FAQ on Poster Designing and Printing

What is your normal turnaround time?

Assuming we encounter no problems with your file then all poster print orders will be shipped the next working day from receipt. We will do our very best to fulfil any urgent poster print orders, please use our enquiries form to notify us of your requirement.

How do I get my file to you?

Just complete the online poster print order form and you will automatically be transferred to our FTP site where you can upload your files.

What program should I use to create my poster?

Supported software applications include QuarkXpress, InDesign CS, Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, Powerpoint and of course Adobe PDF documents. If you are using a program not listed here then check to see if you can create a PDF file from your application.

Microsoft Word and Excel users should save their files as a PDF to ensure fonts and images print correctly. We can scale your PDF file to any poster size, e.g. create an A4 document and we can output your poster to A1 size.

How do I know if my file will print OK?

Not sure if your file is suitable for poster printing? Use our free artwork report service to upload your files and ask any questions you may have. We will email you back a free report on your file's suitability to print at that size and to highlight any other issues that may effect the quality of your poster print.

Advice on designing scientific and medical research posters

A scientific poster can communicate your research at a scientific meeting, and is composed of a short title, an introduction to your question, an overview of your experimental approach, your results, some insightful discussion of those results, a listing of previously published articles that are important to your research, and some brief acknowledgement of the tremendous assistance and financial support from others - if all text is kept to a minimum, a person could fully read your poster in under 10 minutes.

For more helpful information and advice on designing scientific and medical research posters - read more of Colin Purrington's article.

If you are not familiar with producing a poster in Powerpoint then you may download a very basic Powerpoint poster template set to 48ins x 48ins as a starting point.

How do I bring charts, tables, and pictures into Powerpoint?

Copy and paste tables and charts from Microsoft Office using paste special and choosing enhanced metafile. If you have problems using copy and paste special, then export as a jpg and insert into Powerpoint using "insert picture from file".

What is the best way to set up my Powerpoint file?

Unfortunately, Powerpoint will only let you use a custom page size that is no larger than 56 inches. In order to workaround this limitation, you'll need to set up your file to a smaller proportionate scale.

If the longest dimension of your document does not exceed 56 inches, make your document 100% its final printed size. For example if you want to create a 56x36 inch poster, send us a document that is set at 56x36 inches. If the longest dimension of your document exceeds 56 inches, you would need to work at half size and we will double it at printing time. For example, if you want 96x48 inch poster, send us a document that is set to 48x24 inches.

You can use this chart to help you work around the 56” limit:

Final Poster Size	Page Setup
36" x 60"	18" x 30"
36" x 72"	24" x 48"
36" x 90"	18" x 45"
42" x 60"	21" x 30"
42" x 72"	21" x 36"
42" x 84"	24" x 48"

You'll need to choose a custom page size, then enter the width and height.

How should I set my files up?

Use our artwork guide for setting up your file and checking that your image files are large enough for the desired output size. Image files should be at least 72 dpi in their final output size.

Scanning Table for 72dpi Output
	Size on Poster
Original Size	6" x 9"	16" x 24"	24" x 36"
2" x 3"	scan at 216 dpi.	scan at 576 dpi.	scan at 864 dpi
4" x 6"	scan at 108 dpi.	scan at 288 dpi.	scan at 432 dpi.

For more technical information or advice on these service call Wayne Cullinane on (0117) 952 6069 or Ellie Bartlett on (0117) 952 6062 or use the contact form to tell us your requirements, we can suggest the most appropriate solution for your imaging needs.


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