Choose an image file and decide how large you want your poster print to be. Keep in mind that the poster printer can print up to 24" by XX" -- with one dimensions being as large as you want it to be! Smaller printers are certainly possible as well, though keep in mind that you will need to cut your print out after it is done -- but we have tools for that!
Open PowerPoint. If you don't yet have PowerPoint installed, you can download PowerPoint (and other Microsoft Office programs) for free through ITS here.
First, we'll want to set up our workspace. Click on "Design" in menu bar across the top of your screen as shown below:
Next, click on the small arrow at the bottom right corner of the "Slide Size" button. This will open a dialogue menu, presenting us with three options: "Standard," "Widescreen," and "Custom Slide Size..."
Click on "Custom Slide Size..." as shown below:
Finally, we need to decide how large our poster will be. Remember that at least one of these two dimensions must be less than or equal to 24"
Voila! We now have a template to insert images into!
Next, we'll need to insert our image. You can copy and paste or insert your image from a file using the "Insert" option at the top of the page. Once you've added your image, it will look like this at first:
You'll next want to resize your image to fit the template we have carefully sized in Step 4. The easiest way is to click and drag at the bottom right corner of the image, but you can also manually type dimensions for the image in the "Height" and "Width" dialogue boxes at the top right of your screen, as shown below:
Almost done – all that’s left now is to export our poster out of PowerPoint as a PDF file that the Poster Printer can easily print at the dimensions we have defined in Step 4.
Voila! You're now ready to bring your poster to the library for printing, where a staff member will assist you in the final steps of the process.
