Research and Conference Poster Printing
- Free shipping
- Free proof — pay after you approve
- Our designer emails your free proof within 1 business day. You're charged only once you approve it. Changes are free, and you can cancel free any time before you approve.
- Semi-gloss paper — rich color, no heavy glare
- Won’t stick to the glass when framed
- Ready to frame · frame not included
How it works
- Upload your filePhoto, artwork or PDF. No file yet? Order now, upload later.
- Free proofA designer checks crop and sharpness, then emails it within 1 business day.
- Printed in 2 daysOn semi-gloss poster paper, 2 business days after you approve.
- Ships free, flatUp to 15″ goes in a rigid mailer that won’t bend.
- Ships free, rolledOver 15″ ships rolled in a sturdy tube.
On real walls
How to get it right
Check the conference size before anything else
Poster boards are a fixed size and the call for posters says what fits - often 36x48 in landscape or portrait, sometimes 24x36. Our largest standard size is 36x48, and a custom size goes up to 48x72, so check the call before you design. Set your PowerPoint, Illustrator or LaTeX page to that exact size from the start rather than scaling a letter-size draft up at the end; scaling is where fonts and figures go soft.
Export a PDF, not an image
A vector PDF keeps every line of text, every axis label and every equation perfectly sharp at 36x48. Export from PowerPoint as PDF, not as PNG or JPG; embed fonts if the software offers it. Photographs and microscopy images inside the poster should be at their original resolution. Our designer checks the file before the proof and tells you if any figure will print soft.
Readable under hall lighting, and in one piece on arrival
Conference halls are lit by rows of overhead lights, and full-gloss paper turns them into glare across your results. Semi-gloss keeps color rich without the heavy reflection. The poster ships rolled in a sturdy tube - the same tube you carry to the venue. Production is two business days after proof approval and shipping takes 3-5 business days, so order about ten days before you fly.
Font sizes that hold up at a poster session
At 36x48, a title works best set from about 90 to 120 points, section headings around 36 to 44 points, and body text no smaller than 24 points - anything smaller reads fine on a laptop screen while designing but disappears at the six-foot distance most attendees actually stand from a poster board. Figures and chart labels are the other place text quietly shrinks: a chart pasted in at its original small size keeps its small axis labels too, so resize the whole figure before placing it rather than scaling it down inside the layout afterward. When in doubt, print a section at actual size on a home printer and read it from across the room before sending the full file.
Mounting the poster at the session
Most conferences pin or velcro your poster to a fixed board rather than let you tape it yourself, and either works with a paper poster. Unroll the poster from its tube the night before your session and leave it lying flat under a few books or a suitcase; a print mounted while it still wants to curl back into a tube shape fights the pins along both edges all day. If the conference supplies double-sided tabs instead of pins, press them onto the back corners rather than across the middle, so nothing shows through the front of the poster.
Questions people ask about these
What size is a standard research poster?
Many US conferences ask for 36x48 inches, landscape or portrait; some ask for 24x36, and some for larger boards - a custom size goes up to 48x72. Always follow the size in the call for posters.
Can I print a poster made in PowerPoint?
Yes - set the slide to the final poster size and export it as a PDF. A PDF keeps text and charts sharp; a PNG export does not.
Can I order one copy?
Yes. One poster is a normal order, with a free proof first.
Will it glare under conference lighting?
Much less than full gloss. The semi-gloss paper keeps colors rich without heavy reflection from overhead lights.
How far ahead should I order before the conference?
About ten days. Production is two business days after proof approval, then free US shipping in 3-5 business days, rolled in a tube you can travel with.
What if the poster arrives with a printing mistake?
If the mistake is ours, we reprint it free. That does not cover an error that was already in the approved proof, such as a typo or wrong figure - which is why it is worth reading the proof carefully given how tight a conference deadline usually is.
What font size should text be so it's readable at a conference?
Body text no smaller than 24 points and section headings around 36 to 44 points at 36x48, with the title largest at roughly 90 to 120 points. Text that looks fine on a laptop screen often disappears from six feet away.
