Artwork Guide

Setting up your file correctly is the most important step to ensuring a professional-looking poster. Use this guide to optimize your design for our high-fidelity Epson printers.

Recommended File Formats

To ensure your fonts, symbols, and layouts remain exactly as you intended, we strongly recommend saving your work as a PDF. This format “locks” your design in place. We also accept high-resolution JPEG, TIFF, and PNG files. Please ensure all layers are flattened before uploading.

Choosing the Correct Resolution

For large-format printing like A0 and A1, your images and graphs need high resolution to avoid pixelation. We recommend a resolution of 300dpi (dots per inch) at the actual size of the poster. If your file is below 150dpi, your images may appear “fuzzy” or blurry when printed at full size.

Color Mode and Accuracy

Our professional printers use an advanced 10-color ink system. For the most accurate color representation of your scientific data, please design your poster in CMYK color mode rather than RGB. This ensures that the colors you see on your screen closely match the physical ink on the paper.

Setting Up Margins and Safe Zones

To prevent important text or logos from being too close to the edge, we recommend a “Safe Zone” margin of at least 10mm inside the border of your poster. This ensures that even when the poster is rolled or placed in a frame, all your critical research remains perfectly visible and professional.

Font Tips for Legibility

Academic posters are often read from a distance. Ensure your main title is at least 72pt to 100pt, and your body text is no smaller than 24pt for A0 posters. Avoid using thin or “light” fonts on dark backgrounds, as these can become difficult to read once printed on satin or matte paper.

Handling Graphs and Scientific Figures

When exporting graphs from software like Excel, Prism, or SPSS, try to save them as vector graphics (SVG or PDF) before placing them into your poster design. Vector images can be scaled to any size without losing sharpness, ensuring your data points and axis labels remain crisp and legible.

Final Check Before Uploading

Before you submit your order, do a final “Zoom Test.” Open your PDF and zoom in to 100%. This is exactly how the poster will look when printed. If your images look blurry at 100% zoom on your screen, they will look blurry on the final poster. If you are unsure, remember you can request a Free Digital Proof in your order notes!