1. Posters should always be designed using the standard UTMB Identity system guidelines. A complete guide to the Identity system can be found at The UTMB Identity System.

2. When designing a poster, avoid using yellow type unless it appears against a dark background color.

3. Tools are available in your design software to enlarge or reduce font sizes to properly fill spaces or to enhance headlines and sub-heads.

4. Keep messages short.

5. Artwork always enhances a poster. Use artwork from your files or pull a photo from our Photo Archives. Or you may contact us by e-mail and request the assistance of a graphic artist to create computerized artwork.

6. Colors can be used to catch the eye of the customer. If you need assistance from a professional to determine the proper color and where to use color, contact us by e-mail and ask for a Graphics specialist to contact you.

7. Poster sizes- Think about where the poster will be displayed and how it will be held in place. Is there a window in the background that may create a glare? Will it be attached to a poster board? Will it be against a colored background? These factors are very important in determining the size and design of your poster. Most events will provide you the dimensions of your available space.

The maximum size we can make a poster in one piece is 36” x 92”. The poster printer uses 36” wide rolls of paper and the longest poster we can work with is 92”.

Creating your own file
You can create your own file using one of several programs, and submit that file to us for processing.

The most commonly used program is MS PowerPoint but we can also work with files from:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Corel Draw
• Adobe Pagemaker
• MS Publisher

Tips on using PowerPoint
PowerPoint (PP) works well for producing large color posters, but it does have some limitations. The most crucial aspect of creating your own poster in PP is to make sure the page setup is done correctly before designing the poster. If you have to change the page setup after you have already placed text and images into the file, PP will resize and reshape all those elements to fit the new size, which will result in distortion of the elements within the presentation.

PP has a maximum page size of 56”x56”, therefore if you want a poster that is larger than 56” in either direction, you must use a proportionately reduced page setup, and we will enlarge your file for output to the desired size. The following is a table showing how to determine the proper page setup for a given size poster:

To create a poster: Page setup should be:
feet/inches custom page size

3x4’ / 36x48” 36” x 48”
3x5’ / 36x60” 34” x 56”
3x6’ / 36x72” 28” x 56”
3x7’ / 36x84” 24” x 56”
3x8’ / 36x92” 22” x 56”

To change your page setup in PowerPoint:
Click File, Page Setup.
Where it says “Slides sized for” choose “Custom”, then enter your page dimensions.

Submission of files
Files are accepted on disk, CD, and USB memory device in person at 1902 Harborside, or online. Please contact us by e-mail for assistance.