Conference posters in LaTeX

Size and layout

Pick the real print size up front (A0 portrait is the classic) with a poster class like beamerposter or tikzposter, then sketch the layout in three columns on paper first. Changing size halfway means re-laying everything out.

Less text than you think

A poster is a conversation starter, not a paper on a wall: aim for under 300 words. Title, one-sentence result, methods in bullets, contact and QR code. Everything else lives in your head for the discussion the poster starts.

Figures carry the poster

One big result figure beats four small ones. Draw schemes with TikZ so fonts match the text, export plots at the final size (scaling a tiny PNG up is how posters get their blurry reputation), and test readability from two meters — that is the actual viewing distance.

Printing without surprises

Export PDF with embedded fonts and check the print shop proof on screen at 100 percent: hairlines vanish and light grays wash out on fabric. Send the file 48 hours early — the queue before a big conference eats same-day prints, and a cropped reprint costs more than the registration.

The poster is a prop

Nobody reads a poster top to bottom; visitors scan the result figure and ask one question. Prepare a thirty-second tour ending at that figure, and let details live in a QR-linked preprint. The best poster starts three conversations per hour — measure that, not compliments on the color scheme.