How to make a research poster

By Mubarak MutesasiraUpdated November 13, 20268 min read

To make a research poster, start from the conference's size and orientation, decide the one message a passer-by should leave with, and plan a layout of two to four columns that reads top-left to bottom-right. Keep the text to roughly 500 to 800 words, give the results figure the most space, build it in PowerPoint or LaTeX at full size from the start, test-print a small copy, and prepare a one-minute explanation for visitors.

This guide is part of our series on writing and publishing papers; the pillar is how to write a conference paper. If you want a ready-made layout to copy, with section-by-section word and font budgets and a LaTeX file, use our research poster template. This post is about the process: planning, design choices, building, printing and presenting.

Step 1: Get the size and orientation from the conference

Before you open any software, read the presenter instructions. They give the board size, the orientation and sometimes a maximum poster size. Common sizes:

Size	Dimensions	Where you see it
A0 portrait	841 x 1189 mm (33.1 x 46.8 in)	Many European and international meetings
A1 portrait	594 x 841 mm (23.4 x 33.1 in)	Smaller sessions, departmental days
48 x 36 in landscape	1219 x 914 mm	Many North American meetings
42 x 36 in or 56 x 36 in	Varies	Some North American venues

Set the page to that size first. Scaling a finished poster from A4 or from a different aspect ratio changes every font and spacing decision, and figures often come out blurry.

Step 2: Decide the one message

A poster is not a paper on a wall. Most visitors give it a few seconds from a distance before deciding whether to stop. Write down, in one sentence, what you want them to remember.

Example (invented for illustration): "Students who slept less than six hours before an exam scored 8 points lower on average, across three cohorts."

That sentence shapes everything else:

The title can state it, or ask the question it answers.
The key figure should show it.
The conclusions block should repeat it in plain words.

Everything that does not support the message goes to a handout, the paper, or a QR code.

Step 3: Plan the layout on paper

Sketch the poster on a sheet of paper before you build it. A good layout:

Reads in columns, top-left to bottom-right: three or four columns for landscape, two or three for portrait. Readers move down a column, not across a wide row.
Puts the title banner across the top, with authors, affiliations and logos.
Gives the results the most space, often 40% of the area, with the key figure near eye level in the center.
Leaves white space. Margins of 2 to 3 cm and gaps between blocks make a poster easier to read than a full one.
Aligns everything to a grid. Uneven block edges are the most common sign of a rushed poster.

The usual blocks are title, introduction, objective, methods, results, conclusions, references and contact. Our research poster template gives two layouts to copy and a word and type budget per block.

Step 4: Write less text than you think

Aim for 500 to 800 words in total, not counting references. Practical rules:

Bullets and short sentences, not paragraphs of more than three or four lines.
Methods as a diagram where possible: a flow of participants, a study design, or a pipeline. How to make a PRISMA flow diagram shows one kind; how to draw a conceptual framework diagram shows another.
Results as figures, each with a one-line takeaway as its heading ("Short sleep predicted lower scores") rather than a label ("Figure 2").
Three to six references in a small font.
No abstract, unless the conference requires one. It repeats the poster.

Step 5: Make design choices that help reading

Element	Guide
Title	72 to 100 pt, bold, one or two lines
Section headings	40 to 60 pt
Body text	24 to 36 pt; nothing under about 24 pt except references
Fonts	One sans-serif family for everything, or a serif for body and sans-serif for headings
Colors	Two or three, plus black or dark gray for text; check contrast and color-blind safety
Figures	Made at final size, with axis labels at 24 pt or more
Logos	Small, in the banner; not competing with the title

Test readability by printing a part of the poster at 100% on A4 or letter paper and reading it from two meters away.

Step 6: Build it in PowerPoint

Open a blank presentation and delete the placeholders.
Go to Design, Slide Size, Custom Slide Size and set the width and height (for example, 48 by 36 inches, or 84.1 by 118.9 cm for A0 portrait). PowerPoint allows up to 56 inches on each side, so both fit.
Turn on guides (View, Guides) and set column guides with equal margins.
Add the title banner as a rectangle across the top, then text boxes for each block, aligned to the guides.
Insert figures as high-resolution images or, better, as vector files (SVG or EMF) so they stay sharp. Insert tables as tables, not screenshots.
Use Align and Distribute to line up blocks.
Export with File, Export, PDF, choosing the high-quality option, and check the PDF at 100% zoom.

Step 7: Or build it in LaTeX with tikzposter

tikzposter is a LaTeX class for posters. A minimal file:

\documentclass[25pt, a0paper, portrait]{tikzposter}
\title{Sleep Duration and Exam Performance in First-Year Students}
\author{A. Author, B. Author}
\institute{Department, University}
\usetheme{Simple}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\begin{columns}
  \column{0.5}
  \block{Introduction}{Three or four sentences on the problem and the gap.}
  \block{Methods}{Design, sample, measures, analysis.}
  \column{0.5}
  \block{Results}{\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{figure1.pdf}}
  \block{Conclusions}{Two or three bullet points.}
\end{columns}
\end{document}

Example (invented). Change a0paper and portrait for other sizes (tikzposter also supports a1paper and landscape; for 48 by 36 inches set the dimensions explicitly). Compile with pdfLaTeX or LuaLaTeX. Our template page has a fuller file with more blocks.

Step 8: Review and print

Ask one colleague outside the project to look at the poster for 30 seconds and tell you the main finding. If they cannot, simplify.
Proofread the title, author names and affiliations most carefully; they are the largest text and errors there are the most visible.
Test-print the whole poster scaled to A3 or tabloid, and one section at 100%.
Export a print-ready PDF with fonts embedded and images at least 150 to 300 dpi at final size.
Choose the material. Paper is cheaper and sharper; fabric folds into luggage and survives travel. Order a week or more ahead.
Bring pins or tape if the venue does not provide them, and a tube or folder.

Some conferences now ask for an e-poster or a PDF upload as well; check the format and deadline.

Step 9: Present it

Visitors usually stop for one to five minutes. Prepare:

A one-minute version: the question, how you studied it, the main finding, and why it matters, while pointing at the key figure.
A three-minute version that adds the methods and limitations, for visitors who stay.
Answers to the obvious questions: sample size, the main limitation, what you would do next.
A way to follow up: a QR code to the paper or slides, a handout, or cards with your email.

Stand beside the poster, not in front of it, and invite people in with a question ("Do you work on sleep?") rather than waiting.

Common mistakes

Too much text, often the abstract and full methods pasted in.
Starting at the wrong size and scaling at the end.
Low-resolution figures copied from a slide or PDF.
No clear reading order, so visitors do not know where to start.
A title that names the topic, not the finding or question.
Too many colors and fonts.
Printing late, with no time to fix an error.

Make a research poster in AI for Research

The Poster module in Slides (/slides?module=poster) builds a PowerPoint poster in the browser at A0 portrait, A1, or 48 by 36 inches landscape, and also gives you a tikzposter .tex file to download if you prefer LaTeX. It costs 3 credits. You place your own figures and adjust the layout before printing. The Free plan has 45 credits a month; see pricing.

It does not print the poster or choose your figures, and any text it drafts should be checked against your results. See the research poster maker page for details. If you also present the work as a talk, the research presentation maker builds a slide deck.

FAQ

What is the standard size for a research poster?

There is no single standard; the conference sets it. A0 portrait (841 by 1189 mm) is common at European meetings, and 48 by 36 inches landscape at many North American ones. A1 (594 by 841 mm) is used for smaller sessions. Check the presenter instructions for the board size and orientation before you start.

How long does it take to make a research poster?

Plan on two to four working days spread over a couple of weeks: a day to decide the message and write the text, a day or two to lay it out and make figures, and time for a colleague's review and a test print. Leave at least a week for professional printing, more if you order fabric.

What font size should I use on a research poster?

A common guide is 72 to 100 pt for the title, 40 to 60 pt for section headings and 24 to 36 pt for body text on an A0 or 48 by 36 inch poster. Nothing should be smaller than about 24 pt except references and figure credits. If the text does not fit at those sizes, cut text rather than shrink it.

Should I make my poster in PowerPoint or LaTeX?

Use the tool you already know. PowerPoint is quicker to lay out visually and easier for co-authors to edit. LaTeX, with a class such as tikzposter, keeps fonts and equations consistent and suits authors who already write papers in LaTeX. Both export a PDF that print shops accept.

What should I say when presenting a research poster?

Prepare a one-minute version and a three-minute version. Start with the question and the main finding, point to the key figure, and then let the visitor's questions decide what you explain next. Have a handout, a QR code to the paper, or business cards for people who want more.