NOTE: As of July 20, 2017, this article has been modified from the original content due to new logo regulations impacting which vendors are currently licensed to print posters with an official UT Southwestern logo on them. Please consult UT Southwestern Purchasing for a list of current approved vendors.

Academic posters are an important component to communicating and sharing your research with others. Jane Scott, Design and Promotion Specialist at the Health Sciences Digital Library and Learning Center, has been providing free design consultations and training for the last five years. Here are her five tips:

1. Plan for the future. Look at all of the possible conferences/meetings/symposiums you will be attending and determine your poster size based on the conference with the most stringent requirements. It will save you a lot of time and money.
2. Break it up. Break your poster components into text, tables, and high-resolution images first before you lay it out. It is harder to adjust and edit in a larger poster file. It also allows you to use your tables and content in other publishing areas in their original vector format. Once your content is solid, open a new document and immediately change the page layout to your poster size (i.e. 36” x 48”). Then, copy and paste the text and tables in.
3. No website logos or super dark color schemes. UT Southwestern Office of Communications provides campus logos large enough for your academic poster printing needs. Go to the Brand Standards section on the utsouthwestern.net internal website (on-campus access only). EPS files may look blurry in PowerPoint, but they print beautifully. Smaller PNG files are best for online presentations. Secondly, colors tend to print darker than they look on screen. It is very tempting to want to use deep purples and blue gradients. Unfortunately, most show up as black. A forest green on poster paper is more of a heather green on screen. Getting a proof for $10 can be very helpful in avoiding costly typo mistakes and making sure the colors you want are the colors you are actually getting.
4. Ask for help! You are probably not a graphic designer. So, get assistance from a designer to make sure that your academic poster is as professional and polished as your research. Schedule a free training session before you start or as a final proof before you send it off to the printer. We’re here to help you succeed.
5. Print it! There are a few options we recommend for getting you poster printed depending on your timeline, needs. Certain departments provide printing services for their departments. Two campus recommendations are:
   • • • Four Seasons Decorations – Closest off-campus logo approved vendor to campus. E-mail your poster and all requests for information to posters@fsdonline.com or call 214-742-6635.
       • UTSW Print Shop – On-campus print services prints posters. Email Printing.Services@utsouthwestern.edu or call 214-648-6193 for scheduling information.
       • UTSW Simmons Cancer Center prints posters on paper and canvas, and campus IDR billing is available. Contact Kathy Holloway for scheduling, availability, and pricing.

Need a book or “rush” journal article not owned by our Library? If so, place your requests via Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) by Friday, December 13, 2013.

Beginning Monday, December 16, 2013, the Library will not process any requests for books and “rush” journal articles from other libraries. Why? During the holiday season, most libraries from which we borrow resources do not lend materials. Non-rush article requests may also be slower or delayed.

Processing of book and “rush” article requests will resume in full on Thursday, January 2, 2014.

If you have any questions about this matter, please email the ILL Office or call 214.648.2002.

The UT Southwestern Library will stop circulating books permanently on Monday, August 19, in preparation for moving the print collection to the University of Texas System/Texas A&M Joint Library Facility, located in College Station.

The Joint Library Facility (JLF) is an initiative of the UT and A&M library systems. Opened in May 2013 on A&M’s Riverside campus, it is designed to store up to 1 million volumes in secure, climate-controlled conditions. Any library in either system may contribute volumes to the facility; there is no charge to the contributing library for storage. Once in the facility, materials are available to system libraries through interlibrary loan. Journal articles will be scanned and delivered by email; books will be delivered by a statewide courier service.

The UT Southwestern Library collection, recognized as the most comprehensive medical collection in Texas, will become the core of a shared resource used by students and faculty throughout the state, including the new UT System Medical Schools in Austin and South Texas.

The Library will retain a small print collection of titles held on reserve – as well as rare, unique, and archival materials – which may be used in the Library. The rest of the collection will be available electronically or through interlibrary loan. There will be no charge to request UT Southwestern Library materials located at the JLF.

The vacated space on the Library’s middle and top floors will be used for new educational activities. The Library’s collection of electronic books and journals will remain available through its website, http://library.utsouthwestern.edu.

Need a book or “rush” journal article not owned by our Library? If so, place your request via Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) by Friday, December 14.

Beginning Monday, December 17, the Library will not process any requests for books and “rush” journal articles from other libraries. Why? During the holiday season, most libraries from which we borrow resources do not lend materials. Regular article requests may also be slower or delayed.

Processing of book and “rush” article requests will resume in full on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

If you have any questions about this matter, please email the ILL Office or call 214.648.2002.