Posters

The Department of Earth Sciences and CEES maintain these Web resources to facilitate the use of the HP DesignJet 1055CM Color Plotter for poster sessions.  The Plotter was purchased by and for the use of faculty, students, and staff of the IUPUI School of Science and can only be used for other users with special permission.  If you are not affiliated with the IUPUI School of Science, please view this list of other Printer Resources.  Remember, this service is provided as a courtesy, please be respectfull of others time in your requests.

NOTICE TO MAC USERS:  Please send the files in PDF form rather than PowerPoint.  This should eliminate the common graph problems.

Formats - PowerPoint is our preferred file type, and it's very easy to use for posters. Set the page size before adding any data, images, or text. We can also accept Adobe *.PDF files, but make sure the document size is set correctly and the images are of sufficient resolution.

If you have a need for a presentation from a program other than PowerPoint or PDF, please contact me and we can discuss your options.

Sizing - Check the requirements of your conference before starting your poster!  Most conferences have a 4'X8' area for you to display your work; in this case we make two posters, each 36"x48" landscape (see templates above) and place them next to each other.

A 24"x36" portrait poster template is also available, you can often set three of these side by side and it makes a very attractive display.

(Download and use a template).

Other sizes may be accommodated; check with us first for details. You can find examples of many poster sizes in the SL building hallways on the first floor and in the basement.

In any case one of the two dimensions can not exceed 36" as that is the width of our roll of paper.  Having one of your two dimensions 36" is advantageous; it keeps you from having to manually trim your poster.

Adding Text -  Pasting Word text directly into the PowerPoint file is not recommended.  Instead, insert a text box, then paste your text info this text box.  This will alleviate potential scaling and font issues.  If you wish to have shaded backgrounds behind individual text blocks, make these as separate boxes from the draw menu and place them behind the text boxes.

Fonts - Avoid the use of special fonts, if possible, as they may not transfer to other machines.  A minimum font of 24 point is recommended for general text.  If you have to go much smaller that that in order to fit it on the poster, you're using too much text!  18 point is fine for references and acknowledgements.  

Previewing your work - Use the scale to fit option from the printer menu to test print on your printer prior to a full-scale print.  We do not print draft copies.  Please e-mail me any questions you might have as early in the process as possible.  bhall@iupui.edu  Feel free to send me iterations for comment or suggestions.  It's best to discover problems early in the process.

Getting it to us - The preferred means of distributing the poster is as an e-mail attachment.  If it is too large (over 10MB) you should use the SlashTmp service and send me an e-mail identifying the file.  As a last resort, you may bring it to the Graphix Lab (SL020) on a CD, DVD, or USB memory device.

We prefer 72 hours notice prior to the need for any final product to accommodate multiple posters before large conferences, vacations, field days, problems with plotter, etc. Special considerations can be made.  The printing process actually takes about an hour per panel plus drying time.

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Other Printing Resources

UROP & CRL - Students who are not affiliated with the School of Science at IUPUI but who are in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) or one of its many auxiliary programs should utilize the plotting resources of the Center for Research and Learning (CRL).  For a full list of programs supported by CRL, check their Poster Printing Guidelines WebPage.

Engineering - The School of Engineering and Technology has a 24 inch plotter available for Engineering and Technology Students.  There is a charge per poster that must be paid out of a University Account Number.  If your advisor is willing to pay for your poster out of a University Account, contact Tiffany at tgarrita@iupui.edu or 274-7393.  Please provide 72 hours (three business days) for printing from this resource.

The Image Factory - A local company with high services, including delivery.  6309 Woburn Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46250  317-577-3716

Repro Graphics - A local company with reasonable costs (24" X 36" poster, laminated, under $50) located near campus at 437 North Illinois St.

Kinkos - National Chain store with plotters available in most branches.  The closest branch is at 120 Monument Circle, Suite # 107.  Plotter and Poster cost is approximately $10 per square foot.

IUPUI Department of Earth Sciences
723 West Michigan Street, SL118
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
317.274.7484
(fax) 317.274.7966