Minot Lab Wiki

• Get a template from a lab mate.
• The name of the presenting author (first and last) should be underlined. Consider using a photo of the author on the poster (so that people at the conference can find you).
• Try not to exceed 300 words on a poster (about the length of an abstract). The poster should not be a wall of text. It should be mostly images and graphs.
• At the top of the poster, state the main message of the poster: One or two sentences that will be easy for someone to read as they are walking past.
• A good “user-experience design” means a poster with a low interaction cost, low cognitive load, strong information scent, and a dash of fun stuff).
• Before sending a poster to the printing press - print a letter-sized version on a color printer.
• Give a draft of your poster to your advisor and your lab mates. Do this several days before the printing deadline so that you can incorporate their thoughtful feedback/insights.
• Recommended text sizes:
  • Title: 86pt
  • Authors: 56pt
  • Sub-headings: 36pt
  • Body text: 24pt
  • Captions: 18pt

36“ wide x 48” tall is a common size (3 feet by 4 feet). Many poster printers use a roll of paper that is 3 feet wide.

The student media services, located on the 2nd floor of the valley library (just as you walk in main door). “Students may order one print per assignment free of charge” i.e. the poster is free if it is for a class. Printing glossy is no extra charge. Printing on Matte paper costs about $30. Landon and Matt have used this service.

FedEx/Kinkos Shop on 9th Street near Goodwill has good prices for posters. Remember to ask for the OSU discount (25%?). The online system for uploading files from your computer works very smoothly (less running around town). It costs around $6 per sq ft for heavy weight paper and glossy finish. The turn-around time at Kinko is typically 24 hours (better than OSU print shop). They prefer pdf file format. If you don't know how to turn your powerpoint file into a pdf, ask for help. Image resolution should be high (600 - 1200 dpi). The only disadvantage of Kinkos is that they don't accept OSU index numbers for direct charging.

FedEx/Kinkos will print the 3 feet by 4 feet poster on standard matte paper for ~ $54 (regular price $87, but OSU discount makes it $54). There is an additional student discount of 10%. Pay at the store when you pick up the poster - they don't take OSU index.

The OSU print shop has also has reasonable prices. They will take pdf or powerpoint files. (It is convenient to use powerpoint to prepare posters for conferences.) The print job can be submitted online (file sizes up to 80 Mb). Don't forget to read the document preparation tips.

The nanotube AFM image in our lab was printed on polypropylene (good for high color saturation) and laminated with single-sided satin. The file was prepared in photoshop at 300 dpi resolusion.