Poster Making in Powerpoint

1.  Start PowerPoint:  In the "Home" tab (default) section, select the Layout option, and choose Blank.

 2. Set the Size of Your Poster: Click on the "Design" tab at the top of the screen, then click the "Page Setup" icon on the far left.

  A Page Setup screen will appear. In the Slides sized for option, choose Custom.

Type in the actual size of poster's Width and the Height (in this 

case, 56 x 35. Choose Portrait for Slides and Notes. Leave 1 for 

number of slides. Click OK. Note: You must do this first before 

you begin creating the poster! Failure to do so may result in a 

poster that is not printable, or not printed at the size you need.

3. Adding Text: Create a text box for the title by clicking 

on the "Text Box" icon in the "Insert" tab. Click or click-and-

drag to where you want the text box to be. (You should see the 

rectangular shape of the Text Box.) Type in your text. The box 

will grow automatically as you type.

 4. Text Format: As with many programs, you can change 

the font style and its size by highlighting the text to be changed 

and then making the changes within the “Home” tab. A 100-

point font is about an inch high. If you don't see the size you 

want in the selection list, you can enter it in by hand. To move a 

Text Box, position your pointer over a part of the edge of the box 

that is not a handle. The pointer should become shaped like a 

plus sign with arrows. Click and drag the Text Box to the desired 

position. You can change the color of the text, the line style, and 

the fill (among other things) with the options in the "Home" tab. 

Make a separate text box for each new section of text. Each new 

text box will include a portion of text that you will want to be 

able to move independently.

5. Zoom: You can control the zoom amount by clicking on 

the "Zoom" icon in the "View" tab or by using the zoom scroll 

bar found in the bottom left of the window. The zoom tool is 

useful when you need to zoom in on specific areas, such as text 

boxes, as well as when you want to zoom out to see the entire 

poster. 

6. Adding images: The two ways to add images are with 

Insert/Picture and with Copy and Paste. The Insert/Picture is the 

most common way of adding graphics to a PowerPoint 

document. If you have a file that is in one of several standard 

graphic formats (like JPEG or GIF), use the "Insert" tab and click 

the "Picture" icon to select your file.

 The image will appear on your document with handles. Use one 

of the corner handles to re-size it. (The corner handles will keep 

the same aspect ratio; the side handles will not.) Click and drag 

in the middle of the graphic to move it. A Picture tools tab 

automatically shows up when you insert the picture. You can edit 

the picture by clicking the icons for the numerous options in this 

tab.

7. Backgrounds: You can select a background by clicking 

the "Background Styles" icon in the "Design" tab. Click on the 

Format Background option within the dropdown menu and you 

can choose from even more color choices. If you choose Fill 

effects, you have a choice of tabs and one is Gradient. A gradient 

background is a smooth transition from one color to another. The 

best gradients are very dark or very light so text can easily be 

read on top of it. If you want a picture background click on the 

Picture tab, then Select Picture to browse to your file. Be careful 

of using a very large image – large files can be cumbersome to 

work with.

Alternatively, you can use a combination of shapes and images 

for your background. In order to keep your audience engaged in 

the actual content of your poster, you may consider using colors 

for your shapes and images that match your presentation colors. 

If you choose to use UF colors, you can use the attached chart 

for reference, using the RGB values.

8. Lines, Boxes, Arrows: Click the "Shapes" icon in the 

"Insert" tab to make ovals, boxes, lines, arrows, etc. Click the 

shape you want and then click the area you where you want it to 

appear in your document.

 When you have inserted one of these, you can change it (when it 

is selected) with the "Drawing Tools" tab that automatically 

appears with "Format" options.

9. Margins: Leave at least a 1-inch margin around the edges 

of the poster to prevent cropping and to increase readability. To 

display the ruler, go to the View Tab and select Ruler. This 

allows you to see if you have exceeded the 1-inch margin.

10. Save your Poster: When you have completed your 

poster in PowerPoint, click on the Microsoft Office Button in the 

far upper left and choose Save As, then PowerPoint Presentation. 

At the bottom left of the next dialog box you will see a button 

called "Tools". Click that and a drop down box should show up. 

One of the choices will be "Save Options." Select that and you'll 

see a check box that says "Embed fonts in the file." Make sure 

this is checked, click OK, and then name and Save your file.