Poster Printing Instructions

How do I print a poster?

Follow the instructions below. Laminated copies are available in the Media Commons itself, and electronic pdfs with screenshots are available for download at the bottom of this page.

1. Download your pdf and open it in the Preview application. Locate your download, right click, and select Open With > Preview
2. Send your file to the large format printer using the 48x35 inch paper size. Click File > Print... In the Printer drop-down menu, select option B) Print Standard Large Format Poster In the Paper Size drop-down menu, select Standard Poster 48x35 Ensure scale to fit is selected, and that scale reads at 110% or below. Scaling above 110% may yeild pixelated images. If you created your poster at the appropriate size (48x35 inches) this will not be a problem. Click Print. You will be prompted with two pop-up messages. One asks to confirm that your project is for curricular purposes, and the second will notify you that your print has been held in a queue. Read and click through both messages.
3. Release your print job from the computer station in the adjoining printer room. Unlike other printers on campus, you cannot swipe your OneCard to release a print. You must sign in to the print release station on top of the filing cabinets using your normal Swarthmore credentials. You will then see the option to print your file.

Additional Notes - Posters that do not adhere to the 48x35 standard

If your poster is reasonably close to standard size, consider following directions on the opposite side of this document as they are written. Excess paper from smaller posters can be trimmed using the large paper cutter in this room, and larger posters can be scaled down to 48x35 without distortion.

If you need to print a poster that is significantly smaller or larger than the 48x35 standard, please use the tips below to easily modify instructions on the opposite side of this document. You may also ask one of our student consultants for assistance.

Undersized Posters: Complete step 1. Complete step 2 as written, but modify it by selecting

"Manage Custom Sizes" at the very bottom of the Paper Size drop-down menu. When prompted, edit the "Custom Poster" size according to your needs. Please do NOT edit the Standard Poster 48x35 preset.

Oversized Posters: Complete step 1. In step 2, select option C) Print Oversized Large Format Poster.

Further modify step 2 by selecting "Manage Custom Sizes" at the very bottom of the Paper Size drop-down menu. When prompted, edit the "Custom Poster" size according to your needs. One dimension must be 43" or less. It can be either dimension; the other can be larger.

Please do NOT edit the Standard Poster 48x35 preset.

Please ask the person on duty to load a 44-inch roll of paper into the printer.

Common Troubleshooting Steps

• Problem: Poster is too small or pixelated Solution: Check page setup dimensions in your original document and in your pdf. Adjust the original document as needed and confirm the PDF has retained the correct dimensions on export.
• Problem: Poster will not show up in release station Solution: Confirm these laminated directions were followed precisely. If yes, and if problem persists, try printing from a different computer.

• 
  instructions for printing large format posters from preview - page 1
• 
  instructions for printing large format posters from preview - page 2

What should the dimensions of my poster be?

Most posters are 35”x48” (Sigma Psi), but some are larger (35” x 60” or even bigger).  You always need to make sure that your print size is 1" smaller than the width of the paper roll you intend to use.  So for a 44" roll, you should set that dimension to 43" or less, for the 36" roll, set it to 35" or less, but zero the margins in your page setup so you can use all of the space you have. The print processing system will automatically rotate your image to use the least paper possible.  Feel free to check with a Creative Media Commons Consultant (student employee) if you're worried about how something will print out.

Can I print personal work?

Printing personal work is not permitted.  You may print anything that is for a curricular purpose.

How do I design a good poster?

Take one of Doug Willen's workshops and read Colin Purrington’s blog post on poster design.

What software should I use for creating a poster?

We recommend Adobe InDesign.  It's specifically designed as a page layout tool for manipulating (primarily) text.  Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop are ok.  InDesign is better for text-heavy posters.  Illustrator is better for scalable graphic posters and Photoshop is best for photographic works. Though possible to use PowerPoint or Google Slides, we recommend against doing so -- those programs are for projected presentations and are very limited for poster work.