Step by Step Instructions on How to Make a Poster Using PowerPoint 2007

(adapted from http://faculty.washington.edu/robinet/poster.html)

1. Start PowerPoint: Make a New presentation – a blank one. A blank slide (new presentation) should appear when you first start PowerPoint from the programs menu. If it does not, select "New" from the main submenu, which is located from the icon in the upper-left corner of the program window. Click on the "Layout" drop-down menu located to the left of the "Home" tab, and choose a blank format (no title or other elements).
2. Choose the size of your poste. Open the "Design" tab, then click on the "Page setup" icon. In the window that appears, slect "custom" under "Slides sized for:" with a width of 48" and height of 36".
3. In order to add text, the text needs a "container" – a Text Box. Two ways to make a text box:
   • Open the "Insert" tab, and select "Text Box" or click on the text box tool (it looks like a mini page with an "A" in the upper-left part of it).
   • Click or click-and-drag where you want the text to be. After this second step, you should see the rectangular shape of the Text Box. You can re-size it at any time by dragging one of the little square "handles". The box will also grow automatically as you type (if it needs to).
     You should make a separate Text Box for each separate piece of text. "Separate text" means a portion of text that you want to be able to move independently from the others.
4. You can change the font and size by highlighting the text to be changed and then alterning the font size in the "Home" tab. If you don't see the font size you want in the selection list, enter it in by hand.
5. To move a Text Box, position your pointer over a part of the edge of the box that is not a handle until the pointer becomes shaped like a plus sign with arrows. Click and drag the Text Box..
6. You can change many text features using the Format menu/Text Box.
7. Adding images: The two ways to add images are:
   • Insert tab/Picture: This is the most common way of adding graphics to a PowerPoint document. You will need to have a file saved. You should use "jpg" format or the file size of you poster will become too large. 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. You can do many other things to an image (including cropping, changing brightness or resolution, and resetting it to how it was originally brought in) under Format/Picture.
   • Copy and Paste: Use this if you have something like an Excel graph you want to add to your document. Generally avoid this method if you can – Copy and Paste will often only give you a low-resolution copy of a graphic.
8. Background: You can select a background under the Format menu/Background. If you want a picture background, right click on the slide and select "format background." You can then select a picture file. Also, you can select a solid color. Be careful of using too big of an image – large files can become cumbersome to work with.
9. Lines, Boxes, Arrows: There are many other things that PowerPoint can do. Under the "Insert" tab are tools to make ovals, boxes, lines, arrows, etc. When you have made one of these, you can change it (when it is selected) with the Format menu/Colors and Lines.
10. Zoom: You can control the zoom amount by clicking on the zoom choice box (if visible), or using the View menu/Zoom.
11. Printing: Before printing a full size draft, you can print a small version by selecting “fit to paper” under printing options (choose Microsoft Powerpoint options).