We can produce 600 dpi poster-sized prints, 48" high x virtually any width, with an Encad NovaJet Pro 600e printer. You can create your own poster in one of the applications listed below or we can create it for you (either entirely or using your scans, graphs, etc).

FULL DESIGN & PRINT
• Submit on diskette or Zip disk:
—Text (in Word, SimpleText, PowerPoint, or QuarkXpress)
— Scanned images saved as 300 dpi JPEG files (or we can make scans for you)
— Graphs, diagrams, tables, etc. as ideas, rough sketches, PowerPoint files, Xcell files, or 300 dpi JPEGs
• Hard copy of text
• Dimensions of space allotment at meeting
• Any preferred color combinations

PRINT ONLY
The following instructions should be followed carefully:
Please call two weeks before submitting your work to inform us of your deadline and to discuss your particular requirements. This is extremely important for first-time users of the service and helps avoid last-minute problems. Bring us your file(s) on a diskette or 100 MB/250 MB Zip disk and we’ll print a small proof for your approval. After approval we ask for two days to print the large format version.

Depending upon your space allotment, the application you use, and your document’s dimensions, we’ll print your file at an appropriate, approved percentage (usually 100% - 250%). Please bear in mind that you’re not required to fill the alloted space, i.e., if your presentation is brief, it’s inadvisable to greatly enlarge it simply to fill your space.

Applications
We accept files created in QuarkXpress, PowerPoint, and Illustrator.

Font sizes
For posters measuring between 3-4 feet x 5-8 feet, the following final sizes, which are merely guidelines, have proven very satisfactory. Your choice of font size will thus depend upon what percent enlargement (if any) your file will undergo.

Title: 90-120 pt, bold
Authors: 70-80 pt, plain
Affiliation(s): 50-60 pt, plain
Headings: 50-60 pt, bold
Body text: 36-48 pt, plain
Footnotes: 18-24 pt plain (anything smaller is difficult to read at normal viewing distance)
References

Font types
Non-serif fonts are easier to read than seriph fonts. If you are working in PowerPoint, use only Arial (non-seriph), Times New Roman (seriph), common bullets and symbols.

Images
For QuarkXpress and PowerPoint, all pictorial elements (scans, graphs, diagrams), unless created within the native application itself, should be copy / pasted as JPEGs, an easily-generated, trouble-free, cross-platform file type. If you expect your JPEGs to be printed at greater than 100%, they should be saved at 300 dpi.

PowerPoint 98-2001 Set Up
Under File, go to Slide Setup or Page Setup (depends which version you use) where you'll see the default (On-screen Show). At the bottom of the pull-down menu, choose Custom, and enter your dimensions. To reduce file size, you can set up your document at half its final dimensions; we'll then print it at 200%.

While slides are best viewed as light / bright data on a dark background, posters are just the opposite. A white, neutral, or pastel, non-patterned background with highly contrasting (dark, richly colored) text and graphics is much easier to read, and won't visually compete with your data.
Treat your document as a huge slide, i.e., make separate text boxes for the title, headings, and each block / column of words. A poster is more easily read top-to-bottom in several columns, rather than side-to-side across its entire width. If you're using material previously designed for a slide presentation, we strongly advise against simply copy / pasting each slide into your poster. You'll end up with an array of letter-sized components which might as well be printed on letter-sized paper, which defeats the purpose of large format printing. Instead, select / copy / paste the old text (not the text box) into a new text box in your poster. This way, it's free of slide-format constraints and can be completely edited (size, style, color, spacing, background, etc). If you've even the slightest uncertainty about document set-up or design, please call us for more detailed instruction; it only takes a few minutes and could spare you time, expense, and anxiety.

Time is often of the essence in poster printing, and competiton for our service can be quite keen, especially for big meetings. In order to accommodate as many clients as possible, ensure perfect results, and comfortably meet everyone's deadlines, we encourage you to submit your work early and to ask lots of questions.