Large Format Poster Common Issues and Problems
Multimedia Presentation Center (MPC)
Printing Appointments
It is very important to contact the MPC staff early to reserve time for printing. Printing appointments are required. There is often much competition for resources (workstations, support staff, large format printers, etc) at the end of the semester and we want to ensure that everyone has access to the resources that they need to complete their assignments.
25% o students did not attend the workshop scheduled for their course.
20% o appointments are rescheduled, cancelled, or no shows.
20-25% o students are late or unprepared, causing appointments to run over 1-hr.
File Formats
We recommend that any images placed in the poster are JPEG, TIFF, PDF, GIF or PNG file formats to avoid printing and compatibility problems.
Authoring Software
We have standardized on Microsoft PowerPoint as the layout tool for creating large format posters. While it is possible to create the poster on a Windows computer we recommend that the poster is opened and checked on a Mac BEFORE the scheduled printing appointment to ensure there are no changes in color and formatting. We DO NOT recommend that you create the poster using Open Office on a Linux computer.
We recommend that you avoid creating posters with Microsoft Office 2003 or 2004. If you do use Office 2003 or2004 to create your poster, it is likely there will be formatting and printing issues. The newest versions of Office (2007 on Windows & 2008 on Mac) are available in all ITS computer labs on campus.
If you plan on using an application other than PowerPoint to create the poster it is important to speak with a MPC professional staff member ahead of time to avoid compatibility and printing problems.
Image Resolution
Because the posters are printed at such a large scale the quality of the image that is placed into the poster is important. Often images that are grabbed from Google searches do not have a high enough resolution for print reproduction and can appear very pixelated and/or blurry when printed. It is usually best to scan images from books, take digital photos or speak with a reference librarian about high-quality image databases.
Large Format Poster Support Models
Multimedia Presentation Center (MPC)
We have several support models available for large format poster assignments in courses. Faculty can work with instructional technologist to find the model and process that best suits their needs and assignment goals.
Model A
Large Format (34x44) posters for assignments including visual literacy learning goals.
Faculty member is offered a coordinated support meeting with members of HILLgroup to plan project and timeline.
Faculty member works through poster authoring process and project assigned to students.
Faculty member is offered the following planned support from ITS:
Workshop on visual literacy and design.
Workshop or authoring lab on PowerPoint (PPT) for Large Format Printing (LFP).
Open lab for scanning images.
Open lab for proofing posters.
Printing appointments for students.
Model B
Large Format (34x44) posters based on a clearly defined outcome – science posters, templates, etc.
Faculty member is offered a coordinated support meeting with members of HILLgroup to plan project and timeline.
Faculty member is offered the following planned support from ITS:
Workshop or authoring lab on PowerPoint (PPT) for Large Format Printing (LFP).
Open lab for scanning images.
Open lab for proofing posters.
Printing appointments for students.
Model C
Tiles or small posters (11x17). Tiles may work well for groups working on a poster if each person in the group is responsible for a tile and also for coordinating their work with others submitting tiles to the group.
Faculty member is offered a coordinated support meeting with members of HILLgroup to plan project and timeline.
Faculty member is offered the following planned support from ITS:
Workshop or authoring lab on PowerPoint (PPT) for Large Format Printing (LFP).
Open lab for scanning images.
Open lab for final printing.
Model D
Large Format (34x44) posters printed by Instructional Technology Support Services Team (ITSST) staff but students are trained on authoring by their faculty member. The faculty member sends ITSST burned CDs of the student’s final posters in PDF format.
Faculty member will meet with ITSST professional staff and work through the process of poster creation in large format posters. This step can be waived if the faculty member has been through the entire process with us in the past year. In this step, we will provide information on our procedures, available printing dates, and “how to” documents to be distributed to their students. We will establish a timeline for printing posters for their course. The final product of this step will be a written agreement recording the production timeline for the course, and the number of posters to be printed.
A CD of final PDFs will be delivered to ITSST for printing. No printing or proofing appointments will be scheduled. ITSST will not reprint or troubleshoot files if errors occur.
Model E
We will research outsourcing options.
Definition of Planned Support "Events"
Workshop on Visual Literacy and Design
This is an interactive workshop on graphic design principles in terms of visual literacy and communication in the medium of a large format poster. Students get tips on ways to present their research so that their posters reflect scholarly effort, and visual communication design and are aesthetically pleasing. The workshop covers the use of color, images, graphs, text, etc. in a poster project. (1.5 hrs)
Workshop on PowerPoint for Large Format Printing
Students learn how to setup and author a poster in Microsoft PowerPoint. This workshop focuses particularly on the special considerations and differences in using PowerPoint to create a poster as opposed to a slide show. (1 hr)
Authoring Lab on PowerPoint for Large Format Printing
An authoring lab can be offered in place of a workshop (see above) as a time for students to ask questions of the Instructional Technology Support Services Team (ITSST) staff, their faculty member and their reference liaison. Since the goal in these sessions is to have the students leave with a draft of their final poster, they are only effective if most of the students in a particular course have already researched their topics, drafted the text components of their poster and begun selection of the types of graphics they wish to use. These labs are dependent upon the faculty member being present to help guide the students and answer discipline based authoring questions. (1.5-2 hrs)
Open Lab for Scanning Images
These open labs are selected blocks of time when students can come in to the MPC and receive 1-on-1 assistance in scanning images for their poster. The scanning labs focus on proper image size, resolution, scanning settings and basic editing. (2-3hrs)
Open Lab for Proofing Posters
These open labs are selected blocks of time when students can come in to the MPC and receive an 11"x17" proof of their final poster. Proofing labs generally occur one week prior to the assignment due date. This gives the students an opportunity to make corrections and consult with their professor before the final printing appointment. (2-3 hrs)
Printing Appointments for Students
One hour time slots for printing appointments are scheduled for the students to print the final copies of their posters. Students are expected to arrive at the appointment on time, with a completed PowerPoint file, saved to their SSS account. At the appointment, an ITS staff member will convert the PPT file to a PDF and print an 11"x17" proof of the poster. Once the student has approved the proof, the staff member will print the final large format poster. (1-hr/student or group)
Large Format Posters
Multimedia Presentation Center (MPC)
The process of developing a poster presentation requires careful planning and coordination with the MPC's Professional Support team or the HILLgroup. Courses in which all enrolled students will be expected to create a poster require advanced notice and can include instruction from a memebr of ITSST, ITS's Training Coordinator and/or Reference Librarians.
On average, 350 students create posters through the MPC during the academic year.
Appointments are required to gain access to the large format printers in the MPC.
Faculty should contact a professional staff member early in the semester or prior to the start of the semester if they are thinking about such assignments.
We will accept requests for support until our resources are fully committed or we reach a point in the semester when our timeline for support can no longer be executed.
Detailed information on large format printing policies, procedures, processes and workflow can be found in the links below.
General Policies and Procedures
Models of Support
Common Issues and Problems
Example Project Timeline
Large Format Poster Documentation
Large Format Poster Printing Appointment Request Form
Please direct any questions or inquiries about large format posters to the MPC professional staff. mpc@hamilton.edu, x5MPC (5672)
Large Format Posters General Policies and Procedures
Multimedia Presentation Center (MPC)
Poster Presentations/Large Format Printing
Hamilton's Multimedia Presentation Center (MPC) offers support for large format poster presentations for academic and scholarly use. Poster presentations are an effective way for students in all disciplines to demonstrate their knowledge using both traditional and visual elements. Faculty and students alike frequently use large format posters to present research at professional meetings and conferences. As instructional tools, posters can be used to present complex data in visual form.
The process of developing a pedagogically sound poster presentation requires careful planning and coordination with the MPC's Professional Support team and/or the HILLgroup. Courses in which all enrolled students will be expected to create a poster require advanced notice and include instruction from a member of ITSS, ITS's Training Coordinator and/or Reference Librarians. Additionally, appointments are required for the final print using the MPC's equipment. Posters authored by faculty for classroom teaching aides and professional presentations usually require a 1-2 week notice to schedule an appointment. Additional time may be necessary if layout consultation and instruction are required.
We also offer full support for Microsoft PowerPoint, the preferred authoring tool for poster presentations, Adobe Photoshop for presentations with a heavy artistic focus and limited support for Adobe InDesign. Although the MPC doesn't support large format printing for advertisement, announcements or personal use, we can act as a liaison between you and an outside printing vendor to ensure your needs are adequately met.
Detailed documentation on large format printing policies and procedures can be found in the ITS Documentation System. Coordinated support timelines are also available to provide a visual representation of the poster assignment development process for an entire course.
For questions or inquiries about poster presentations or large format printing, please contact the MPC.
Large Format Poster Common Issues and Problems
Posters
Printing Appointments
It is very important to contact the MPC staff early to reserve time for printing. Printing appointments are required. There is often much competition for resources (workstations, support staff, large format printers, etc) at the end of the semester and we want to ensure that everyone has access to the resources that they need to complete their assignments.
25% o students did not attend the workshop scheduled for their course.
20% o appointments are rescheduled, cancelled, or no shows.
20-25% o students are late or unprepared, causing appointments to run over 1-hr.
File Formats
We recommend that any images placed in the poster are JPEG, TIFF, PDF, GIF or PNG file formats to avoid printing and compatibility problems.
Authoring Software
We have standardized on Microsoft PowerPoint as the layout tool for creating large format posters. While it is possible to create the poster on a Windows computer we recommend that the poster is opened and checked on a Mac BEFORE the scheduled printing appointment to ensure there are no changes in color and formatting. We DO NOT recommend that you create the poster using Open Office on a Linux computer.
We recommend that you avoid creating posters with Microsoft Office 2003 or 2004. If you do use Office 2003 or2004 to create your poster, it is likely there will be formatting and printing issues. The newest versions of Office (2007 on Windows & 2008 on Mac) are available in all ITS computer labs on campus.
If you plan on using an application other than PowerPoint to create the poster it is important to speak with a MPC professional staff member ahead of time to avoid compatibility and printing problems.
Image Resolution
Because the posters are printed at such a large scale the quality of the image that is placed into the poster is important. Often images that are grabbed from Google searches do not have a high enough resolution for print reproduction and can appear very pixelated and/or blurry when printed. It is usually best to scan images from books, take digital photos or speak with a reference librarian about high-quality image databases.
Large Format Poster Support Models
Posters
We have several support models available for large format poster assignments in courses. Faculty can work with instructional technologist to find the model and process that best suits their needs and assignment goals.
Model A
Large Format (34x44) posters for assignments including visual literacy learning goals.
Faculty member is offered a coordinated support meeting with members of HILLgroup to plan project and timeline.
Faculty member works through poster authoring process and project assigned to students.
Faculty member is offered the following planned support from ITS:
Workshop on visual literacy and design.
Workshop or authoring lab on PowerPoint (PPT) for Large Format Printing (LFP).
Open lab for scanning images.
Open lab for proofing posters.
Printing appointments for students.
Model B
Large Format (34x44) posters based on a clearly defined outcome – science posters, templates, etc.
Faculty member is offered a coordinated support meeting with members of HILLgroup to plan project and timeline.
Faculty member is offered the following planned support from ITS:
Workshop or authoring lab on PowerPoint (PPT) for Large Format Printing (LFP).
Open lab for scanning images.
Open lab for proofing posters.
Printing appointments for students.
Model C
Tiles or small posters (11x17). Tiles may work well for groups working on a poster if each person in the group is responsible for a tile and also for coordinating their work with others submitting tiles to the group.
Faculty member is offered a coordinated support meeting with members of HILLgroup to plan project and timeline.
Faculty member is offered the following planned support from ITS:
Workshop or authoring lab on PowerPoint (PPT) for Large Format Printing (LFP).
Open lab for scanning images.
Open lab for final printing.
Model D
Large Format (34x44) posters printed by Instructional Technology Support Services Team (ITSST) staff but students are trained on authoring by their faculty member. The faculty member sends ITSST burned CDs of the student’s final posters in PDF format.
Faculty member will meet with ITSST professional staff and work through the process of poster creation in large format posters. This step can be waived if the faculty member has been through the entire process with us in the past year. In this step, we will provide information on our procedures, available printing dates, and “how to” documents to be distributed to their students. We will establish a timeline for printing posters for their course. The final product of this step will be a written agreement recording the production timeline for the course, and the number of posters to be printed.
A CD of final PDFs will be delivered to ITSST for printing. No printing or proofing appointments will be scheduled. ITSST will not reprint or troubleshoot files if errors occur.
Model E
We will research outsourcing options.
Definition of Planned Support "Events"
Workshop on Visual Literacy and Design
This is an interactive workshop on graphic design principles in terms of visual literacy and communication in the medium of a large format poster. Students get tips on ways to present their research so that their posters reflect scholarly effort, and visual communication design and are aesthetically pleasing. The workshop covers the use of color, images, graphs, text, etc. in a poster project. (1.5 hrs)
Workshop on PowerPoint for Large Format Printing
Students learn how to setup and author a poster in Microsoft PowerPoint. This workshop focuses particularly on the special considerations and differences in using PowerPoint to create a poster as opposed to a slide show. (1 hr)
Authoring Lab on PowerPoint for Large Format Printing
An authoring lab can be offered in place of a workshop (see above) as a time for students to ask questions of the Instructional Technology Support Services Team (ITSST) staff, their faculty member and their reference liaison. Since the goal in these sessions is to have the students leave with a draft of their final poster, they are only effective if most of the students in a particular course have already researched their topics, drafted the text components of their poster and begun selection of the types of graphics they wish to use. These labs are dependent upon the faculty member being present to help guide the students and answer discipline based authoring questions. (1.5-2 hrs)
Open Lab for Scanning Images
These open labs are selected blocks of time when students can come in to the MPC and receive 1-on-1 assistance in scanning images for their poster. The scanning labs focus on proper image size, resolution, scanning settings and basic editing. (2-3hrs)
Open Lab for Proofing Posters
These open labs are selected blocks of time when students can come in to the MPC and receive an 11"x17" proof of their final poster. Proofing labs generally occur one week prior to the assignment due date. This gives the students an opportunity to make corrections and consult with their professor before the final printing appointment. (2-3 hrs)
Printing Appointments for Students
One hour time slots for printing appointments are scheduled for the students to print the final copies of their posters. Students are expected to arrive at the appointment on time, with a completed PowerPoint file, saved to their SSS account. At the appointment, an ITS staff member will convert the PPT file to a PDF and print an 11"x17" proof of the poster. Once the student has approved the proof, the staff member will print the final large format poster. (1-hr/student or group)
Large Format Posters
Posters
The process of developing a poster presentation requires careful planning and coordination with the MPC's Professional Support team or the HILLgroup. Courses in which all enrolled students will be expected to create a poster require advanced notice and can include instruction from a memebr of ITSST, ITS's Training Coordinator and/or Reference Librarians.
On average, 350 students create posters through the MPC during the academic year.
Appointments are required to gain access to the large format printers in the MPC.
Faculty should contact a professional staff member early in the semester or prior to the start of the semester if they are thinking about such assignments.
We will accept requests for support until our resources are fully committed or we reach a point in the semester when our timeline for support can no longer be executed.
Detailed information on large format printing policies, procedures, processes and workflow can be found in the links below.
General Policies and Procedures
Models of Support
Common Issues and Problems
Example Project Timeline
Large Format Poster Documentation
Large Format Poster Printing Appointment Request Form
Please direct any questions or inquiries about large format posters to the MPC professional staff. mpc@hamilton.edu, x5MPC (5672)
Large Format Posters General Policies and Procedures
Posters
Poster Presentations/Large Format Printing
Hamilton's Multimedia Presentation Center (MPC) offers support for large format poster presentations for academic and scholarly use. Poster presentations are an effective way for students in all disciplines to demonstrate their knowledge using both traditional and visual elements. Faculty and students alike frequently use large format posters to present research at professional meetings and conferences. As instructional tools, posters can be used to present complex data in visual form.
The process of developing a pedagogically sound poster presentation requires careful planning and coordination with the MPC's Professional Support team and/or the HILLgroup. Courses in which all enrolled students will be expected to create a poster require advanced notice and include instruction from a member of ITSS, ITS's Training Coordinator and/or Reference Librarians. Additionally, appointments are required for the final print using the MPC's equipment. Posters authored by faculty for classroom teaching aides and professional presentations usually require a 1-2 week notice to schedule an appointment. Additional time may be necessary if layout consultation and instruction are required.
We also offer full support for Microsoft PowerPoint, the preferred authoring tool for poster presentations, Adobe Photoshop for presentations with a heavy artistic focus and limited support for Adobe InDesign. Although the MPC doesn't support large format printing for advertisement, announcements or personal use, we can act as a liaison between you and an outside printing vendor to ensure your needs are adequately met.
Detailed documentation on large format printing policies and procedures can be found in the ITS Documentation System. Coordinated support timelines are also available to provide a visual representation of the poster assignment development process for an entire course.
For questions or inquiries about poster presentations or large format printing, please contact the MPC.
