researchers preparing posters or e-posters for medical and nursing conferences
- Undergraduates presenting capstone or summer research projects who want feedback on their design
- Research groups who need a consistent poster template for several members
Common problems we help with
- Your poster is mostly text in 20-point type and nobody reads past the title
- You have too many figures and cannot decide which one tells the story
- The conference says 'A0 portrait' or '4 ft by 3 ft landscape' and your file is the wrong size or resolution
- Images look sharp on screen but pixelate when printed
- You need an e-poster version for a screen or online platform as well as a printed one
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Checking the conference poster guidelines: dimensions, orientation, board size, e-poster format and submission deadline
- Content triage: choosing the main message, the key figure and what moves to a handout or QR-linked page
- Layout options: #BetterPoster-style central finding, classic three- or four-column, or a hybrid
- Typography for distance reading: title, headline and body sizes tested at print scale
- Figure redesign for poster viewing: simplified charts, direct labels, colorblind-safe palettes and high-resolution export
- QR code linking to your paper, preprint, data, video or contact page, with a short URL as backup
- Institutional branding and logos, placed according to your university's rules
- Print-ready PDF with correct size, bleed if required and embedded fonts, plus a smaller file for sharing
- An e-poster or slide version where the conference uses screens, and a 60-second pitch outline for visitors
Not included
- Creating content for an assessed student poster — we give design feedback and coaching on a poster you have drafted
- Adding findings, data or references not in your research
- Printing and shipping the poster; we supply files ready for your print shop or university print service
- Using images or logos you do not have permission to use
What you receive
- Layout concept
- One or two layout sketches at the correct dimensions showing where the headline, main figure, method summary and QR code sit.
- Editable poster file
- The full design in PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Canva or LaTeX (for example, a beamerposter or tikzposter layout), depending on what you want to edit later.
- Print-ready PDF
- Exported at the required size with embedded fonts and image resolution checked for large-format printing.
- Sharing assets
- A compressed PDF or PNG for social media or the conference app, a QR code and a short pitch outline for the session.
How it works
Guidelines and content
You send the conference rules, your abstract or paper and the figures you might use. We confirm size, orientation and deadlines.
Message and triage
We agree the one-sentence finding and decide which figure carries it and what moves behind the QR code.
Layout concept
We share a draft layout at scale. You choose a direction before we produce the detailed design.
Full design
We build the poster, redraw figures and check readability at print size and on screen.
Proof and export
You proofread names, affiliations and numbers; we make agreed changes and deliver print and sharing files.
Poster formats and design tools
- Standard sizes
- ISO A0 (841 × 1189 mm) and A1 (594 × 841 mm) in Europe and much of the world; inch-based sizes such as 48 × 36 in are common in North America. Always confirm the board size in the call.
- #BetterPoster-style layout
- A large central statement of the main finding in plain language, a side column for methods and results detail, and a QR code for the full paper.
- Classic column layout
- Three or four columns in reading order with clear section headings, used where organizers or the field expect it; we reduce text and enlarge figures.
- Distance legibility
- Main finding readable from several meters away, body text from about one meter; sizes are tested by printing a scaled section or viewing at 100 percent.
- Image resolution
- Vector graphics for charts where possible, and raster images at sufficient resolution for the final print size rather than screen size.
- Tools
- PowerPoint (custom slide size), Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Canva, and LaTeX classes such as beamerposter, tikzposter and baposter.
The main finding goes where everyone can see it
A poster works like a billboard with footnotes. The billboard is one sentence: 'Peer tutoring halved first-year dropout in two pilot faculties' says more from a distance than the title of your paper. The footnotes are the methods, sample, statistics and references, available to anyone who steps closer. Designing in these two layers lets passers-by get the point and gives specialists a reason to talk to you.
QR codes that actually help
A QR code is useful when it leads somewhere worth visiting: a preprint, the full paper, a data repository, a short video or a page with your contact details. We place it where a visitor can scan it without blocking others, add a caption saying what it opens, and include a short human-readable URL for people who do not scan codes. Check that the link will still work after the conference; a persistent identifier such as a DOI is safer than a temporary file link.
Print and screen versions
More conferences now run e-poster sessions on screens or online platforms, sometimes alongside printed boards. A screen poster may need a landscape 16:9 format, a different file type and larger text because screens are smaller than boards. We can produce both versions from one design so the content stays consistent.
- Confirm size, orientation and whether the board is portrait or landscape
- Leave a margin: print shops and boards do not always align perfectly
- Order a small test print of a section to check type size and color before the full print
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Illustrative poster triage for an A0 portrait poster
A fictional nursing master's student is presenting a study on night-shift handover errors at a regional nursing conference that requires A0 portrait posters. The draft has 1,400 words and seven figures. The details below are invented.
Main finding
'A structured handover checklist cut missed medication tasks from 14 to 5 per 100 handovers' set across the middle of the poster in large type, with the before-and-after chart directly beneath.
What moved
Word count fell to about 450. The literature background became two sentences, the checklist itself moved behind a QR code, and four figures were replaced by one chart and one photo of the checklist in use.
Checks
Colors tested for red–green color vision deficiency, body text set large enough to read from arm's length, and a scaled test print ordered before the final print.
Illustrative example only. The study, numbers and conference are invented and do not describe a real client.
What you’ll need to provide
- The conference poster guidelines or a link to them
- Your accepted abstract, paper or thesis chapter
- Figures, tables and source data or plotting code where charts need redrawing
- Author names, affiliations, funding acknowledgements and required logos
- The link you want the QR code to point to, and your print deadline
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Starting point: feedback on your draft, redesign of an existing poster, or design from your paper
- Number of figures to redraw and whether source data is available
- Whether an e-poster or slide version is needed in addition to print
- Reusable template for a research group
- Time to the print deadline
Turnaround depends on
- The printing deadline, which is usually several days before travel
- How quickly co-authors can approve text and affiliations
- Figure complexity
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
What size should my poster be?
Follow the conference guidelines exactly. A0 and A1 portrait are common in Europe, while North American meetings often specify inches, such as 48 by 36 inches landscape. If the guidelines give only the board size, we design slightly smaller so the poster fits with pins or clips.
Is the #BetterPoster style suitable for my field?
It works well in many disciplines, especially when you have one strong finding. Some audiences expect traditional columns, and some organizers provide a template. We can show you both options and let you decide.
Can you design my poster for a class assignment?
If the poster is assessed, we give feedback on your layout, text length and figures and show you how to fix them; you make the poster. For research conferences and showcases that are not graded, we can design it with you.
Which software will I receive the file in?
Whichever you are most likely to edit later: PowerPoint, Illustrator, Inkscape, Canva or LaTeX. PowerPoint is the most common choice because co-authors can edit it easily.
Do you print the poster?
No. We supply a print-ready PDF and can tell you what settings to give your print shop or university print service, including size and paper or fabric options.