What Is a Poster?

A poster is very different from a paper or a talk, and so different techniques need to be used in its preparation. In particular, a poster is not a conference paper, and simply pinning a paper to a poster board usually makes a very poor poster.

A poster itself is a visual presentation comprising whatever the contributor wishes to display on the poster board. Usually, a poster is made up entirely of a single sheet (preferred) or sheets of paper. These are pinned or attached to the board.

The purpose of a poster is to outline a piece of work in a form that is easily assimilated and stimulates interest and discussion. The ultimate aim is a fruitful exchange of ideas between the presenter and the people reading the poster, but you should not be disappointed if readers do not stop to chat—a properly prepared poster will at least have given useful information and food for thought.

In preparing your poster, please note the following points:

• Poster boards will accommodate A0 size portrait posters: height 1189 mm (46.8 inches), width 841 mm (33.1 inches). Please ensure that your display will fit within these parameters. You are free to choose landscape or portrait orientation.
• Title should be in bold. Author’s affiliations and e-mail addresses for should be included.
• Text: a poster should be easily readable from a distance of 1 – 2 metres, and 1.5 or 2 lines of spaces should be used between each line. It is advised that authors should also pay attention to the following points:
• Headings should be 25% larger than normal text. Bold or other colours may be used.
• Suggested font sizes are (for the A0 format):

Main title: 78 pt (bold, upper case)
Author: 72 pt (bold, title case)
Affiliation(s): 48 pt (normal, title case)
Email address: 36 pt (bold)
Subheading: 36 pt (bold upper case)
Body of text: 24 pt (normal)
Smaller fonts may be used in citations and acknowledgement.

• The amount of text should be kept to a minimum, and each block of text should include no more than a few sentences.
• Visual impact is important and you are encouraged to include colour images and background..

 

When you arrive, please deposit your poster with the conference organizers at registration. Posters will be displayed on the day of poster presentation session and it is intended that they be put up the previous evening by the conference organizers.