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How can I create an A1 poster in PowerPoint?

To create an A1 poster in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

• Open PowerPoint and go to the “Design” tab.
• Click on “Slide Size” and select “Custom Slide Size.”
• In the “Slide Size” dialog box, enter the dimensions for an A1 poster (594mm x 841mm) and click “OK.”
• Your PowerPoint slide will now be resized to the A1 poster dimensions.
• Design your poster by adding text, images, and other elements to the slide.
• To print the poster, go to the “File” tab and select “Print.”
• In the print settings, choose the desired printer and adjust any other settings as needed.
• Click “Print” to generate your A1 poster.

By following these steps, you can easily create an A1 poster in PowerPoint for your presentation needs.

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Change the size of your slides

Basic steps.

To change the slide size:

Select the Design tab of the toolbar ribbon.

Select Standard (4:3 aspect ratio) or Widescreen (16:9) or Custom Slide Size .

For more about the predefined sizes (including formats like Overhead, A3, A4, Banner, B4, and B5) or your own custom sizing, click a heading below to expand it and see the details .

Detailed steps

Choose the standard or widescreen slide size.

On the Design tab of the Ribbon, locate Slide Size in the Customize group, near the far right end of the toolbar.

Select Slide Size , and then select either Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9) .

When PowerPoint is unable to automatically scale your content, it prompts you with two options:

Maximize : Select this option to increase the size of your slide content when you are scaling to a larger slide size. Choosing this option could result in your content not fitting on the slide.

Ensure Fit : Select this option to decrease the size of your content when scaling to a smaller slide size. This could make your content appear smaller, but you’ll be able to see all content on your slide.

The 16:9 widescreen setting is the default value for new presentations you create. When you change the slide size for a presentation, the size you choose only applies to that presentation.  However, you can make it easy to create a new 4:3 presentation for yourself whenever you want—by defining a custom theme that uses the 4:3 aspect ratio. See the section below named "Make a default size to start from when creating new presentations."

Choose another size, such as A3, B4, or Overhead

Select Slide Size , and then select Custom Slide Size .

In the Slide Size box, click the down arrow next to Slides sized for and select an option. Their dimensions are listed below:

Overhead provides an aspect ratio very close to the standard 4:3 slide size.

There are two options for 16:9 aspect ratios:

On-screen Show (16:9) sets the slide dimensions to 10 in x 5.625 in.

Widescreen sets it to 13.333 in x 7.5 in.

Both of these options are the same aspect ratio so they will look the same in Normal View , since PowerPoint automatically adjusts the zoom level. Widescreen (13.333 in x 7.5 in.) provides more slide surface area for the content, so that is the best choice for presentations. Widescreen won’t fit on an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper without you having to scale it down.

Select OK to accept the dimensions and close the Slide Size dialog box.

Choose custom dimensions (in inches, centimeters, or pixels)

The Slide Size dialog box opens.

In the Slide Size dialog box, ensure the orientation is set the way you want it.

In the Height and Width boxes, PowerPoint accepts measurements in inches , centimeters , or pixels . Type a number followed by a space and then the appropriate abbreviation: in , cm , or px .

PowerPoint then converts measurements, if necessary, to the type of unit your operating system uses.

You can change the unit of measure that is shown in PowerPoint dialog boxes if you like.

Make a default size to start from when creating new presentations

This version of PowerPoint has a default size of 16:9 for new presentation, but you can create a different default for yourself.

Start PowerPoint.

On the File tab of the toolbar ribbon, select New . Then double-click the Blank Presentation to create a new, empty presentation.

Then on the Design tab, click Slide Size and choose the size you want for a default.

(If you want a different default slide size than what's listed there, select Custom Slide Size and then choose your size in the Slide Size dialog box, and then click OK .)

Select Save Current Theme .

Give your theme a name that you'll remember easily and click Save . Don't change the folder that the new theme is to be saved in.

On the Design tab, click the More arrow again in the bottom-right corner of the Themes group. You'll see your newly saved theme under a Custom heading.

Right-click that new custom theme under the Custom heading, and then select Set as Default Theme :

Close PowerPoint. Don't save any files if it prompts you.

Open PowerPoint again. On the File tab of the toolbar ribbon, select New .

The custom theme that you just saved is listed at the top left corner, named Default Theme . The thumbnail image looks like a widescreen slide, but in reality, when you create a new presentation based on that theme, the presentation has the aspect ratio that you've defined for this default theme.

The next time you open PowerPoint, you'll see your default theme in the upper-left of the theme gallery. When you select it, all the slides will be the custom size you chose by default.

Sizing applies to all slides in a presentation

PowerPoint isn't able to resize one slide within a presentation. All slides in a presentation are the same size.

If this is a feature you’d like to request, please send us your feedback to help us prioritize new features in future updates. See  How do I give feedback on Microsoft 365  for more information.

Orientation applies to all slides in a presentation

PowerPoint isn't able to change the page orientation of certain slides. All slides in a presentation have the same page orientation.

Change the page orientation in PowerPoint between landscape and portrait

Use portrait and landscape slide orientation in the same presentation

Reduce the file size of a picture

On the File menu, select Page Setup .

In the Page Setup dialog box, under Slides sized for , select the predefined size you want, or choose Custom and specify the dimensions you want.

Select Slide Size .

Select Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9) .

PowerPoint may prompt you about scaling your content. Choose one of the following options:

Scale: Select this option to decrease or increase the size of your slide content. When scaling to a smaller slide size, this could make your content appear smaller, but you’ll be able to see all content on your slide.

Don't Scale: Select this option to maintain the size of your slide content. Choosing this option could result in your content not fitting on the slide.

Choose Page Setup from the menu that appears.

Page Setup gives you an assortment of predefined slide/page size options. The options and their dimensions are listed below:

In the Slide Size box, click the down arrow next to Slides sized for and select an option.

Widescreen sets the dimensions to 13.333 in x 7.5 in.

Choose custom dimensions (in inches, centimers, or pixels)

Select Slide Size , and then click Page Setup .

The Page Setup dialog box opens.

In the Width and Height boxes, PowerPoint accepts measurements in inches , centimeters , or pixels . Type a number followed by a space and then the appropriate abbreviation: in (inches) or cm (centimeters) or px (pixels).

PowerPoint then converts the measurements, if necessary, to the unit of measurement your operating system uses.

Make a new slide size the default for new presentations

Select Slide Size , and then select Page Setup .

Follow the steps in the prior section to choose the slide size you want.

On the Design tab, click the More arrow below the standard themes.

Click Save Current Theme at the bottom of the window.

Give your theme a name that you'll remember easily and click Save .

On the Design tab, click the More arrow below the standard themes again. You'll see your newly saved theme under Custom .

Right-click your new custom theme, and then click Set as Default Theme .

The next time you open PowerPoint, you'll see your default theme in the upper-left of the theme gallery. When you select it, all the slides will be the size you chose for your default theme.

Some folks have asked about resizing one slide within a presentation. PowerPoint isn't able to do that. All slides in a presentation are the same size.

Some folks have also asked about changing the page orientation of certain slides. PowerPoint isn't able to do that. All slides in a presentation have the same page orientation.

On the Design tab of the toolbar ribbon, click Slide Size in the Customize group.

Click Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9) .

When PowerPoint for the web is unable to automatically scale your content, it prompts you with two options:

The 16:9 widescreen setting is the default value for new presentations you create. When you change the slide size for a presentation, the size you choose only applies to that presentation. 

You can also change the orientation of all the slides in your presentation. See Change the page orientation for instructions.

Choose custom dimensions

In the Width and Height boxes, type a measurement in inches . PowerPoint doesn't accept measurements outside the minimum and maximum shown below:

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Home Blog Design How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How are research posters like High School science fair projects? Quite similar, in fact.

Both are visual representations of a research project shared with peers, colleagues and academic faculty. But there’s a big difference: it’s all in professionalism and attention to detail. You can be sure that the students that thrived in science fairs are now creating fantastic research posters, but what is that extra element most people miss when designing a poster presentation?

This guide will teach tips and tricks for creating poster presentations for conferences, symposia, and more. Learn in-depth poster structure and design techniques to help create academic posters that have a lasting impact.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Research Poster?

Why are Poster Presentations important?

Overall dimensions and orientation, separation into columns and sections, scientific, academic, or something else, a handout with supplemental and contact information, cohesiveness, design and readability, storytelling.

• Font Characteristics
• Color Pairing
• Data Visualization Dimensions
• Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Scientific/Academic Conference Poster Presentation

Digital research poster presentations, slidemodel poster presentation templates, how to make a research poster presentation step-by-step, considerations for printing poster presentations, how to present a research poster presentation, final words, what is a research poster .

Research posters are visual overviews of the most relevant information extracted from a research paper or analysis.   They are essential communication formats for sharing findings with peers and interested people in the field. Research posters can also effectively present material for other areas besides the sciences and STEM—for example, business and law.

You’ll be creating research posters regularly as an academic researcher, scientist, or grad student. You’ll have to present them at numerous functions and events. For example:

• Conference presentations
• Informational events
• Community centers

The research poster presentation is a comprehensive way to share data, information, and research results. Before the pandemic, the majority of research events were in person. During lockdown and beyond, virtual conferences and summits became the norm. Many researchers now create poster presentations that work in printed and digital formats.

Let’s look at why it’s crucial to spend time creating poster presentations for your research projects, research, analysis, and study papers.

Research posters represent you and your sponsor’s research 

Research papers and accompanying poster presentations are potent tools for representation and communication in your field of study. Well-performing poster presentations help scientists, researchers, and analysts grow their careers through grants and sponsorships.

When presenting a poster presentation for a sponsored research project, you’re representing the company that sponsored you. Your professionalism, demeanor, and capacity for creating impactful poster presentations call attention to other interested sponsors, spreading your impact in the field.

Research posters demonstrate expertise and growth

Presenting research posters at conferences, summits, and graduate grading events shows your expertise and knowledge in your field of study. The way your poster presentation looks and delivers, plus your performance while presenting the work, is judged by your viewers regardless of whether it’s an officially judged panel.

Recurring visitors to research conferences and symposia will see you and your poster presentations evolve. Improve your impact by creating a great poster presentation every time by paying attention to detail in the poster design and in your oral presentation. Practice your public speaking skills alongside the design techniques for even more impact.

Poster presentations create and maintain collaborations

Every time you participate in a research poster conference, you create meaningful connections with people in your field, industry or community. Not only do research posters showcase information about current data in different areas, but they also bring people together with similar interests. Countless collaboration projects between different research teams started after discussing poster details during coffee breaks.

An effective research poster template deepens your peer’s understanding of a topic by highlighting research, data, and conclusions. This information can help other researchers and analysts with their work. As a research poster presenter, you’re given the opportunity for both teaching and learning while sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.

Anatomy of a Winning Poster Presentation

Do you want your research poster to perform well?  Following the standard layout and adding a few personal touches will help attendees know how to read your poster and get the most out of your information. 

The overall size of your research poster ultimately depends on the dimensions of the provided space at the conference or research poster gallery. The poster orientation can be horizontal or vertical, with horizontal being the most common.  In general, research posters measure 48 x 36 inches or are an A0 paper size.

A virtual poster can be the same proportions as the printed research poster, but you have more leeway regarding the dimensions. Virtual research posters should fit on a screen with no need to scroll, with 1080p resolution as a standard these days. A horizontal presentation size is ideal for that.

A research poster presentation has a standard layout of 2–5 columns with 2–3 sections each. Typical structures say to separate the content into four sections; 1. A horizontal header 2. Introduction column, 3. Research/Work/Data column, and 4. Conclusion column. Each unit includes topics that relate to your poster’s objective.  Here’s a generalized outline for a poster presentation:

• Condensed Abstract 
• Objectives/Purpose
• Methodology
• Recommendations
• Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Contact Information 

The overview content you include in the units depends on your poster presentations’ theme, topic, industry, or field of research. A scientific or academic poster will include sections like hypothesis, methodology, and materials. A marketing analysis poster will include performance metrics and competitor analysis results.

There’s no way a poster can hold all the information included in your research paper or analysis report. The poster is an overview that invites the audience to want to find out more. That’s where supplement material comes in. Create a printed PDF handout or card with a QR code (created using a QR code generator ). Send the audience to the best online location for reading or downloading the complete paper.

What Makes a Poster Presentation Good and Effective? 

For your poster presentation to be effective and well-received, it needs to cover all the bases and be inviting to find out more. Stick to the standard layout suggestions and give it a unique look and feel. We’ve put together some of the most critical research poster-creation tips in the list below. Your poster presentation will perform as long as you check all the boxes.

The information you choose to include in the sections of your poster presentation needs to be cohesive. Train your editing eye and do a few revisions before presenting. The best way to look at it is to think of The Big Picture. Don’t get stuck on the details; your attendees won’t always know the background behind your research topic or why it’s important.

Be cohesive in how you word the titles, the length of the sections, the highlighting of the most important data, and how your oral presentation complements the printed—or virtual—poster.

The most important characteristic of your poster presentation is its readability and clarity. You need a poster presentation with a balanced design that’s easy to read at a distance of 1.5 meters or 4 feet. The font size and spacing must be clear and neat. All the content must suggest a visual flow for the viewer to follow.

That said, you don’t need to be a designer to add something special to your poster presentation. Once you have the standard—and recognized—columns and sections, add your special touch. These can be anything from colorful boxes for the section titles to an interesting but subtle background, images that catch the eye, and charts that inspire a more extended look. 

Storytelling is a presenting technique involving writing techniques to make information flow. Firstly, storytelling helps give your poster presentation a great introduction and an impactful conclusion. 

Think of storytelling as the invitation to listen or read more, as the glue that connects sections, making them flow from one to another. Storytelling is using stories in the oral presentation, for example, what your lab partner said when you discovered something interesting. If it makes your audience smile and nod, you’ve hit the mark. Storytelling is like giving a research presentation a dose of your personality, and it can help turning your data into opening stories .

Design Tips For Creating an Effective Research Poster Presentation

The section above briefly mentioned how important design is to your poster presentation’s effectiveness. We’ll look deeper into what you need to know when designing a poster presentation.

1. Font Characteristics

The typeface and size you choose are of great importance. Not only does the text need to be readable from two meters away, but it also needs to look and sit well on the poster. Stay away from calligraphic script typefaces, novelty typefaces, or typefaces with uniquely shaped letters.

Stick to the classics like a sans serif Helvetica, Lato, Open Sans, or Verdana. Avoid serif typefaces as they can be difficult to read from far away. Here are some standard text sizes to have on hand.

• Title: 85 pt
• Authors: 65 pt
• Headings: 36 pt
• Body Text: 24 pt
• Captions: 18 pt

If you feel too prone to use serif typefaces, work with a font pairing tool that helps you find a suitable solution – and intend those serif fonts for heading sections only. As a rule, never use more than 3 different typefaces in your design. To make it more dynamic, you can work with the same font using light, bold, and italic weights to put emphasis on the required areas.

2. Color Pairing

Using colors in your poster presentation design is a great way to grab the viewer’s attention. A color’s purpose is to help the viewer follow the data flow in your presentation, not distract. Don’t let the color take more importance than the information on your poster.

Choose one main color for the title and headlines and a similar color for the data visualizations. If you want to use more than one color, don’t create too much contrast between them. Try different tonalities of the same color and keep things balanced visually. Your color palette should have at most one main color and two accent colors.

Black text over a white background is standard practice for printed poster presentations, but for virtual presentations, try a very light gray instead of white and a very dark gray instead of black. Additionally, use variations of light color backgrounds and dark color text. Make sure it’s easy to read from two meters away or on a screen, depending on the context. We recommend ditching full white or full black tone usage as it hurts eyesight in the long term due to its intense contrast difference with the light ambiance.

3. Data Visualization Dimensions

Just like the text, your charts, graphs, and data visualizations must be easy to read and understand. Generally, if a person is interested in your research and has already read some of the text from two meters away, they’ll come closer to look at the charts and graphs. 

Fit data visualizations inside columns or let them span over two columns. Remove any unnecessary borders, lines, or labels to make them easier to read at a glance. Use a flat design without shadows or 3D characteristics. The text in legends and captions should stay within the chart size and not overflow into the margins. Use a unified text size of 18px for all your data visualizations.

4. Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Finally, the last design tip for creating an impressive and memorable poster presentation is to be mindful of the layout’s alignment, margins, and white space. Create text boxes to help keep everything aligned. They allow you to resize, adapt, and align the content along a margin or grid.

Take advantage of the white space created by borders and margins between sections. Don’t crowd them with a busy background or unattractive color.

Calculate margins considering a print format. It is a good practice in case the poster presentation ends up becoming in physical format, as you won’t need to downscale your entire design (affecting text readability in the process) to preserve information.

There are different tools that you can use to make a poster presentation. Presenters who are familiar with Microsoft Office prefer to use PowerPoint. You can learn how to make a poster in PowerPoint here.

Poster Presentation Examples

Before you start creating a poster presentation, look at some examples of real research posters. Get inspired and get creative.

Research poster presentations printed and mounted on a board look like the one in the image below. The presenter stands to the side, ready to share the information with visitors as they walk up to the panels.

With more and more conferences staying virtual or hybrid, the digital poster presentation is here to stay. Take a look at examples from a poster session at the OHSU School of Medicine .

Use SlideModel templates to help you create a winning poster presentation with PowerPoint and Google Slides. These poster PPT templates will get you off on the right foot. Mix and match tables and data visualizations from other poster slide templates to create your ideal layout according to the standard guidelines.

If you need a quick method to create a presentation deck to talk about your research poster at conferences, check out our Slides AI presentation maker. A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

1. One-pager Scientific Poster Template for PowerPoint

A PowerPoint template tailored to make your poster presentations an easy-to-craft process. Meet our One-Pager Scientific Poster Slide Template, entirely editable to your preferences and with ample room to accommodate graphs, data charts, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Eisenhower Matrix Slides Template for PowerPoint

An Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool to represent priorities, classifying work according to urgency and importance. Presenters can use this 2×2 matrix in poster presentations to expose the effort required for the research process, as it also helps to communicate strategy planning.

3. OSMG Framework PowerPoint Template

Finally, we recommend presenters check our OSMG Framework PowerPoint template, as it is an ideal tool for representing a business plan: its goals, strategies, and measures for success. Expose complex processes in a simplified manner by adding this template to your poster presentation.

Remember these three words when making your research poster presentation: develop, design, and present. These are the three main actions toward a successful poster presentation. 

The section below will take you on a step-by-step journey to create your next poster presentation.

Step 1: Define the purpose and audience of your poster presentation

Before making a poster presentation design, you’ll need to plan first. Here are some questions to answer at this point:

• Are they in your field? 
• Do they know about your research topic? 
• What can they get from your research?
• Will you print it?
• Is it for a virtual conference?

Step 2: Make an outline

With a clear purpose and strategy, it’s time to collect the most important information from your research paper, analysis, or documentation. Make a content dump and then select the most interesting information. Use the content to draft an outline.

Outlines help formulate the overall structure better than going straight into designing the poster. Mimic the standard poster structure in your outline using section headlines as separators. Go further and separate the content into the columns they’ll be placed in.

Step 3: Write the content

Write or rewrite the content for the sections in your poster presentation. Use the text in your research paper as a base, but summarize it to be more succinct in what you share. 

Don’t forget to write a catchy title that presents the problem and your findings in a clear way. Likewise, craft the headlines for the sections in a similar tone as the title, creating consistency in the message. Include subtle transitions between sections to help follow the flow of information in order.

Avoid copying/pasting entire sections of the research paper on which the poster is based. Opt for the storytelling approach, so the delivered message results are interesting for your audience. 

Step 4: Put it all together visually

This entire guide on how to design a research poster presentation is the perfect resource to help you with this step. Follow all the tips and guidelines and have an unforgettable poster presentation.

Moving on, here’s how to design a research poster presentation with PowerPoint Templates . Open a new project and size it to the standard 48 x 36 inches. Using the outline, map out the sections on the empty canvas. Add a text box for each title, headline, and body text. Piece by piece, add the content into their corresponding text box.

Transform the text information visually, make bullet points, and place the content in tables and timelines. Make your text visual to avoid chunky text blocks that no one will have time to read. Make sure all text sizes are coherent for all headings, body texts, image captions, etc. Double-check for spacing and text box formatting.

Next, add or create data visualizations, images, or diagrams. Align everything into columns and sections, making sure there’s no overflow. Add captions and legends to the visualizations, and check the color contrast with colleagues and friends. Ask for feedback and progress to the last step.

Step 5: Last touches

Time to check the final touches on your poster presentation design. Here’s a checklist to help finalize your research poster before sending it to printers or the virtual summit rep.

• Check the resolution of all visual elements in your poster design. Zoom to 100 or 200% to see if the images pixelate. Avoid this problem by using vector design elements and high-resolution images.
• Ensure that charts and graphs are easy to read and don’t look crowded.
• Analyze the visual hierarchy. Is there a visual flow through the title, introduction, data, and conclusion?
• Take a step back and check if it’s legible from a distance. Is there enough white space for the content to breathe?
• Does the design look inviting and interesting?

An often neglected topic arises when we need to print our designs for any exhibition purpose. Since A0 is a hard-to-manage format for most printers, these poster presentations result in heftier charges for the user. Instead, you can opt to work your design in two A1 sheets, which also becomes more manageable for transportation. Create seamless borders for the section on which the poster sheets should meet, or work with a white background.

Paper weight options should be over 200 gsm to avoid unwanted damage during the printing process due to heavy ink usage. If possible, laminate your print or stick it to photographic paper – this shall protect your work from spills.

Finally, always run a test print. Gray tints may not be printed as clearly as you see them on screen (this is due to the RGB to CMYK conversion process). Other differences can be appreciated when working with ink jet plotters vs. laser printers. Give yourself enough room to maneuver last-minute design changes.

Presenting a research poster is a big step in the poster presentation cycle. Your poster presentation might or might not be judged by faculty or peers. But knowing what judges look for will help you prepare for the design and oral presentation, regardless of whether you receive a grade for your work or if it’s business related. Likewise, the same principles apply when presenting at an in-person or virtual summit.

The opening statement

Part of presenting a research poster is welcoming the viewer to your small personal area in the sea of poster presentations. You’ll need an opening statement to pitch your research poster and get the viewers’ attention.

Draft a 2 to 3-sentence pitch that covers the most important points:

• What the research is
• Why was it conducted
• What the results say

From that opening statement, you’re ready to continue with the oral presentation for the benefit of your attendees.

The oral presentation

During the oral presentation, share the information on the poster while conversing with the interested public. Practice many times before the event. Structure the oral presentation as conversation points, and use the poster’s visual flow as support. Make eye contact with your audience as you speak, but don’t make them uncomfortable.

Pro Tip: In a conference or summit, if people show up to your poster area after you’ve started presenting it to another group, finish and then address the new visitors.

QA Sessions 

When you’ve finished the oral presentation, offer the audience a chance to ask questions. You can tell them before starting the presentation that you’ll be holding a QA session at the end. Doing so will prevent interruptions as you’re speaking.

If presenting to one or two people, be flexible and answer questions as you review all the sections on your poster.

Supplemental Material

If your audience is interested in learning more, you can offer another content type, further imprinting the information in their minds. Some ideas include; printed copies of your research paper, links to a website, a digital experience of your poster, a thesis PDF, or data spreadsheets.

Your audience will want to contact you for further conversations; include contact details in your supplemental material. If you don’t offer anything else, at least have business cards.

Even though conferences have changed, the research poster’s importance hasn’t diminished. Now, instead of simply creating a printed poster presentation, you can also make it for digital platforms. The final output will depend on the conference and its requirements.

This guide covered all the essential information you need to know for creating impactful poster presentations, from design, structure and layout tips to oral presentation techniques to engage your audience better . 

Before your next poster session, bookmark and review this guide to help you design a winning poster presentation every time. 

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• Locations and Hours
• UCLA Library
• Research Guides
• Research Tips and Tools

Poster Presentations

• Size, Layout, and Text

Elements of a Poster

Change size in powerpoint, using the ruler, grid, and guides in powerpoint, more powerpoint training, template resources, font choice, text alignment.

• Colors and Images

Your poster should include these elements:

• Author(s), with affiliations and emails

If your poster is a representation of a research study, you will want to include the following sections:

• Introduction or objective
• Conclusions and/or discussion
• Acknowledgements

If your poster is a representation of an event or other kind of project, you may want to forego formal abstract sections in favor of the 5 Ws:

• Who (introduce the author, organization, or community)
• What (what did you do? how did you do it?)
• Where (where did you do it?)
• When (when did it take place?)
• Why (what are the outcomes, implications, or future possibilities?)

To change the size in Powerpoint:

• Go to the Design tab and choose "Slide Size" (it's on the right size of the ribbon)
• Choose "Custom Slide Size"
• Change "Slides sized for:" to "Custom"
• Fill in your desired width and height. 

Click the View tab to see checkboxes that will allow you to turn on the Ruler, Grid, and Guides (click the image below to see a screenshot).

Ruler : Allows you to see the dimensions of your slide. You'll see a vertical and horizontal ruler.

Grid : By default, the gridlines are 1 inch apart. Right click in white space of your poster to get more options for spacing. This enables precise alignment.

Guides : By default, you'll get one horizontal and one vertical guide placed in the center of your poster. Right click on a guide to add more guidelines, or to delete one. You can use Guides to invisibly define columns of your poster, margins, and more. This gives you manual control, alternatively, you can use Smart Guides (see below).

Smart Guides : Powerpoint has a built-in system for showing you alignment as you move objects around. The video below demonstrates what Smart Guides look like.

Once you've got your slide layout set, you'll want to start creating Shapes and Text Boxes. Here are some tips and tricks for working with objects:

• Use Ctrl+D to duplicate any object.
• Then you can format them all at once, identically!
• You can also group them, for easier movement and alignment (right click to see the Group option).

Most posters are landscape (horizontal) orientation. The title/author(s) will be across the top, with 3–4 columns below that contain the rest of the poster elements. Make sure you leave plenty of white space in your design—a poster crammed full of text and images is very difficult to read.

Here is an example of a 2 column poster layout using the 5 Ws for headings (who, what, where, when, and why):

Use the links below to download this template and other similar templates in two sizes: 24x36 and 36x48. These templates include a variety of placeholder elements for photos and figures.

• 2 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
• 3 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
• 3 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48
• 4 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48

Below are some additional web resources where you can search for templates. Keep in mind that you may need adjust the size of a template for your own poster. Alternatively, you can use the resources on this page to design your own layout in Powerpoint.

• David Geffen School of Medicine poster templates Although this is labeled for the sciences, the information can be used in many disciplines.
• Penn State poster template
• PhD Posters
• MakeSigns.com poster templates
• The body of your poster should have a minimum 24 point font . Viewers should be able to read your smallest text from a few feet away.
• The title of your poster should have a 50+ font size, depending on the size of your poster and the length of the title.
• Do not use all uppercase letters for the title or body of the poster.
• Avoid using more than 2 or 3 different fonts in one poster.
• Stick with basic fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia for serif, or Arial or Helvetica for sans-serif. Avoid elaborate, difficult-to-read, or cartoon-like fonts.

• In general, left-align your text boxes (with the possible exception of your title and any image captions). Avoid centering the text on your whole poster.
• << Previous: Home
• Next: Colors and Images >>
• Last Updated: Nov 9, 2023 2:31 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/posters

• Subject Guides

Posters with a Powerful Point: A practical guide to designing academic posters

• Preparation

All good posters begin with an empty page. But how big a page? Then it's time to think about what goes on that page: we consider the layout , choice of colour , and what's going on in the background .

Size and orientation

So you've decided to make an academic poster using PowerPoint...

Before you do anything else, you should:

• Start a new 'blank' presentation
• Decide on the paper size
• Decide on the orientation — portrait or landscape
• Configure these in PowerPoint

A-series paper sizes

When preparing an academic poster, you will usually be working to one of the standard ' A-series ' paper sizes — often A1 or A0. All A-series sizes have the same aspect ratio (the relative sizes of width and height) and each is half the size of the last. This table gives the dimensions of sizes from A0 to A4:

A1 is the size of flipchart paper (eight times the size of a sheet of A4), and A0 is double that. If you're working to a brief, it may specify the paper size and possibly even the orientation. Otherwise, the choice will be yours. Deciding which way up your sheet goes can often be the hardest thing, so it's a good idea to draft some ideas out on paper first before committing to PowerPoint.

Configuring size and orientation

Use the Custom size option, set the Orientation , and enter the Width and Height values. In this case we've gone with an A1 landscape page: a page that is wider than it is tall.

You can ignore any other options in this dialogue box and hit OK . PowerPoint will prompt you to choose a resizing option ( Maximise or Ensure Fit ). Since you don't yet have anything on your page you can choose either of these options — it won't matter which.

Always design at the size of the final poster — PowerPoint is not very good at changing the size of things after the fact, and enlargement will never work well.

Size and printing

Printing devices never print to the very edge of the paper, otherwise they'd get ink everywhere. It would get very messy.

Because of this, if your design includes content or background to the very edge, a few mm will be missed off and the paper will be trimmed to give a clean line (without any white edges).

In commercial design work you would extend backgrounds beyond the edge (into what's called the 'bleed' area). It would be printed on over-sized paper and then trimmed to the correct size.

When using PowerPoint, simply make sure you have sufficient margins and none of your important content is too close to the edge.

The University's Design & Print service are used to posters produced in PowerPoint, but if you're using an alternative printer (or if you need important detail right up to the edge of your poster), you will need to check requirements for size, 'bleed' area and crop marks and account for those in your page set-up.

Bleed and crop

For professional use, a PDF should be supplied with a 'bleed' area and a margin containing crop marks. These are in addition to the poster size.

Bleed is the area outside the desired printed size — typically 3mm. Any content on the edge of your page should overflow into this bleed area.

Crop marks are short lines indicating where the printed result should be trimmed to obtain the required paper size. Because of your bleed, any cropping along these lines will give a printed image to the edge of the paper with no white excess.

Let's consider an example...

An A1 poster needs a width of 84.1cm and a height of 59.4cm.

Adding 3mm of bleed to all four sides gives a width of 84.7cm and a height of 60cm.

Adding 5mm margins for the crop marks gives a width of 85.7cm and a height of 61cm.

So you would need to set your page up to 85.7 x 61.0 if it needs to be printed in this way. You could then mark out your actual poster size with guides, which is what we're going to look at next...

Laying out the page

Academic posters are generally social animals: you'll seldom see one on its own. If you're presenting a poster at a conference, for instance, there'll be other posters there too. There'll be people milling about the conference venue, laden with conference programme, coffee and biscuits, looking for people to network with. Your poster will not be at the top of their list of things to do, and even if it was, your poster has to shout louder than all the other posters to get some attention. It's a bit like advertising: there's so much advertising out there on the sides of buses and telephone boxes and street hoardings. How can you make yours stand out?

Because of these circumstances, your poster has a finite amount of time in which to be effective. You've got to capture and hold the attention of somebody passing by. They've got to think "ooh, that looks interesting; let me take a closer look!" and for that reason your poster's topic needs to be clear and understandable from a good 3 metres away. Some of that can be conveyed using attractive, relevant images; some of it will be the work of your title text.

Since your poster is going to be so effective from that distance, you also need to assume that a bit of a crowd will start gathering around your poster. For that reason, assume further that any text on your poster will need to be legible from a distance of about 1 metre . But how can you make that text attractive, and how can you make it easy to follow from such a distance?

Do a bit of research before you start your design: look at other posters in your subject area to see what the competition is up to. You'll probably want to adopt some of the conventions you observe, but also think about ways in which you can make your design stand out from the crowd.

Designers frequently work with a layout grid to ensure boxes of text and images achieve consistent positioning. If your poster has a regular design, use this approach.

Posters can also be based on other shapes, or you can, of course, go for a 'free-form' design - though unless you have a very good eye for these things, it can look a mess! 

The main thing is that for most of us it's a good idea to have some sort of guides to work with.

Column structure

One of the most common layouts for an academic poster is to use a structure based around columns. These columns needn't be of uniform width, and the content of the poster does not have to adhere to the columns rigidly. Consider these two posters, for example:

A poster based on uneven column widths

A poster based on equal column widths

With a column-based layout you should try to plan content so it spans whole numbers of columns, like the two-column boxes in the three-column examples above. Again, it's worth drawing it out on paper first.

Configuring layout and guides

Three things to do before you add guides in PowerPoint:

• Make sure the ruler is visible ( View > Show > Ruler )
• Switch to a blank slide layout (you won't be needing any of the PowerPoint place-holders for content)
• If you're using a column-based layout, decide how many you want and do the arithmetic to calculate their widths and the gaps between them.

Adding and positioning guides

PowerPoint can show a grid of dots covering the whole page, but you may find this too distracting. A better alternative is to turn on the guides and add your own extra ones. This gives you vertical and horizontal dotted lines that you can position wherever you like.

• Turn on the Guides ( View > Show > Guides ) — the default ones are centred vertically and horizontally
• Drag to re-position individual guides
• To add more guides, point to an existing guide, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Alt (Mac) and then drag — this generates another guide.

There’s nothing wrong with designing on a plain white background, but if you intend to use colour or an image behind your content, you must make sure it doesn't make it more difficult to read.

The main options for background are:

Solid colour

Graduated colour

Graduated colours

A background itself need not govern readability. Text can be presented in boxes with a different background style. Here's some examples of options for backgrounds and text:

Allowing the background or image to show through a text box risks making it more difficult to read. Both dark and light backgrounds could have text in a container with a light or white fill, aiding readability. However, a little transparency can sometimes work well for tying together the elements of your poster.

Using a background image at full intensity can work, but if the content also appears in lots of small chunks, it can make a poster appear messy. You might find it useful to reduce the opacity of a background image (or give it a colour-wash) to stop it dominating the composition.

Configuring backgrounds

You can make changes to the background by going to Design > Customize > Format Background or by right-click selecting the slide background and selecting Format Background... — the "Format Background" side-panel will open.

Solid and graduated fills

Solid fill is simply a matter of picking the colour, but you can lighten it further by setting transparency.

For gradient fill, you have the option of setting:

• the colour of each position on the gradient stops — you can also add and remove stops (for a simple gradient just use one at each end)
• type, direction, angle and transparency.

The "Picture or texture fill" option allows you to "Insert..." an image from the file explorer, while "Clipboard" will use an image that's been copied to the clipboard.

The image can be made more transparent, and can be repositioned and scaled. The icons at the top of the side panel lead to further settings for applying artistic effects and colour correction, which can be useful for making a background less dominant:

Unless you're applying any artistic effects to your background image, you'll need to use an image with a high resolution. That's something we'll look at in more detail in the next section...

• << Previous: Posters
• Next: Images >>
• Last Updated: Aug 7, 2024 3:01 PM
• URL: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/posters

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Free powerpoint poster templates for research poster presentations.

Poster template design: Aragon Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | 36x60 | 36x72 | 36x96 | 42x60 | 42x72 | 42x90 | 44x44 | 30x40 | 48x48 | 48x72 | 48x96 | Trifold  | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 122x91 | 100x70 | 140x100 | 100x100 | 200x100 | A0 | A1 ► View Samples   ► Learn how to customize the template colors

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Links to university corporate identity (Logo) pages

List of corporate identity pages where you can download university logos to use with your poster presentation. Help your fellow researchers. Good quality logos for use in printed research posters  are difficult to find online. If you have a link to the identity page of your university, email it to us and we will add it to our list for others to use.

UC Berkeley Texas A&M UCLA Columbia Medical Center Stanford University

Adelphi University Duke University UPENN Bradley University ENMU

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Drexel University Carlow University UNLV UNR UFL

TUFTS George Mason U. St. Scholastica College Mount Royal University Penn State

Yale University University of Wisconsin SD School of Mines USC GATECH

STARTER POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATES

Standard size research poster templates in inches use these starter poster templates as a starting point for your own poster designs, thumbnails of posters are shown in proportion to each others’ sizes based on a 48 inch (height) x 96 inch (width) display area, 36” tall x 48” wide
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Trifold (tabletop)

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36” Tall x 56” Wide

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36” Tall x 72” Wide


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Free PowerPoint poster templates in metric sizes (cm) for international poster conferences

Thumbnails of posters are shown in proportion to each others’ sizes based on a 200 cm (height) x 100 cm (width) display area, 91 wide x 122 tall.

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70 Wide x 100 Tall

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100 Wide x 140 Tall

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1 Meter x 1 Meter

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100 Wide x 200 Tall

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PowerPoint slide sizes: how to change them and manage them better

Working with the correct PowerPoint slide size is like laying the foundation before building a home.

Before you start creating any graphics on your slides, it is always a good idea to define the size of your workspace.

Isn’t that obvious?

I can already see you nodding your head.

But I can assure you that it is not so obvious to navigate through the different options that PowerPoint offers you.

How many times have you had difficulty converting a presentation from 4:3 to 16:9? Maybe the new company template has become 16:9, and you had to convert presentations that you have always used to 4:3.

When you convert them the content gets distorted, the photos get blurred and your template – which looked so well balanced – is now all stretched out.

And fixing it is a lot of work!

But that’s not all – there’s more than one reason why learning how to handle PowerPoint slide sizes at their best is worth it.

In fact, being able to adapt your workspace to any size, you can turn PowerPoint into a powerful graphical tool to create social media posts or small brochures to print for an event.

Let’s proceed one step at a time, follow me.

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How to change the PowerPoint slide size

First, it is important to know the menu that you will use to change the PowerPoint slide size.

Do you already know where it is?

I’ll show you!

Open the Design tab and select Slide Size.

Here is where the option to change the proportions of your presentation from 4:3 to 16:9 is hidden!

Want custom sizes instead?

Proceed to Custom Slide Size to manage all your other requirements.

In the drop-down menu you’ll find a rich list of possible options.

I thought I’d show them all to help you see all the standard PowerPoint slide sizes at a glance.

Choose the solution that’s right for you or create a customized one.

Seen this way they look a lot more than when you look at them in the drop-down menu, don’t they?

Let’s review them together.

Widescreen vs On-Screen Show (16:9)

The classic widescreen sixteen to nine format is considered a standard for presentations. When I work in PowerPoint it is the one I always use, unless there are special circumstances or requests.

Okay, but why are there two options for 16:9 on PowerPoint?

Actually, if you look at the graphics below, you’ll notice that they are two 16:9 formats – so there is no difference other than in absolute dimensions.

The 16:9 On-Screenshow was introduced with PowerPoint 2010 as the first 16:9 version of slides.

The problem was that most of the other slides were 7.5″ in height, so switching the content from a 4:3 to a 16:9, for example, always required adjustments.

So, Microsoft decided to introduce a new version of the 16:9 with 7.5″ height in order to reduce the re-processing of content between different slide formats (but now with the same height).

Therefore, the new Widescreen is always a 16:9, only it’s a little bit higher (H7.5) and, consequently, a little wider (W13.3).

On-Screen show 4:3

Standard PowerPoint slide size widely used in the past and now almost completely replaced by 16:9.

Do you still see presentations in 4:3?

They are usually old presentations, or maybe they were created by users who haven’t been up to date with presentation design.

In any case they are still around, so you’ll have to deal with them.

This is their size.

How do you choose between 4:3 and 16:9?

Follow me and I’ll tell you about it in a bit.

On-Screen show 16:10

The 16:10 format landed in the laptop market in 2003.

At that time, the unassailable 4:3 reigned, but by 2005-2008 it was already clear that 16:10 would prevail. In short, after a few years the 16:10 had replaced the 4:3.

Between 2008 and 2010, however, the 16:10 quickly lost ground in favor of the now well-known 16:9.

For reasons of production efficiency, 16:9 format television sets have driven the laptop market to adapt.

The transition has always been a topic of debate for all users who use productivity software and need more vertical workspace.

In 2020 Dell and Apple seem to have launched laptops for productivity returning to the 16:10 format.

What do you think?

In my opinion, 16:10 in presentations is a format that cannot disappear and may soon be back in style.

It’s definitely worth some attention, and thanks to PowerPoint for keeping it among the standard sizes.

Letter Size 8.5×11 in

It is a standard letter format in the following countries: USA, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines.

This format was standardized in the USA by the Reagan administration in 1980.

Honestly, I’ve never found myself using it in PowerPoint, but if you’ll need it, you’ll know you have it.

35 mm Slide

This format refers to the size of the shots on old photographic rolls.

I know, when I first learned about it I didn’t want to believe it either, but that’s just it, PowerPoint is a bit nostalgic.

I’ve never used this format and I don’t expect we’ll need it anymore, but if PowerPoint keeps it – maybe for a reason. Let’s just hope that reason is not nostalgia!

Ledger Paper 11×17 in

This format, also known as Tabloid, was born as a more spacious solution in case the letter size paper format was not enough.

It was born for engineering and architecture firms that needed to print technical designs, usually from software like AutoCAD.

You might find this format in PowerPoint if you work in an engineering environment and you are presenting project designs imported from software such as AutoCAD.

A4 paper 210×297 mm

The most standard format around the world.

It is the international standard format according to the ISO 216 standard, except for some countries that have not adopted it, such as North America, Central America and South America, where the corresponding standard is the letter paper format we were talking about earlier.

Wait! does the A4 format appear in presentations?

Of course, the A4 format is very interesting when you have to print your materials. Obviously, this is true for all countries except those that use the letter format.

I’ve often used it in presentations that I needed to print. Obviously, it will not have the screen rendering of a 16:9 format.

In fact, the A4 is narrower than a 16:9, and tends to sacrifice the slide’s horizontal space.

A3 paper 297×420 mm

Standard format, larger than the A4.

What? A3 is bigger than A4?

Well, yes – in this case the numbers go from smallest to biggest.

A3 is also a standard format and is twice the size of an A4 (see image below).

It looks particularly good when you need to print posters or other content.

For example, I often use it when I print a  Lean Presentation Strategy Canvas  or a  Presentation Assessment Canvas , so that we all have the space to actively collaborate.

In the following image we are working on an A3 format.

B4 (ISO) Paper 250×353 mm / B5 (ISO) Paper 176×250 mm

These are standard formats designed to cover the uncovered areas left by the A(x) series.

As I said for the A4, this is a format suitable for printing, but I hardly see it used on a screen.

You can use it – with a proper judgement – to print in a size other than A4.

Here we are talking about a large horizontal banner. You can really have fun with this format.

I found myself using this format for website banners to be exported directly as an image.

Actually, I think this format should inspire you more than anything else to explore PowerPoint’s potential, which extends far beyond the simple slide.

In fact, web banners usually have custom sizes that I usually find myself inserting in PowerPoint.

It is a format with an aspect ratio very close to 4:3. Honestly, I’ve never used it before.

Here is a quick overview of all the formats available on PowerPoint and their primary uses.

I’ll summarize all the aspect ratios in a single table.

If none of the formats is right for you, the best solution would be the custom format.

Whenever I step out of the traditional 4:3, 16:9 or A4 formats, it’s usually because I need exact customized sizes.

So, it is essential that you know how to set the height and width of a customized format.

PowerPoint slide size – from pixels/millimeters to inches in a second

PowerPoint allows you to set the slide size in inches, but you may be in a situation where you need to insert pixels or centimeters.

Wait! Isn’t it enough to change PowerPoint’s metric system as I would on Illustrator?

No, PowerPoint doesn’t work that way.

However, from a certain point of view, PowerPoint is much simpler.

In fact, you just need to insert the measurements you want by specifying the unit of measurement, and PowerPoint will automatically convert them to inches.

You don’t believe it?

Then try it yourself!

For example, if I used 1080×1920 pixels, the result would be:

See? PowerPoint has converted pixels to inches on its own.

The conversion also works with centimeters/millimeters.

So, it is true, you can’t change PowerPoint’s metric system – but it is also true that you will never need it, since PowerPoint automatically takes care of the conversion.

Orientation, Notes, Handouts & Outline

Page orientation may vary from vertical to horizontal.

Have you ever thought about it?

We are all used to thinking horizontally when working on PowerPoint, but the tool also allows you to work vertically.

I happen to use the vertical format from time to time, and I’ve always enjoyed it very much.

What is “number of slides from” for?

You won’t believe this, but I’m about to reveal something on which you’ve probably wasted a lot of time on a number of occasions.

That number represents the first counting number of PowerPoint slides.

If that number is 4, when you see the slide numbering, it won’t start from 1 but from 4.

Look, I set it to 4:

Activate slide numbering from Insert > Slide Number:

Apply to all slides to make sure we don’t miss any.

Now, I will go to the first slide and let you look at the number.

What number appears in the first slide?

Exactly, number 4.

So, from that window, you can set the starting number of the automatic slide count.

PowerPoint slide size – 4:3 vs 16:9

First, we must clarify that 4:3 and 16:9 only refer to the slide format, but dimensions can be quite different.

You can have a small 4:3 and a large 4:3 – the same goes for the 16:9 format.

In the 16:9 format the slide is 78% wider than high, while in a 4:3 the slide is 33% wider than high.

The 4:3 format has always been perfect for projectors and printing, while the 16:9 is perfect for high impact content shown on televisions.

Printing aside, the latest generation projectors support 16:9. So 16:9 is now the most popular format.

Wait, so 4:3 is a dead format?

No, not quite.

You might need it to create a SlideShare presentation and avoid the black bars above and below the slide, typical of the 16:9 format.

As you can see, however, I always design in 16:9 for portability and flexibility of the presentation, which once produced I can reuse on several occasions.

Have a look at my SlideShare profile –  Maurizio La Cava – SlideShare

Switching from one format to another can require lengthy editing, and unfortunately there are no techniques that can speed up the work.

Therefore, my advice is to act beforehand and avoid, if possible, having to readjust your PowerPoint contents to a different format from the one in which you created it.

For example, always try to adapt to the context in which you are working.

If the people you work with use 16:9 slides, you’d better adapt to maximize cooperation and information exchange.

So, what should you do?

My advice is to always use the 16:9 format – unless you have specific needs where the 4:3 output is so much better that it justifies editing or adapting content.

PowerPoint slide size for social media

Now that you can change the slide size, PowerPoint becomes a very flexible tool that allows you to create graphics for every need.

Have you ever considered that you could create all social communications of a brand or your company through PowerPoint?

All you need is to know the right size in order to create each graphic component on different social media, and you already know how to adjust the dimensions in PowerPoint.

What are the right sizes for graphic components on social media?

Think of the header of a Facebook page or the cover of a LinkedIn profile, for example, as well as the profile image.

How many are there?

A lot, and most of all they are constantly changing because socials update at an impressive speed.

In fact, in order to offer you a constantly updated content through this article, for this section I will rely on my colleagues from  Sproutsocial , who always keep this information updated.

I’ve summarized them here:

The guys at Sprout also update a  file on Google Drive with all the measurements .

The PowerPoint slide sizes are many, and knowing them allows you to significantly expand the use of this tool.

If you used to think of PowerPoint as a tool for creating presentations, now you know that that’s just one of the uses you can make of it.

You can use it to create banners, social media graphics, brochures, and documents of various kinds.

By setting up the workspace in the appropriate way, you’ll avoid unnecessary editing and time-consuming content adaptation tasks.

Writing this article has given me the opportunity to get into the PowerPoint meanderings that I had never got into before, and I learned something interesting.

Is there anything else you would like to explore together?

Maurizio La Cava

About Maurizio

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A step-by-step guide to captivating PowerPoint presentation design

november 20, 2023

by Corporate PowerPoint Girl

Do you often find yourself stuck with a lackluster PowerPoint presentation, desperately seeking ways to make it more engaging and visually appealing? If your boss has ever told you to "please fix" a presentation and you didn't know where to start, you're not alone. In this article, we'll walk you through a straightforward method to transform your PowerPoint slides into a visually captivating masterpiece. 

Let's dive right in! 

Clean up your slides 

The first step in this journey to presentation excellence is all about decluttering your slides and elevating their impact. Say goodbye to those uninspiring bullet points that often dominate presentations. Instead, focus on what truly matters – the key call-out numbers. By increasing the font size of these numbers, you ensure they take center stage, immediately drawing your audience's attention. 

To make those numbers pop, consider breaking the text after the numbers into the next line and adding a touch of color. The contrast created by pairing a dark color with a lighter shade, like dark teal and light teal or burnt orange with peach, can work wonders. This simple adjustment makes your data more engaging , enhancing the overall impact of your presentation. 

Add dimension with boxes 

Now, let's introduce an element of depth and organization to your slides. By adding boxes, you'll create a visually pleasing structure that guides your audience through the content. In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text. 

To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly enhances the visual appeal of your slides. 

Insert circles 

To further enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your slides, let's introduce circles. In the Insert menu, navigate to Shapes and choose the circle. Adjust the circle's height and width to 1.2, ensuring it complements your content seamlessly. Match the circle's shape fill color with the corresponding text color for a harmonious look. 

Avoid using colored outlines for the circles, as they may distract from the overall aesthetic. This simple addition of circles adds an element of visual interest to your presentation, making it more captivating. 

Choose icons 

Now, it's time for a touch of creativity. Selecting icons to complement your text can elevate the clarity and appeal of your slides. In the "Insert" menu, you can search for relevant keywords to find the perfect icon from PowerPoint's extensive library . 

For instance, if your text discusses investment portfolio yield, search for "growth" and choose an upward arrow growth icon. These icons add an extra layer of visual appeal and clarity to your content, making it more engaging and informative. 

Final touches 

To wrap up the transformation process, we come to the final touches that give your presentation a polished, professional finish. Align your icons with their corresponding circles and change the shape fill color to white. This simple adjustment creates a crisp, cohesive look that ties everything together seamlessly. 

In conclusion, by following these steps, you've embarked on a journey to enhance your PowerPoint presentation . These initial steps are just the beginning of your exploration into the world of design elements and styles that can cater to your specific presentation needs. The key to a stunning PowerPoint presentation lies in the details. By following these steps, you can turn a lackluster set of slides into a visually engaging and dynamic presentation that will captivate your audience. So, the next time your boss says, "Please fix," you'll know exactly where to start. Happy presenting! 

Related topics

How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint? [A Helpful Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful software. You can not only create a standard presentation design, but you can also create documents of various sizes using PowerPoint! However, that requires you to have a good understanding of various slide sizes available in PowerPoint. You may be wondering, how to change the slide size in PowerPoint?

To change the slide size in PowerPoint, click on the “Design” tab. Then, click on “Slide Size”. From the dropdown, choose “Standard” or “Widescreen”. You can also click on “Custom Slide Size” to change the size of the slides in PowerPoint to A3, A4 or a completely custom size.

In this article, I will walk you through the nuances of changing a slide size in PowerPoint. We will go into the steps in detail with pictures so that you get the best understanding of the subject!

So, let’s get started!

A Quick Note Before We Begin – for this article, I will be using one of the presentation templates from Envato Elements . With Envato Elements, you get access to thousands of presentation designs with unlimited downloads so you never run out of options again. Plus, you get free previews so you know exactly what you’re getting before buying! It is also very affordable.

1. How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint? 

Changing the size of your slides in Microsoft PowerPoint is actually a lot easier than you think! All you have to do is go to the ‘Design’ tab from the ribbon, click on the ‘Slide Size’ button at the top right corner of your screen and select the slide size you want.

Below, I’ll be discussing how to change the size of slides in different versions of Microsoft PowerPoint as well as in different device including Mac, iPad and Android:

1a. Change Slide Size in PowerPoint 2016 and 2019

Follow the steps below to change the slide size in Microsoft PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2019 and Office 365:

Step 1: Click on the ‘Design’ tab

At first, click on the ‘Design’ tab, which is the fourth option on your ribbon to get access to the design section of your PowerPoint presentation.

Step 2: Click on ‘Slide Size’ option

Go to the top right of the ‘Design’ tab in the ‘Customize’ section and ‘Left click’ on the ‘Slide Size’ button and a drop-down menu will open.

Step 3: Select the desired slide size from the ‘Slides sized for’ option.

Now, another dialogue box will show up in the middle of your screen. Click on ‘Ensure Fit’ to adjust your slide contents. (we will talk about the difference between the “Maximise” and “Ensure Fit” options later in the article)

If you choose to click on the ‘Custom Slide Size’ option, you may see a different dialogue box first. We will get to that in a moment and I will share with you how to customize the slide sizes in addition to the default options provided by PowerPoint.

1b. How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint 2010? 

The process of changing slide size in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 is described below:

Step 1: Click on the ‘Design’ tab and go to ‘Page Setup’ option

Click on the ‘Page Setup’ option located in the ‘Page Setup’ section of the ‘Design’ tab. This will open up a new dialogue box.

Step 2: Choose the slide size you want from the drop-down menu after clicking on ‘Slides sized for’.

‘Left click’ on the ‘Slides sized for’ menu to get the options of slide size. Choose your preferred style and then click on the ‘Ok’ button.

1c. How to Change the Slide Size in PowerPoint 2007? 

The process of changing slides in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 is identical to the process in PowerPoint 2010. For reference, here’s how to change the slide size in PowerPoint 2007:

1d. How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint on Mac

The process of changing slide size in PowerPoint on Mac is described in simple steps below:

Step 1: Click on the ‘File Menu’ and then on ‘Page setup’

Click on the ‘File’ menu which is located in the ‘Quick Access’ toolbar above the ‘Home’ tab and a drop-down menu will appear. Click on the ‘Page Setup’ option from the drop-down menu which will open up another dialogue box.

Step 2: Choose your new slide size from the dialogue box

Click on your preferred slide size and then press the ‘Ok’ button. PowerPoint will prompt you to choose between “Scale” or “Don’t Scale”. This is similar to the Maximise or Ensure Fit options Windows users see.

Go with the “ Scale ” option as this will adjust the sizes of all shapes and text for each slide. You can also choose to go with “Don’t Scale” option and adjust everything manually as per your requirement.

Your slide size will change accordingly.

If you are using Office 365 or later versions of PowerPoint on Mac, you an also find the option to change the slide size from widescreen to standard by click on the Design tab, and then clicking on “Slide Size” as showcased earlier.

1e. How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint on iPad? 

Follow the steps below to change slide size in PowerPoint on iPad:

Step 1: Go to the ‘Home’ menu after opening your PowerPoint Presentation file

At the bottom right corner of the screen, you will find the ‘three dots’ icon, which is the ‘Options’ menu. Tap on the ‘Options’ menu and then select the ‘Home’ option.

Step 2: Change your size after tapping the ‘Slide Size’ option

A ‘Design’ option will now appear on your screen. Tap on it and then tap on the ‘Slide Size’ option. After that, change your slide size to ‘Standard’ or ‘Widescreen.’

1f. How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint on Android?

Unfortunately, you cannot change the size of your presentation slides using PowerPoint on Android. However, there is another application for Android called ‘ WPS Office ’, which you can use to change the size of your slides from ‘Standard (4:3)’ to ‘Widescreen (16:9).’

Simply open your PowerPoint Presentation using this app and go to the ‘Settings’ option at the bottom left corner. Then scroll rightwards to the ‘Design’ tab, where you will find the ‘ Slide Size’ option. From there, you will be able to select your desired slide size.

2. How to Change Slide Size to A4 in PowerPoint?

To change the slide size of your PowerPoint presentation to A4, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Click on ‘Custom Slide Size’ located in the ‘Design’ tab

Click on the ‘Design’ tab and then from the ‘Slide size’ menu, click on the ‘Custom Slide Size’ button.

Step 2: Choose the ‘A4 Paper (210x297mm)’ option to change the slide size

From the pop-up window, click on the ‘Slides sized for’ button and a drop-down menu will show you the different slide sizes available. Now all you have to do is select the ‘A4 Paper (210x297mm)’ size option and hit the ‘ Ok ’ button.

Here’s how the A4 slide size will look in the portrait orientation in PowerPoint.

3. How to Change Slide Size to A3 in PowerPoint?

You can modify the slide size to A3 in Microsoft PowerPoint by following the easy steps below:

Step 1: Selecting the ‘Custom Slide Size’   button to change slide size

At first, click on the ‘Slide Size’ option in the ‘Design’ tab. From the drop-down menu select the ‘Custom Slide Size’ option.

Step 2: Select the ‘A3 Paper’ and Click on OK

Expand the ‘Slides sized for’ drop-down menu by clicking on it. Then, ‘Left click’ on the ‘A3 Paper (297x420mm)’ paper option. Press the ‘Ok’ button at the bottom right of the pop-up window and then click on the ‘Ensure Fit’ button to resize the content accordingly to the slides.

4. How to Create Custom Slide Size in PowerPoint?

Follow the easy steps described below to create custom slide size in PowerPoint:

Step 1: Selecting ‘Custom Slide Size’ to create a custom size for your presentation

Click on the ‘Slide Size’ option in the ‘Design’ tab. From the drop-down menu select the ‘Custom Slide Size’ option.

Step 2: Input the Height and Width in the dialogue box and click ‘Ok’

After clicking on the ‘Custom Slide Size’ option, a pop-up window will appear. To input a custom slide size, click on the ‘Slides sized for’ button and from the drop-down menu, select ‘Custom .’

After adding the desired Height and Width for the slide, click on the ‘Ok’ button and then click on the ‘Ensure Fit’ button.

5. How to Change Slide Size from Widescreen to Standard?

To change the slide size from Widescreen to Standard, just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Click on the ‘Design’ tab which is on the top left of your presentation

The first step is to go to the ‘Design’ tab which is the fourth tab on the ribbon of your PowerPoint window.

Step 2: Click on ‘Slide Size.’

Click on the ‘Slide Size’ button located in the ‘Customize’ section of the ‘Design’ tab. A drop-down menu will appear once you click on it.

Step 3: Change your slide size from Widescreen to Standard and adjust slide content

The slide size is set to ‘Widescreen 16:9’ by default. To change it, ‘Left click’ on ‘Standard (4:3)’ . This will open up a dialogue box, where you will find the ‘Maximize’ and ‘Ensure Fit’ options.

If you click on the ‘Maximize’ option, your content will not be sized down to fit your slide and images may get distorted. On the other hand, clicking on the ‘Ensure Fit’ option will resize the contents of the down to your preferred size.

6. How to Increase Slide Size in PowerPoint When Printing? 

When printing, sometimes PowerPoint just doesn’t print to the edge of the page. Meaning, there is a white bleed (border or margin) when you try to print it or when you try to convert it into a PDF.

You can fix this problem by either increase or adjusting the slide size before printing.

Here’s a video that explains the process in detail –

Although the video is for Mac, you can easily adjust the settings for the slide size for Windows just the same way.

It is important to remember to make sure that you don’t increase the slide size of your entire presentation but only adjust the printing size of the slides.

7. Can You Change Orientation of Just One Slide in PowerPoint?

There is currently no direct way to change the orientation of just one slide in PowerPoint. However, you can circumvent this issue by either creating a hyperlink to an external file or adding a portrait PDF file directly in PowerPoint.

We wrote a detailed article on the exact steps and processes that you need to follow in order to do this. Make sure you read that article on How to Change Orientation of Just One Slide in PowerPoint !

More PowerPoint Related Topics

• How to Use a Presentation Clicker to Deliver Presentations Effectively!
• How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint? [Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial!]
• How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? A Helpful Resource!
• How to Convert a PowerPoint to PDF? [A Simple Guide!]
• PowerPoint vs Google Slides: Which is Better? [ULTIMATE Test!]
• How to Change Bullet Style in PowerPoint? A Complete Guide

Credit to Diana.grytsku (on Freepik) for the Featured Image of this Article (edited further)

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8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

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6 Steps to Ensure You Never Lose a Microsoft Office File Again

Microsoft office vs. google docs, sheets, slides: which is best, i've been using my phone as a laptop (here's what i've learned), quick links, table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

• Microsoft Office