ShowCase Posters
Research ShowCase—April 15, 2010
Start with a Bill G Media Template and Poster Resources file ©
To get started, download our Bill G Media 42 x 68" PowerPoint Template and Poster Resources file ©.
Hey—Bill G invented the ShowCase template when he pioneered poster printing at CWRU! We are proud that both Research Administration and Printing Services still display the template and tips that Bill G created.
But download our Poster Resources file and one of our new templates to get the most up-to-date goodies!
Download Template for use with PowerPoint 2003 (.ppt format)
Download Template for use with PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx format)
Download Poster Resources File (logos, sample text & tables, time-saving tips)
Pricing
- Special—Submit by 2pm Sunday, April 11 and your cost is $60!
- After 2pm Sunday, your cost is normal pricing (still way less than Kinko!).
- After Monday, April 12th, 10PM: Add $25 rush fee (compare to Kinkos at $200).
- No extra charge for dark backgrounds.
- With Bill G Media's standard freebies and excellent service, this is your best ShowCase value.
Just like for normal posters, ShowCase submitters will receive a $5 gift card to their choice of Starbucks or McDonalds.- Poster tubes and delivery to a campus office or lab are free (just like our standard posters)!
- After delivery, an invoice with payment instructions will be emailed to the submitter. Payment may be made online with credit card or P-card, or by personal or university check.
*NOTE:. Pricing quoted is your final cost—the poster subsidy cannot be applied.Basically, I heavily subsidize your poster cost out of my own pocket. I know, I know... I love you guys too.
Insanely Extended Deadline!
- ShowCase files submitted by 10 PM Monday, April 12 will receive a PDF proof via email. Responses (either approval to print or a revised PPT file) are required within 14 hrs of receiving the proof so that we have time to print. If there is no response within this timeframe, we will print the file in order to make sure your poster is ready in time the conference.
- After Monday April 12, 10PM... files may still be submitted, but a $25 rush fee will be incurred, and it may be no longer possible to provide proofs —we will notify you by email and print your file without a proof to still meet the deadline.
- Should all printing time-slots become filled prior to this deadline, a notice will be posted on this Web page and submitters after this point will be notified by email as soon as possible.
- Posters will be printed and delivered in the order they are received and approved.
- Deliveries will be made throughout the day Wednesday April 14. We do not schedule deliveries or make appointments for ShowCase deliveries.
Supported Formats
- PowerPoint files (PC or Mac) set up as a poster using the 42" x 68" template (or smaller) are fine. Larger sizes do not receive discount pricing for ShowCase. Indicate which version of PowerPoint was used.
- PowerPoint 2003: If all parts of a poster are done in 2003, save as a 2003 file (.ppt). This version is rock solid to proof and print from.
- PowerPoint 2007: If any part of a poster is done in Office 2007, save as a 2007 file (.pptx) without ever saving backward to 2003!
Warning! If you are using 2007 and open a file originally done in PPT 2003, then simply SAVE the file, it will automatically save backward to a 2003 file (called Compatibility Mode). Saving backwards rasterizes (locks down) the 2007 features, often with errors. The PDF proof from PPT 2007 downsamples the images, but is adequate for proofing all other parts of the file. We print directly from the 2007 file to minimize errors.
Note: New effects found in PowerPoint 2007 are not always reliable in high resolution printing! For example, shadows, plastic text, glows, transparency and bevel effects can sometimes be buggy. Arrays of large images occasionally appear in the print with thin "slice" marks. This things may look great on screen, but they are not guaranteed to print without error. This is a problem with changes in Microsoft's graphics cores across all their software. If you wish to be guaranteed an error free print you should keep PowrerPoint 2003 on your system and use it for posters. - The Bill G Media Poster Resources.ppt file has tips, logos and other resources for poster presenters!
- Please use only common fonts to avoid printing errors. OpenType is best since special math and greek characters are built right in to the typeface.
- InDesign or Illustrator files (up to vCS3) are acceptable. Illustrator has a bug printing JPG files, so use TIFF files instead.
- If producing a PDF from InDesign, beware of printing bugs occasionally created by drop shadows and soft-edge effects.
- PDF files from PowerPoint 2003 are accepted if made using Bill G's directions and all fonts are embedded. Those instructions are found on this Web site, and in the Poster Resources.ppt file. Instructions for PPT 2007 PDFs will be posted soon.
PDF disclaimer: We are not responsible for errors if you use a font that does not embed and that we do not have, or if you do not follow our PDF directions carefully.
File Submission
- Submit all poster files as email attachments to Bill Garriott (bill@billgmedia.com) with "Showcase" in the subject line.
- In body of email include: name, phone, building & room poster should be delivered to (no dorms), which version of PowerPoint used and preference of Starbucks or McDonalds gift card.
- You will receive an acknowledgement of your email. Those submitted in time will be emailed a PDF proof within a few hours.
- Files must be named using your First & Last name with Department abbreviation. (Example: David Smith_Physics.ppt)
- Submit multiple posters using the same name followed by numbers: David Smith_Physics-1.ppt, David Smith_Physics-2.ppt, etc. This keeps all your files grouped in our queue, so that we may print and deliver them together!!
- Posters properly submitted by deadlines will be completed and delivered in order of submission. Some posters will be delivered Wednesday throughout the day. We do not make appointments for delivery.
- After delivery of completed poster to building/room specified by submitter, Bill G Media will email an invoice with payment instructions.
- This year due to changes in university policy, obtaining the $60 reimbursement from Research Administration is not possible. So we have subsidized your poster out of our own pocket. Wonder why the other guys don't do that?