The entire process of printing a poster, from exporting to printing to drying, takes roughly an hour. Please do not wait until the last minute to print your poster because there is always the possibility of technical difficulties. Reservations are not necessary — though during peak times, there may be a waiting list. Please be considerate of other users, and do not use the computers for personal use.

Construct your poster in your lab, home, office, et cetera using either Adobe InDesign or PowerPoint. The preferred software is Adobe InDesign — BIF staff does offer basic training in InDesign for poster design. (Contact BIF Staff for information and rates.)

We prefer to have users come into the facility themselves to print their posters. This allows the user to be present if there are any issues converting the poster to PDF. Users who send their poster to be printed by BIF staff are charged a per poster fee and are not guaranteed same day printing.

1. If you have never printed a poster at BIF before, download and read the BIF Poster Tips sheet.
2. Come to BIF between 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
3. Bring your poster as a .ppt or .indd file —if you’ve converted it to a .pdf already, be sure to check the page/document size and make sure it is correct (many convert to 8.5x11”).
4. At BIF, let Jamie or BIF staff know you are there to print a poster and whether you will need assistance.
5. Follow the step-by-step, illustrated instruction binders to convert your poster from a .ppt to a .pdf file. If at any time you have a question or are unsure of the instructions, please ask BIF personnel.
6. Once your poster is converted to a .pdf file, check it over to make sure everything is correct. If there are any conversion errors, BIF personnel is on hand for troubleshooting.
7. Follow the step-by-step, illustrated instructions (located in the same instruction binder as the conversion instructions) to set up your .pdf to print.
8. If the orientation and general look of your poster seems correct in the small preview window on the Print window, then click print to begin the process.
9. Your poster will take up to 5 minutes to process — most take about 2 minutes. After the printer has received and processed your file, it will begin to print.
10. Depending on how complicated your poster is — how many images or graphs you have, it should only take between 5 – 15 minutes for your poster to print. After it has finished printing, the poster will dry on the printer for 5 minutes before being cut free.
11. After your poster has been released from the printer, we recommend letting it dry for 10 more minutes before rolling it up and putting it into a tube.
12. Once the poster has dried, roll your poster with the image facing inward.
13. Be sure to fill out our billing form (located on the clipboard generally between the two computers) — make sure you fill this out completely and accurately. Accepted methods of payment are Chart String or check.
14. If you need assistance, just ask. BIF staff is available to help you with your poster.

Click here to download a copy of BIF's Poster Printing Procedure.

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Biological Imaging Facility | Hogan 5-150 & 5-120
2205 Tech Drive | Evanston, IL 60208 | 847.467.0374